Need some towing advice. We have a 2001 Toyota Sienna that comfortably tows a tent trailer. We have the opportunity to buy a Trail Lite (21ft hard sided) trailer. The Trail Lites claim to be minivan towable, but is it really advisable to do so?
* This post was
edited 04/06/12 01:47pm by 3LittleDucks *
2008 Nissan Armada TV
2007 Trail Cruiser 21RBH HTT
It's all in the numbers...
Load the van with passengers, gear, etc and weigh it.
Check the tow and especially the PAYLOAD ratings for your van.
Check the GVWR of the Trail Lite..and start subtracting.
Be careful what the salesman tells you.
If you post the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) and tow ratings for you van and the GVWR of the trailer...lots of us here on the Forum can give you a guesstimate answer.
From what I can see, if you have the V6 you only get 3500 lbs of towing capacity...and there are lots of astricks and restrictions given with these numbers.
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."
GMC Duramax LBZ
Komfort
Reese Dual Cam HP Our Rig Picture...CLICK HERE
Minivan towable means that there are SOME minivans that can do it. Whether yours is one of them depends on the details about the trailer and the van. What is the GVWR or the trailer and how does it fit with the tow rating and payload numbers for your van? Those would be the determining factor. Saying it's minivan towable is a lot like saying "it will fit in a box" without knowing how big it is or what size of box you have.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
Be sure to get an actual tongue weight for the trailer, then take into account if you need to add LP or battery, and whether the fresh water tank is near the front... stuff that will increase that tongue weight. You're only rated for 350 lbs. on the hitch, I think. In other words, even if the trailer loaded for camping is under 3500 lbs, it could still be over your limit if the hitch weight is too high.
Mike & Sherry
2000 Mercury Mountaineer
2008 Toyota Highlander
2011 KZ Spree Escape E14RB
3LittleDucks wrote: Need some towing advice. We have a 2001 Toyota Sienna that comfortably tows a tent trailer. We have the opportunity to buy a Trail Lite (21ft hard sided) trailer. The Trail Lites claim to be minivan towable, but is it really advisable to do so?
only their smallest trailers are "minivan-towable".
and don't believe anything the salesperson says. #1 newbie mistake.
need more info on the trailer.
most 19' TTs exceed the 3500lbs. that nearly all minivans can tow, so a 21' trailer seems to be way over your capacity.
give us the year and model number of the Trail-lite. or look for the trailer's actual weight from the factory. newer trailers have it on a yellow sticker, on the outside of the trailer. older ones have a white sticker inside, usually on the inside of a cabinet door.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
Thanks for the info, this is a private sale, so no pushy salesperson giving false info. The trailer is a Trail Cruiser Lite 21RBH, the previous owner towed it with a minivan, packed very light didn't tow water (although if the tanks are in the back it might help the tongue weight to have it full). We really like towing the tent trailer, the low height is great for (lack of) wind resistance, but there are advantages to hard sided, the washroom and shorter set up time are very appealing.
3LittleDucks wrote: PS. I found another thread here that gave the weights as UWV 3345, Hitch Weight 389 for the R-Vision Trail Cruiser 21RBH
it would help knowing the year, but that's going to be too much for your minivan's 3500 tow capacity.
it's already at 3345lbs. before battery, propane and water.
so, unless you don't carry any cargo, it'll be over the max.
and i think the hitch capacity is only 350lbs. for the Sienna.
also, R-Vision made a hybrid 21RBH and a regular TT 21RBH, which is it?
Offline
, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur
, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
