Thoughts on next tow vehicle

Hiker88: We're real good about spending money when it's other people picking up the tab.

Yes, a Chrysler van will handle a 2500 pound pop up camper. If you ever have any intentions to step up to a larger camper, a 4 door pickup truck would be preferable.

One thing about the mini-vans is that they can be picked up on the used car market for a relatively low price. I suggest you check the Black Book, KBB.com or Edmunds.com to see what they're worth. If you check NADA.com, pay no more than the trade in value after adjusted for low/high miles.

I bought an 8 passenger Explorer XLT with navigation and leather for $32K this year. They also have an Explorer model fully equipped with cloth seats that can be bought for about $27K--a bargain for such a teriffic vehicle. They'll tow 5K.

I've towed 2 boats with a Chrysler T&C AWD with the towing package. Loaded with gear the boats weighed 15-1800 lbs. Did a great job. Comfortable ride and got about 18-19 mpg around town empty. 14-15 mpg towing. I also towed my under 1000 lb tent trailer and hardly knew it was back there because it tucked in so nice. The last long towing trip I took with it was 750 miles one way from Minneapolis to White River Ontario over the steep grades around Lake Superior. Loaded with 3 adults, golden retriever, food and beverages for 10 days. At that time it had 193,000 miles on it and I had owned it for 8 years so yes I would say a Chrysler mini van would be a excellent choice. While it is not an off road vehicle because of the low ground clearance I can say that after owning 5 Jeeps, 1 Ford, 2 GMC 4x4's, and 1 Subaru that on slippery streets and highways that Diamler AWD is the best I have ever driven.

I think the limitations of using weight distribution on some of these vehicles is the hitch attachment method. A WDH can torque a receiver mount up and down more than having dead weight ride on it. I have only seen this restriction on select unibody vehicles and have not ever seen it on "body on frame" vehicles.

My preference is to use a RWD or AWD drive vehicle for heavier towing because of traction. It's hard to shift weight to the drive wheels of a FWD unless backing up a hill (been there before). When a FWD loses traction it also loses directional control. I do tow 1500 lbs with my VW TDI, but the heavier diesel helps keep the drive wheels planted. You need to pay more attention to the front end unloading on you than other vehicles.

I'd advise against a half ton pickup. It's overkill for towing your camper, you lose the option for third row seats, access to cargo space is more complicated etc.

I'd go to a tow/hitch store, or a hitch installation place, and get a quote on what it takes to property equip a minivan. I think both toyota and honda have 3500 lbs tow when properly equipped. grand caravan as well.

Not sure about the gloom and doom comments about minivans. I've towed heavier popups (as well as other assorted trailers) with 4 bikes on a tongue-mounted bike rack for over 15 years with different vans with no issues. Setup is key. With our family situation, we need the flexibility of vans (seating arrangements, secure cargo storage, 1200-1400 lb payload, easy to park, fits in the garage) rather than the limitations of a full size crew cab pickup of which I have owned a few. I'll get another pickup in a few years after the kids are gone, but not now. I'm not afraid of using WD on a unibody, especially since the owner's manual is OK with it. I did not have factory tow packages on my vans, but added the necessary components. My Ford had various warranty issues back in the day, and the dealer never gave me any problems. No issues at all with the Dodge. The low center of gravity is a big plus on having a stable platform. But, I also know I'm not going to convince anyone else since most people think bigger is always better.

Just my opinion......

Hiker88,

You might want to tell us a little more about the non-towing uses you want for the vehicle as well.

I went from an '07 Subaru Outback to the '11 F150 in my signature last year, and I couldn't be more pleased w/ my decision.

I didn't tow w/ my Outback (we had the Suburban for that), but I mountain bike a lot and take a bike with me about everywhere I go. Going from the Subaru to the F150, I have only lost about 20% mpg, but gained a ton of room, power, cargo capacity, and everything else.

My Outback just didn't get very good mpg. No bikes on the outside, it was 25-26 mpg maybe. Throw a bike on the hitch rack, and I was lucky to break 23 mpg on the freeway. Bikes on the roof and hitch, well, I was well into the teens. My truck gets 21 mpg on the freeway no matter how many bikes I have in the bed! The rear seat in the truck is far, far more spacious for my kids or co-riders as well.

I don't know a lot about the CUVs for towing and outdoors stuff. IMO, it is hard to beat a truck for all of that; based on your name, it looks like ourdoors capability is a priority.

I'd certainly recommend looking at a 1/2 ton crew cab. For those who aren't "truck people," they might have one vision of what a truck is in their head. It may end up being something much different than you thought after a test drive or two. Just a thought.

mtofell1 wrote:
Any 1/2 ton would be great. If you wanted to stay a bit smaller a Dodge Durango is a great mid-size SUV that is very capable for it's size. I had one as a rental once and was very impressed with it as an overall vehicle. I believe it's rated to tow somewhere up around 6-7000# so it would also give you some room to grow if you wanted to get into a bigger trailer someday.

Thanks; I'll check those out.

Any 1/2 ton would be great. If you wanted to stay a bit smaller a Dodge Durango is a great mid-size SUV that is very capable for it's size. I had one as a rental once and was very impressed with it as an overall vehicle. I believe it's rated to tow somewhere up around 6-7000# so it would also give you some room to grow if you wanted to get into a bigger trailer someday.

Bought my 2000 Odyssey used and have found that they did tow a small
PUP. Not external ATF cooler, which says no tow package and my guess
why the automatic didn't last

Curious that Honda touches on a WD Hitch for my Odyssey, but nephew's
Pilot (derived from an Odyssey mini van) says "NO WD Hitch"...his is
newer than mine and that might be it...too many issues with WD?

Then note that the U-Haul receiver the previous owner had installed
says "NO WD"

This is the page on towing metrics vs the number of seat belts used
for my 2000 Odyssey
odysseytow odysseytowmanual odysseymanual

odysseyGVWR odysseyGCWR odysseyATFcooler


Below quote from: 2000 Odyssey auto tranny just went south

benk wrote:

Bought a used 2000 Odyssey with 115K miles on it. Missionary couple and
they just drove it hauling tons of kids on church trips. Bike rack and
a U-Haul 1.75" receiver. Know they had all the seat belts filled and
a dog or two from all of the candy/soda/etc stains & dog hair found
on my first cleaning.

Known weakness is the automatic and they usually go around 100K-120K.

Thought okay, as they know next to nothing mechanic and had it serviced
exactly to the glove box manual service schedule. Have all of the
receipts for Mobil synthetic motor oil

Had it flushed at Jiffy Lube ($79 sale) and was a known gamble on my
part. As know that if they never had it flushed, there is a possibility
of the new solvents loosening something and/or dissolving varnish to
have a valve become loosey goosey

4 months later after that flush and it's now shifting bad and is in the
shop. Mechanic says the majority of Odyssey and Pilot automatics go
around 100K-120K miles and sooner if hauling/towing stuff.

Over at my Suburban/SUV/Truck/Car forum, a well respected member and in the
automotive business confirms this too.

Brother also has a 2000 Odyssey and is now in need of a second rebuild
as he hauls tons inside with a humongo roof rack carrier along with
the bike carrier.

Just a heads up to those who are considering or have an Odyssey or Pilot
that they will tow with. IMHO, these are not meant to tow much more
than a Popup and should be serviced on a regular basis...ONLY Honda ATF
to boot, as my mechanic says using non-Honda shortens its life

If using a mini-van or small pickup for towing, remember the "math".

re:

Loaded Vehicle:
- Most have MAX 3,200 lbs towing power.
- With above number, subtract weight of driver.
- With remaining above number, subtract with of passenger.
- With remaining above number, subtract weight of kids/dog.
- With remaining above number, subtract weight of its own internal cargo.
- With remaning above number, subtract weight of hitch.
Final number is the "real" MAX number it can tow.

Loaded Trailer:
- Load up trailer as if going on a normal camping trip and "Scale Weight" it. Don't guess at its final loaded number. Simply weigh it. Many folks load 300-400 lbs of "stuff" and don't even realize it.

Take remaining number from loaded Tow Vehicle and subtract loaded "scale weight" of trailer. If result is negative number, then buy a larger size Tow Vehicle. Or, "dump some stuff".

If loaded PUP is more than 1,500 lbs, I highly recommend installing full electric brakes under the PUP. This is simple brake hub install + wiring or simply replace existing axle with new axle (that has electric brakes). Add brake controller inside the Tow Vehicle and all is good. This 1,500 lbs number isn't a make or break number. But IMO, it should be law within all states - not just the states with known steep hills. Trailer brakes on PUPs work great. Especially behind light weight Tow Vehicles - like mini-vans.

And, ensure one installs a large ATF cooler inside their mini-van as well. Don't go with the 3,500 Tru-cool or Hayden brands. Install their 5,000 lbs model - to allow their FWD transmissions to run even cooler.

If wondering, I had a previous mini-van and blew its transmission - from too much towing stress. Currently tow with a different mini-van and its FWD seals are now leaking. GGGRRRRR.... IMO, mini-vans aren't the best Tow Vehicles. Especially when loaded down with passengers and internal cargo at same time. If into heavy weight PUP towing, use a mid-size V6 pickup or Traverse V6 with Towing Packages installed.

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