Minivan towing 16' Scamp

[rvnetter]

Is a 2013 Town and Country Minivan capable of towing a 16' Scamp? I know the tow rating of the Minivan and the weight of the Scamp. I just want to know what your experiences have been towing with such. Thanks for your input.

[rbpru]

Our Town and Country has no towing features. It would be hard pressed to tow a PUP. However, some models do have the transmission cooler and other towing features.

You should be able to determine the load your van can pull.

[ksbowman]

I have towed a 20' I/o fiberglass boat with our 2006 Grand Caravan. The boat weighed about 2500 lbs. The only trouble I had was really watching tongue weight as the back of the van would really squat unless I loaded stuff in the back of the boat, being carful not to be too light on the tongue. Also I always was concerned on long downhill runs that I had to use the brakes a lot. Power didn't seem to be a problem though with the 3.8 L v6.

[huachuca]

We owned Scamps for several years, first a 16' and now a 19' and really love 'em. but haven't any experience with minivan towing. Suggest you pose this question to the MFROG site

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/

I'm pretty sure some of the folks there can provide firsthand real world advice.

[jerem0621]

That Pentastar V6 will jerk that Scamp around like its nothing...this is coming from someone who tows with my 2014 Town & Country all the time... Just watch the Tongue Weight and trailer loading (balance) on that single axle.

Other than that You are Minivan Man Approved!

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Kelvininin]

I had a 1994 dodge caravan, towed boats, motorcycles, popup campers, never had an issue. I sold that thing with 270,000 miles on the clock.

[smokedummy]

My loaded 16'long, 7' wide trailer is technically a few hundred pounds too heavy to tow with my non-tow-package 2004 Grand Caravan. However, I have made two round-trip TX-NY trips and several runs down to the Texas coast etc with no problems. I keep the speed at 55, transmission in "3", RPMs are at 2500.

I am often asked how the minivan tows my trailer. My reply is that it is not optimal, but it works.

[keymastr]

Might want to search for a Town and Country forum or a Chrysler forum and get real world answers.My parents have a '14 that they load a 1000 pounds in quite often but no towing experience. They are pretty low to the ground so ground clearance and overheating would be my concerns.

[Tom_Trostel]

I see no problem with towing a 16' Scamp. I've tow round trips with only minivans from DFW to Colorado, Ohio, South Dakota, Oregon, Minnesota, and Florida. Towing 13' or 17' travel trailers with zero problems.

[vermilye]

I have had 3 Chrysler Minivans, and all had transmission problems without towing, although I've been told the newer ones hold up better. I still would not attempt it without the tow package.

I have friends that tow a Scamp 16 with a Sienna minivan (with tow package) & we made a trip to Alaska last June with no problems...

[dodge_guy]

mbopp wrote:
Dodge minivans used to have notoriously weak transmissions but I don't know if that still holds true. DB tows a small Fun Finder up and down the East coast with his Sienna.

The newer stuff is strong. Yes back in the 90's - mid 00's around 02 they had them figured out.

The new T&C is a strong performer.

[westend]

The largest drawback IMO, is the front wheel drive. Just be careful. I wouldn't want this combination for a long time situation but a guy does what he has to.

[mbopp]

Dodge minivans used to have notoriously weak transmissions but I don't know if that still holds true. DB tows a small Fun Finder up and down the East coast with his Sienna.

[dodge_guy]

The Scamp is a small light weight trailer. Being aerodynamic and probably around 2500 lbs loaded for a trip I say it will do good.

[profdant139]

It depends on the design of the minivan. The real issue is braking and the transmission -- if you are in the mountains, some minivans will experience warped rotors if you brake for a long time. Some transmissions can't handle long downgrades in low gear.

On flat ground, you would probably be ok, as long as there is a cushion between the weight of the trailer and the towing limit of the minivan. Most people will say "get a big truck," but not everyone can do that.

I towed a trailer about the same size as a Scamp or Casita (but not as aerodynamic) with a Pathfinder (kind of like a beefy minivan). It did ok. My Tacoma does the job better. A big truck would do even better, but I have to use this vehicle as my daily driver, so mileage matters to me.