I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan (3.3L/v6) I just bought, low mileage (90 000km) and in good shape. My girls and I have loved camping locally, and thinking of something 'bigger' this year. I'm a little nervous about the idea of towing a trailer (approx 2500 pds) across country (3200km/2000miles) this summer, along with family of 5 in the van. Would you advise trying it? If so, limit hours of driving per day? Avoid certain routes (from Toronto to Calgary - I was thinking driving through US)? Modifications to my caravan needed?? I love the idea of the trip - but not at the expense of the van! I need it to last..any thoughts??
We had in the past...2 brand new Dodge Caravans. We used them to tow a smaller Jayco tent trailer.
In hindsight it wasn't a good idea...as the transmissions on both failed several times and were replaced under warranty. I'm sure they have better trannies now.
Make sure yours is equipped with the heavy duty tow package...which includes a upgrades transmission cooler and an engine oil cooler. Or have both coolers installed. Also change over to synthetic oil.
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In general, if you are going to be towing with an automatic, make sure it has a good tranny cooler. A tuneup and brake service before leaving wouldn't hurt, how old is the battery?
trailer would be a 15' Flagstaff 208. I read elsewhere about a 'towing package' which referred to a transmission cooler - thanks I'll look more into this..sounds like I still need to do some more thinking about this before I decide on whether it's worth it.
lbdixon wrote: I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan (3.3L/v6) I love the idea of the trip - but not at the expense of the van! I need it to last..any thoughts??
Ten years ago we had a van similar to yours with the same questions.
No where could we get accurate answers until we taked with the towing specialist at the Airstream dealer in London Ont. They have set up 1,000's of mini vans for towing and have the knowledge and experience to give you the answers you are looking for. The advice we received from them has saved us $1,000.'s of dollars and 10 years of problem free towing. A two hour drive to London would we very wothwhile. Best of luck.
Airstreams.... the best towing trailers on the planet!
hopefully, your minivan has the factory tow package. if not, you need to get a tranny cooler for sure.
does the popup have electric brakes? if so, you might as well just duplicate the factory tow package.
as far as towing, i think you have the perfect combo for your trip.
a minivan like yours, is a great TV for a popup.
get the van setup with the tow package and go camping!
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The Google maps autorouter program claims it is six hours shorter for you to drive through the US. You will be driving superhighways all the way to the middle of North Dakota. Avoid Chicago during rush hour!
Just to be clear, you can't go anywhere and say "put the tow package on my Caravan," or walk into a parts store and say, "I want to buy a tow package for my Caravan." They will not know what you are talking about.
It either came with the tow package from the factory, or it didn't.
The individual pieces in the tow package are:
1. A receiver hitch rated for the maximum tow capacity of the van.
2. A transmission cooler.
3. A receptacle at the rear of the van for plugging in the trailer's lights.
Since you already have the trailer and tow it, you already have the receptacle and receiver. The only question is the cooler.
Get a trusted mechanic to verify that you have a cooler. If so and you are comfortable towing the rig as it is, then get up to date on vehicle maintenance, hit the road and have fun!
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
Wow some really great advice here! thanks so much for taking the time to respond, I feel I have a much better idea of what I'm getting myself into. Okay, off to the mechanic to talk 'transmission coolers'..! hope everyone has a great year camping as well.
bikendan wrote: hopefully, your minivan has the factory tow package. if not, you need to get a tranny cooler for sure.
does the popup have electric brakes? if so, you might as well just duplicate the factory tow package.
as far as towing, i think you have the perfect combo for your trip.
a minivan like yours, is a great TV for a popup.
get the van setup with the tow package and go camping!
A 3.3L minivan will not have a tow pkg. that was only available with the 3.8L. the minivan in question will have a 2000 or 2500lb tow rating, but will handle the PuP in question just fine!
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