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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
But none of this matters to your situation. Your Highlander is rated for 5000 towing even while loaded with up to 1200 pounds of meat and gear in the vehicle. The specs they have given you are all you need to concern yourself with, and in this case they work FOR you nicely. Enjoy it, I sure do!
You are totally correct. I called Toyota myself twice (incl. today) and they told me the same thing. The first time I called them, I accused them of giving me bad information since I was shocked that the 5000 lb trailer tow rating was independent of how the tow vehicle was loaded. But I confirmed with them again today and they told me the same story --- the payload of the Highland is 1200 lbs, the max tow load is 5000 lbs, and both of those ratings are independent of each other. That's good! Now I just need to figure out this hitch/WDH issue.The advice in the Toyota manual to NOT use a WDH is just about as worthless as the 45mph max towing speed, and the requirement to remove the hitch and plug the holes when not in use (which by the way is to retain crash worthiness while not towing if you get rear-ended).
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Caddywhompus
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11/11/09 09:13am |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
I WOULD be cautious about using a real, live WDH system on a minivan or CUV, even with just 550# bars. The potential is there to bend stuff on severe road alignments. Fotunately, an alternative exists for lighter duty trailers. The Reese 350mini and 400 single bar WDH units are specifically made for these lighter duty vehicles and simply don't have enough beef to damage the vehicle or trailers designed for WDH.My class III on our minivan is rated for 350/3500 WC and 550/5000 WD. My 550 pounds spring bars are perfectly matched to the receiver, and the whole thing works just as it's supposed too. I can even open the hatch while the trailer is hitched, something the anti-unibody crowd wouldn't likely believe.
And for the record, I started with a mini-350, but found it inadequate at handling the 400-450 pounds tongue weight our Bethany can sometimes run when loaded heavy. After consulting with a towing professional, his recommendation was to skip the light-duty WD and go straight to a standard trunnion-style system with 550 pound bars and a single friction sway control. The improvement in weight distribution and ride quality was immediately noticeable on the road, and the advice from the towing pro was right on the money. I sold my mini-350 almost immediately.
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Caddywhompus
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11/11/09 09:10am |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
...Again, not saying *can't*, but weary knowing how a monocoque works. Yes it is
extremely rigid in reference to a ladder frame, but that is also it's problem
with the high stress of a WD hitch system. It can be made to, but I don't think
current monocoque vehicles are...with the exception of the VW/Porsche SUV/CUV...
If you are going to keep it 2-3 years, you'll not see these failures. Maybe even
longer and dependent on how you drive, where you drive and how you load up the
WD Hitch system (of course how much of a load too). The down stream owners will
see these failures...Ben, My Freestar is coming up on 5 years old, and nearly 100k miles. The Astro van that preceded it was 9 years old when we traded it in and had 90k miles, and the Plymouth Voyager that preceded the Astro was 20 years old when it finally went to the scrap yard, and had a whopping 290k miles at junk time.
All 3 of these vehicles are unibody in design. All three of them had aftermarket class III/IV hitches (1 Reese, 1 Curt, and 1 Hidden Hitch) and all 3 of them were used for towing trailer WITH Weight Distributing hitches involved. Not a single one of them fell apart on the freeway, even the Voyager which had a lot of rust at the end. All doors and windows continued to work, and the hitches NEVER loosened or tore free from the "thin sheetmetal" unibody. I'm not alone here, tens of thousands of other people are driving unibody vehicles with WD in place right now, as we speak. Andy Thompson has setup a few thousand all by himself!
To answer the questions about hitch design, first you have to accept a couple facts. The "Thin sheetmetal" that you believe all these vehicle are built out of is actually high-strength steel, and is a lot thicker (at least under the vehicle) than you realize.A lot of modern unibody vehicle actually HAVE a ladder frame underneath them, but it's welded to the floorpan (no body mounts) for increased strength and rigidity. (This is the confusion with Astro vans, since a quick glance underneath will show a frame, but you'd have to look closer to notice it's welded to the floor pan of the van. My other minivans were all built the same.)The hitch manufacturer has to (by law) include the hitch's mounting points and attachment hardware in the rating of the unit to get DOT approval on the design. So yes, on a typical class III hitch designed for a unibody vehicle, the forward mounting tabs are located FAR forward up the chassis to counteract the stress of the spring bar tension. Backer plates are always included to place under the fasteners (1/4" steel stock) inside the chassis to prevent the bolt head from pulling thru the metal and further spread out stress.
And the last thing to point out is that these vehicles are generally-speaking "light-duty" tow vehicles. Meaning, under 5000 pounds tow rating in most cases. Therefore the stress and load of towing is LESS than the typical HD pickup owner, who might be pulling 13k pounds with a 1500 pound tongue weight. So the hardware does not need to be quite so over-engineered to perform satisfactorily.
It has become SO COMMON to use light-duty WD hitches on minivans, X-over SUVs and other light unibody vehicles that you can buy aftermarket hitches for them from any number of sources. In fact, the newer Chrysler minivans come from the factory with a Class III/IV hitch now (with HD towing package) that is rated at 350/3500 WC and 400/3500 WD.
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Caddywhompus
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11/10/09 12:04pm |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
Marty's advice is very good, but pertains more to RWD vehicles than FWD ones like a Highlander.
With FWD, you want to keep the front tires properly weighted for all the reasons Marty mentioned, but also because you'll need the traction on slippery surfaces. Without the WD on my minivan, the front tires will spin easily on damp pavement, grass and gravel. With the WD, none of this happens.
Now I realize the Highlander is technically AWD, but a better definition would be "Front Wheel Drive with the ability to engage the rear axle on a limited basis when the front tires slip". So the application is best handled by treating is like a FWD vehicle.
And to answer your question about how much tongue weight you can carry without WD? Well that's fuzzy. First of all, to put 500 pounds on your hitch without WD is going to be a wake up call. I don't care what Toyota says, 500 pounds on the ball is GOING to sag the rear of the Toyota and create handling and traction problems. Going lighter from there, you could probably get away from the WD hitch with less than 300 pounds of tongue weight, but you may find you can't carry anything in the back of the vehicle without sagging even at this weight. And then, how often will you be doing this? If you plan to tow once or twice a year, you can probably deal with a little rear sag. If it's every weekend, then probably not.
I'll share my personal experience for you. Even though my tow vehicle is a minivan, the results would be surprisingly similar. I can carry 300 pounds of tongue weight without the WD, but the rear of the van sags almost 1-1/2". For short term trips, this isn't even a concern. But for long term driving, it sure is nice to correct it. With the WD installed, I can carry up to 500 pounds of tongue weight, plus have gear in the back of the van, and everything stays dead level. I started out with a light-duty WD hitch (mini-350), which helped a great deal at 300 pounds and under, but I found over 300 pounds it became ineffective. So I upgraded to a standard WD hitch with 550 pound bars and solved the problem. And YES, I had to install an aftermarket hitch to get the capability to use WD at all, since the factory hitch wasn't rated for it.
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Caddywhompus
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11/10/09 07:43am |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
...I think the OP will find it tough to get
a Class IV receiver made for his TV because that after market OEM will
then assume any warranty and liability for it's use.Reese sells one, and I'm sure so do others. You'd be surprised (I'll bet) to find out how many unibody vehicles Reese sells a class IV hitch for.
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 09:14pm |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
... Toyota says not to, because their own piece of junk receiver isn't built well enough to handle it.
... The advice to not use the WD system is poorly-thought out CYA from Toyota because they don't want to supply the right hitch, nor take responsibility for idiots who set them up wrong.
How do you know that these statements are true? If they are based on fact, then please state the sources. If they are based on your opinion, then please state so.
I fully realize you have your opinions on minivans and towing but you have made several "factual type" statements in this thread and need to back them up or state that they are your opinion.
BarneyHow do you know they aren't? Do you have any experience with this vehicle? Do you have any links to post proving my statements false?
I know the recommendation from Toyota re Weight Distribution is based on the same baseless premise as the one Honda attaches to the Pilot. I know that the Sienna minivan that shares it's platform with the Highlander is fully capable of using a WD hitch, and thousands are out on the roads doing so right now. I know that Reese sells a class III hitch with WC and WD ratings specific for this vehicle. And I know that if it wasn't safe to install and use said hitch, Reese wouldn't sell it. Further, I know that when a hitch manufacturer designs a vehicle-specific hitch, it's mounting to the vehicle and structural integrity are both included in the ratings assigned. And last, I'm quite certain that if anyone had actually damaged his Highlander by using a WD hitch, a Google search would quickly uncover it!
In all my time on this forum, I've seen countless posts from people claiming that the use of a WD hitch on a unibody vehicle will cause it to fall apart like a clown car on the freeway. And yet, it has never happened. I've searched and searched, and even challenged people to show me evidence. There has never been an example of a damage done to a vehicle, towing within it's and the hitch's ratings, as a result strictly of the application of a WD hitch. There ARE many examples of bent frames and broken OEM hitches on larger vehicles, by a large magnitude.
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 08:01pm |
Towing
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RE: Questions re: Payload vs. Tongue Weight, and WDH
The posts stating unibody vehicles can't use WD hitches are grossly out of date with the times.
I've been using WD hitches on the last 3 unibody vehicles, and that's a span of about 10 years and maybe 50k miles towing. Properly setup, they work EXACTLY the same as ladder frame vehicles, often better. Without my WD hitch, our minivan would be limited to 350 pounds of tongue weight, which would sag the rear of the van significantly. With the WD hitch, I can run with up to 550 pounds of tongue weight, evenly distributed front to back. The van stays dead-level and handling is as good as without the trailer. You could expect the same results from the Highlander.
Better? Yes Better. Ladder frames flex, which is why pickup trucks have separate cab and bed parts. When the WD bars are tensioned up, sometimes the frame flex absorbs some of the twist BEFORE weight starts to transfer. Unibody vehicles are often built so rigidly that they DO NOT FLEX as much as ladder framed equivalents. Less flex means the WD hitch works BETTER.
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 06:04pm |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
Unless the OP is asking for permission, approval, etc to go outside
of the OEM ratings, or recommendations of usage...then there will
be tons of folks willing to provide the 'sure you can'...
Thanks again, everybody, for info! I wasn't asking for permission to exceed ratings. I was just asking what happens when people tow near (but not over) the max ratings. I've never towed a TT before, and so I have no idea what happens in that case (maybe nothing). Also I was just trying to determine the conditions/assumptions behind how OEMs set their ratings, but it appears they closely guard such info.
Thanks again
GaryI'll give some you of the best advice you'll get on the matter, if you want to hear it.
Watch the profile of the camper very closely. Try to find something aerodynamic or sleek (Award or Airstream...etc.) for the best experience. Brick-style trailer pull much harder, especially on the freeway. If you want maximum enjoyment from the Highlander, look for trailer that tow easily in the wind. Even a sloped-nose unit is better than a flat-front.
And second, USE THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING HITCH. Toyota says not to, because their own P.O.S. receiver isn't built well enough to handle it. You will have to replace your Toyota hitch with an aftermarket one that is rated for Weight Carrying AND Weight Distributing. If you want to pull anywhere close to 5000 pounds, your gonna be looking at 500-750 pounds of tongue weight typically. Without WD the rear bumper of the Toyota is going to be LOW LOW LOW. Your primary drive tires are the front, and when you take weight off them you'll find they spin easily on wet pavement, grass, gravel...etc. With the WD, the entire vehicle will remain level, and the front tires will keep the traction they need. The advice to not use the WD system is poorly-thought out CYA from Toyota because they don't want to supply the right hitch, nor take responsibility for idiots who set them up wrong. For your intended towing needs, I would recommend a standard WD hitch with 750 pound bars and a friction sway control, and whatever receiver you can get that will handle the load.
If you take this advice, and find a good trailer match and use the right equipment, the Highlander should do very well. If not, you will be disappointed. Your choice.
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 02:42pm |
Towing
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RE: "What can I tow" question you probably have never seen.
I gotta ask. Why do you care? Are you worried about being denied warranty coverage? Does it really matter what the EXACT rating was way back then?
Put a class III hitch on it, and give it a try. If it pulls well, go for it. If it struggles, go lighter. Cars of that vintage were frequently used "back in the day" to tow all the travel trailers available at that time. This pre-dates every family having pickup trucks (back then pickups were work/farm vehicles) and these cars were the work-horses of the RV industry. I'd expect you to have little trouble pulling 4000 pounds with that car, and proper hitching/braking equipment.
Now all that said, I will be the first to point out that these older cars are NOT as good of tow vehicles as the modern equivalents. It's going to be weak on power, waste a lotta fuel, the brakes will be marginal at best, and the suspension is going to need some help. Being body-on-frame doesn't help if the frame is as rigid as a wet noodle! Newer cars have better suspensions, engines, powertrains, transmissions with more gears, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS...etc. We have come a long way with automotive engineering, and newer cars (while rated less) are magnitudes better tow vehicles than their ancestors. So don't expect miracles and you won't be disappointed.
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 09:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
Do you know of any document that explains how Toyota rates the Highlander's tow capacity? I've looked all over the internet, in my owner manual & Toyota Tow Guide, and even called Toyota.Good Luck with that!
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has been able to get any information from ANY of the OEMs regarding how/why they rate their vehicles. It's one of the most tightly guarded secrets in the industry. The closest answer I ever got was from GM's customer service email. It said "GM incrementally increases the towed load on it's trucks until such time performance is no longer acceptable." Talk about room for interpretation! What is "acceptable"?!
I could speculate that Toyota chooses to rate their larger trucks (Pickups, large SUVs) consistently with the rest of the industry so that potential buyers see competitive numbers across the brands, and I'd be pretty close to the truth.
And I could further speculate that they rate their smaller vehicles (cars, minivan, compact SUVs...etc.) differently because it's the better way to communicate the abilities of a vehicle. People want to know, in real life, what they can expect from a vehicle. Not what it could do empty, with no options, on full moon, when Saturn and Venus are aligned in the sky. They would probably choose to rate the entire product line this way, except that their trucks would then appear to tow less than the competition!
But none of this matters to your situation. Your Highlander is rated for 5000 towing even while loaded with up to 1200 pounds of meat and gear in the vehicle. The specs they have given you are all you need to concern yourself with, and in this case they work FOR you nicely. Enjoy it, I sure do!
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Caddywhompus
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11/09/09 09:03am |
Towing
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RE: Question re: GCWR - Loaded Vehicle Weight = Tow Capacity
The hard-core weight police have a real hard time accepting vehicles such as the Highlander. They are SO USED to the over-stated, unattainable way their full-size trucks are all rated, that anything which steps away from the same gotchas as they are used too is strange and weird.
Toyota rates the Highlander, the Sienna, the Rav4 and a few other vehicles differently than the norm. As mentioned above, most vehicles (esp full-size trucks) are rated using base-model trucks with only a driver. I won't get into the why of this, it's just fact.
On the other hand, a Toyota Highlander owner gets a little fudge room here, because the smaller vehicles are rated at a towing capacity allowing for a modest amount of people and gear to be included in the vehicle. It's not quite maximum payload, but it's about 1200 pounds which is PLENTY.
So the answer to your question is, according to Toyota, you can pull 5000 pounds EVEN WHILE carrying up to 1200 pounds of people/stuff in the vehicle. It's a really nice cushion, enjoy it.
And for the record, Toyota isn't alone here. While they rate their larger trucks (Tundra, Sequoia, 4Runner...etc.) consistant with industry standard using the base model + drive model, the smaller vehicles get a tow rating without the footnote. Other car companies that also do this (off the top of my head) Subaru, Volvo, Saab, M-B, Kia and Hyundai. I know my Subaru is rated to tow 2400 pounds (North America) even while the car is loaded to maximum payload. And my Freestar can pull 3500 pounds with about 1200 pounds of people and gear in the van as well and never exceed a rating.
So knowing this, you would think people would start to see that a vehicle like the Highlander is much more capable than first glance would indicate, but few on these forums actually know the facts, and are so used to vomiting out the same old rules of thumb that they don't notice something like this. The assume because their 1/2 ton SUV have all these caveats attached to it's tow rating, that every other vehicle on the road is so handicapped.
The new Highlander should be an impressive tow vehicle, the platform-sharing Sienna sure is.
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Caddywhompus
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11/06/09 02:29pm |
Towing
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RE: ok, my buddy bought a Voyager controler,
I use the P-3 I won't even think about one that cuts into my brake lines.
If you are referring to the MaxBrake or BrakeSmart neither cut into the brake lines.
They utilize an existing hole in the Master Brake Cylinder and you screw in a fully enclosed self contained pressure transducer and connect your wires.
They are not unsafe if that is your concern.Agreed, and In addition the old "hydraulic over electric" controllers that did tap into the brake lines were among the best controllers ever made. 100% proportional and completely safe if installed correctly. People who still have them covet them. Why they were pulled from the market can only be guessed at, since they work just as well on new vehicles as they did on old ones.
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Caddywhompus
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11/04/09 11:49am |
Towing
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RE: Dodge Grand Caravan most reliable minivan.
Get a Mustang Caddy ;)The wife can have her Challenger (if that's what she wants). I holding out for an WRX STi. :)
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Caddywhompus
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10/14/09 02:17pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Dodge Grand Caravan most reliable minivan.
I'm a Mopar fan, having owned and built several over the years.
That said, I find this study highly unlikely. I know people who bought newer Chrysler vans, and have been let down. I believe the quality got real good for a time, them plummeted as Chrysler's financial woes started piling up.
And the Honda vans are nice, but they have started getting a reputation for weak transmissions and being thirsty at the pump. I get significantly better mileage from my American van than my cubicle neighbor does with his newer Honda.
Honestly, the best minivans on the road are the Toyota Sienna and Kia Sedona. They both perform extremely well, and are built to a much higher standard. All it takes is a drive in each to convince. I drove a rental Kia to Texas a few months back and was very impressed. Our company van is a Sienna, and it also is a real nice van, and much more fun to drive with the new 267hp motor.
And our Ford just passed 95k miles, and my mechanical repairs have been limited to a wheel bearing that started squeaking. Of course I'm biased, but I think the Freestars are the most comfortable of all. They are just roomier all around, have better seats and nicer ride. And yes, I've driven the competition. Too bad they are no longer made, because I personally think Ford took a very long time to come up with a decent minivan, then killed it before anyone knew it existed. Oh well.
I think my next minivan will not be a minivan at all. Our kids are teens now, so traveling doesn't include car seats and play-pens anymore. My wife wants a Challenger when we finally trade in the van. :)
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Caddywhompus
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10/14/09 02:01pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: It ain't FAIR!
I've been singing this song for years myself. Add to the pile that Subarus sold overseas can be equipped with diesel boxers, and purposefully omitted from the North American lineup. The Subaru diesel boxer is an award-winning engine, making significant torque for small-medium sized cars and would really change the Foresters from predominantly female marketed grocery-getters to economical utility vehicles that men wouldn't be ashamed to take hunting (no shame here even with my gasser Subie)
I even wrote a letter to my Subaru contact last year asking, no pleading, for them to bring the diesel boxer to America. I got the standard canned-answer saying they were evaluating the market and would bring the diesel here if it made financial sense. At least they answered me.
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Caddywhompus
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10/13/09 04:16pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2011 Ford Explorer- what will be the tow rating?
Unibody has never been the problem towing that people think. Properly engineered, a unibody is MORE rigid than a ladder frame, not the other way around. Ladder frames are used these more because they allow for several different body style vehicles to use the same chassis platform and underpinnings (ex F-150 and Expedition).
When the requirement to share chassis platforms with other vehicles is no longer important, it makes more sense to spend the money on engineering and tooling and design a unibody for the vehicle. It's less flexible to modify going forward, but safer and more rigid (better ride and sound isolation) and gives up nothing to the ladder frame if designed correctly.
I think the towing limitation won't come from the unibody, but rather the high-efficiency running gear designed for maxiumum fuel efficiency vs. pulling power. They are clearly re-orienting the chassis and design to bias towards maximum grocery store / mall utility and effeciency. To that end, it should be a superior product to the Explorer or any other mid-size traditional SUV. It will not be a better tow vehicle for 6,000+ weights than today's V8 driven Explorer.Today's V8 Explorers have the power to pull 6000+ pounds, but never had the stability to handle such trailers. They have been over-rated since the day they launched. Over the years it became obvious based on posts on this very forum, that for an Explorer a popup or lightweight hybrid was the best match. Much more and the towing performance quickly goes south.
So to answer the question, if the new Explorer's tow rating drops from the optimistic 7000+ rating (V8) it currently maxed out at, to a more reasonable 5000 pound area, it would only be more closely representing real world ability. In other words, no downgrade just less "fudge" in the rating.
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Caddywhompus
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10/13/09 12:02pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2011 Ford Explorer- what will be the tow rating?
Unibody has never been the problem towing that people think. Properly engineered, a unibody is MORE rigid than a ladder frame, not the other way around. Ladder frames are used these more because they allow for several different body style vehicles to use the same chassis platform and underpinnings (ex F-150 and Expedition).
When the requirement to share chassis platforms with other vehicles is no longer important, it makes more sense to spend the money on engineering and tooling and design a unibody for the vehicle. It's less flexible to modify going forward, but safer and more rigid (better ride and sound isolation) and gives up nothing to the ladder frame if designed correctly.
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Caddywhompus
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10/13/09 10:04am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2011 RWD Chevy V8 Caprice-police car-can it tow
The 2007 Crown Vic has a 1500 lb towing capacity.
If that is the truth, it is absurd for Ford to rate it that low IMO. My wife's 2004 Dodge Neon has the same towing capacity. Do you really believe the 07 Crown Vic can't tow any better than a 04 Neon?
And by the way, I have utilized the Neon's towing capacity myself. The car handles the load like a champ! Of course, the load is only a fairly small and lightweight john boat. :W
How does your FWD Neon handle hauling up your Jonboat up slick, steep boat launch driveways ? Does the weight transfer and do you encounter a lot of wheelspin, or do you avoid using launching and pulling your boat out in these circumstances ?
The reason I ask, is I have known situations where individuals find their small FWD tow vehicles challenged in these situations and rely on others with different vehicles to do the actual launching and pulling out their craft out of the body of water.FWIW I pulled a friend's 19' fiberglass over wood out of a local lake with a 1988 Plymouth Voyager, 2.5 liter 4-cylinder 5-speed transmission. Boat was about 5000 pounds with gear and trailer, and the ramp was covered with slimey algae.
It was funny because people saw me backing the trailer into the water and started gathering expecting a show. But I let out the clutch just right, got a little wheelspin as the front tires chewed thru the slime, then they bit and out of the water I came.
But to be fair, I expect my success had more to do with the BFG Radial All Terrains that I was running on the van at the time. Regular street radials probably wouldn't have performed so well.
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Caddywhompus
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10/12/09 01:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2011 RWD Chevy V8 Caprice-police car-can it tow
There is a whole lot of people on this forum that base the "towing ability" of a vehicle almost exclusively on it's shape. IE, If it looks like a pickup or SUV, then towing is no problem. If it looks like a car or minivan, don't bother.
What fails to get thru to many of these heads, is that these days much of the construction between crossover SUVs and sedans/minivans is the SAME. Many are unibody in construction and share engines and powertrains.
So why WOULDN'T a sedan, built with a stout 6.0 liter V8, heavy-duty transmission and driveline, performance brakes and suspension and a rigid chassis be able to tow a trailer? If all these same features were placed underneath SUV sheetmetal (like say a Traverse) then people would believe a 5000 tow rating was possible, but place it underneath a sedan and everyone laughs.
And I'll add that a sedan has a lower center of gravity, better lateral stability, shorter sidewall tires, tighter suspension and lower wind resistance than the typical platform-sharing crossover SUV, all of which combine to IMPROVE towing, not degrade it. So there is really no technical merit to the feeling that towing with a car is not possible.
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Caddywhompus
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10/09/09 11:56am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Those of you that are using mini-vans as TVs???
Minivans are a lot more capable than most give them credit for. I myself pull right at the 3500 rating (sometimes over) with a family of 4 and a large dog in our van. This is absolutely a non-issue for our Ford Freestar, and towing couldn't be more comfortable. In fact, this past weekend we moved into a new house and our van earned it's keep by making several trips loaded to the ceiling with boxes and at the same time towing a 6x12 enclosed utility trailer loaded with even more. Modern vans are just a LOT more capable than they used to be.
That said, Honda vans aren't the best choice for towing. They are decent, don't get me wrong, but Honda has some real odd towing theories. For example, they REQUIRE a Weight Distributing hitch to tow anything with more than 200 pounds of tongue weight with the minivan, yet discourage it on the Pilot and Ridgeline (shared platforms). My main gripes with the Honda van as a tow vehicle is it's rather low payload capacity and inability to select and hold 4th gear (1:1 Drive) in the transmission. If your friend is planning on loading 8 passengers in the van, he/she may be at maximum payload (depending on how much people weigh) before even hitching up a trailer. And while I don't put a lot of stock in tow ratings (especially as they pertain to minivans), I would not advocate exceeding GVWR or GAWRs which is exactly what will happen if you use up all your payload on people, then hitch up a camper.
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Caddywhompus
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10/08/09 08:19am |
Folding Trailers
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