Towing capacity- 2005 Town & Country, TF cooling question

[v7]

Hi ,
we're thinking of scrapping our previous plans (van + TT) and staying with out town & country and getting a pop up.

online my car is listed as tow capacity 3500.

the owner's manual says 1700.

is the difference an ATF cooler ?

[bguy]

Somewhere in the last year or so they stopped putting spare tires on these vans. Now you get a slime kit.

As to towing your good up to 1700 lb as is. If your trailer is heavy enough for it, itll have brakes already on it. 1500lb and above I believe. They would be a nice addition even on trailer 1200lb or heavier IMO.

[Fast_Mopar]

dodge guy wrote:
When the vans went to Stow-n-go they only got the minispare. before that I think it got the full size spare with a tow pkg.

Correct. That was 2005.

[dodge_guy]

When the vans went to Stow-n-go they only got the minispare. before that I think it got the full size spare with a tow pkg.

[Terryallan]

doubl

[Terryallan]

Fast Mopar wrote:

Terryallan wrote:
A full size spare tire is also part of the package. You can't tow on a donut.

Not true. These vans have mini spares, tow package or not. I know this for sure.

When did it change?

[dodge_guy]

The minivan tow pkg includes, HD radiator, trans cooler, engine oil cooler, rear load leveling shocks, rear sway bar and 4-way trailer wiring. and I haven`t verified it, but when I was with Chrysler I was told that the computer has a different calibration for a tow pkg. slightly firmer shifts and the fan comes on a bit sooner for better cooling. The older minivans used to have bigger wheel bearings and bigger or different brakes!

[v7]

wait, so can i tow 1700 as is?


or would i need the extra fluid cooling etc for the 1700.
(there aren't a lot of tents below 1500, but i can find a few. i don't know why they're all so heavy. )

when do i need breaks ? above 3000 right? (a friend of mine sold an 800 lb popup that i ended up not buying , but he had no breaks .)

[Fast_Mopar]

Terryallan wrote:
A full size spare tire is also part of the package. You can't tow on a donut.

Not true. These vans have mini spares, tow package or not. I know this for sure.

[Terryallan]

A full size spare tire is also part of the package. You can't tow on a donut.

[sch911]

I can tell you for sure it was an upgraded radiator, electric fan, larger trans cooler, and engine oil cooler. So to answer your question, no.

[Fast_Mopar]

I don't remember if the 2005 tow package had a separate trans cooler or if it was just a larger radiator with the larger integrated cooler built in. A receiver hitch was not part of the package at that time. Another thing the tow package had was the auto-leveling rear shocks which I would prefer to not have. This is just my opinion, but you will be OK towing 2500-3000 lb even without the package. You have a 4 speed automatic - just keep it out of overdrive. I have a 2004 Ford Freestar van that would be rated at 3500 with the tow package, but mine does not have it. My popup weighs 3000 lb loaded and I've towed all over the place with it. It is not a safety issue - the vans are rated to tow 3600-3800 with the tow package. Be sure to get trailer brakes and a brake controller - that is an absolute requirement.

[jfkmk]

It could be a number of things....engine, trans, etc. I can't imagine that a trans cooler, a $50 add on, could be the only factor.