towing with a mini-van

[melanie83103]

Hello - we are trying to decide between the Jayflight Swift 154BH and the Swift 184BH. The 184 is 2 feet longer and 200 pounds heavier than the 154. Our tow vehicle is a 2011 Nissan Quest minivan. I am nervous that the extra pounds and length of the 184 will make a significant difference in the ease of towing.... any input? Right now we just have a light pop-up camper, and I am used to pulling that, and I'm worried that the 184 will be too much.

I really wish I could try out towing each and see how they feel, but haven't found a way... any input on how different these two trailers will feel? My Quest can tow up to 3500 pounds.

We are a family of 4 (two kids) and so the added sofa of the 184 is attractive, which is why we are considering the bigger camper...

Thanks!!

Melanie

[mike12110]

Both of those choices are very close to your max rating. Probably not a good choice either way. Sorry! Many believe you should never get to within 80% of max. I tend to agree.

[mcfarmall]

I personally wouldn't tow anything bigger than a 10 foot popup with a minivan of any kind.

[NewBlackDak]

I wouldn't do either in a Quest. My wife has a '12 Quest, and we tried to tow a Rhino on a 8' flatbed a couple times. She refuses to do it again, and the profile of a travel trailer would make it much worse.
I would be really worried about the CVT towing any box type trailer.

[Threebutchers]

Nope....no ma'am.....never in a million years

[Paulx213]

I'd say it's more drag then weight. My sister towed a large pop up every where with her Grand Caravan. It rides in the slip stream and is easy to tow. My Jay Feather is lower and more aerodynamic then many trailers but it's still like pulling a parachute. If I had a minivan I'd stick to a tent trailer but if I had to have a travel trailer I'd get the lowest and narrowest one you can find.

[DocBrown]

If it was only you and your husband, and you didn't have that CVT transmission I'd say this is very doable. We towed a '03 Kiwi 17a with a mini-van for a summer. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great.

However, given that you've got 2 kids, your family, your "stuff", and the tongue weight of the trailer are going to eat up the Quest's payload in a heartbeat. You have to subtract that from the towing capacity. If the total weight of your family, the tongue weight, and anything else in your van is say, 1000#, then your towing capacity is now 2500#. I think you'll be looking at bigger TVs in a very short time.

[melanie83103]

Thanks for all the input. I'm actually looking at a KZ Sportsmen Classic too - their 16 foot BH camper weighs 2200 pounds, more than 400 pounds less than the Swift 154BH. I don't know.... wish I could try one out before buying...

Melanie

[Imnaha.Mansion]

Just because you can wow with a mini van doesn't mean you should. Beside the weight capacity how well made is the van for increased electrical loading, transmission, wheel bearings, brakes, differential, stiffness of the unibody. Even if it seems fine you may be wearing it out much quicker.

That said they do it in other countries all the time. We are blessed to have better non commercial tow vehicles in North America.

[perfpix]

I've towed a 2000 lb+ 5'x8' cargo trailer with my 2008 quest for many thousands of miles. While the Quest engine and transmission had no problem whatsoever with the load, problem was that the suspension was not up to it. The back end would sag and I'd be constantly hitting the payment with the front trailer tongue jack. I also ended up blowing a shock absorber on one trip.

I ended up having my mechanic install heavy duty shocks in the back and a Air Lift 1000 kit http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This helped a lot, but I'd still occasionally hit the tongue jack, just because the receiver sits so low.

Since then I bought a 2012 Pathfinder, and a 3000lb Pop-Up trailer. The Pathfinder pulls my cargo trailer like its not there. However, I feel the weight of the pop-up trailer behind the Pathfinder. It pulls it fine however. I'd be wary about trying to pull the Pop-Up trailer with my Quest just because the tongue weight is heaver than my cargo trailer. Maybe a WDH might help, but I don't need one with the Pathfinder.

John

[raising4daughters]

As others have said, I won't tow anything taller than a PUP with a minivan. It's not just weight, it's the drag from the large wall going down the highway behind you.

I tow a 1007 PUP with our Chrysler T&C (3.8L engine) and am still nervous about that combination. Everyone tells me I'm fine, but I won't go beyond the flat area and rolling hills of NE OH and western PA. I'm planning to get a new TV next year and will probably also add trailer brakes to the PUP for peace of mind.

Anything bigger than a PUP without slides for a minivan? Not for me.

[Newtron]

I own 154bh and tow it with Toyota Sienna which has a factory installed tow package. My milage suffers a bit, but having the conivnience of a nice trailer at a camp site overrides it.

[honeymooner]

My TV is a Kia Sedona and has no problems towing the 184BH. It does put load on the engine when going up a hill. But most of the time it's not bad at all. I do recommend a sway bar though. Wouldn't tow with a minivan without one.

[KiltDog]

It says right on page 5 of the Jayco brochure that several mini vans and crossovers can tow the SLX.

http://www.jayco.com/tools/brochures/

[mcfarmall]

Originally Posted by KiltDog

It says right on page 5 of the Jayco brochure that several mini vans and crossovers can tow the SLX.

http://www.jayco.com/tools/brochures/

They'd tell you that you could tow it with a motorcycle if they thought it might sell trailers.

SARCASM WARNING: FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!!

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by KiltDog

It says right on page 5 of the Jayco brochure that several mini vans and crossovers can tow the SLX.

http://www.jayco.com/tools/brochures/

That is technically true. An empty trailer that's sitting at its shipped weight and with one person (driver), a minivan is within its capacity. Its when you add stuff and people that pushes things up to and often beyond the rated capacities.

[KiltDog]

Idk, maybe I'm ignorant/naive but they literally wrote the quest can tow it in their brochure. I say go for it if you feel it's the right camper for you. You can always upgrade your TV if you don't like the performance.

(Note I have towed a pop up with my 05 quest for 4 yrs)

[Grumpy]

I've posted this in other threads. Our son has towed a 17XZ with a Honda Odyssey for the last 3 years and it does fine. It is 2 adults, 3 kids the dog the trailer and clothes and some food for a long weekend when he goes out.

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by KiltDog

Idk, maybe I'm ignorant/naive but they literally wrote the quest can tow it in their brochure. I say go for it if you feel it's the right camper for you. You can always upgrade your TV if you don't like the performance.

(Note I have towed a pop up with my 05 quest for 4 yrs)

Towing a travel trailer is a far different experience than towing a pop up. A pop up has almost no wind resistance so its far easier to tow one. Mini-van and pop up seem to be made for each other.

As I said above, they aren't lying about a mini-van's ability to tow a small TT. But there's more involved than just "this van can tow up to 3500#". The reality is that you have to consider the vehicle's payload, tongue weight rating, GCWR, axle capacity, and in the case of smaller TVs, the frontal area limitation. This is all the same stuff that has to be considered for any TV/trailer combo.

I'm not saying it can't or shouldn't be done. I towed a 3500# GVWR hybrid with a mini-van. I'm saying it has to be approached with some knowledge about what you're getting into and what the limitations are.

Here's a great weight calculator:
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-tt.shtml

[vboyd]

Originally Posted by mcfarmall

they'd tell you that you could tow it with a motorcycle if they thought it might sell trailers.



sarcasm warning: For entertainment purposes only!!

lol!!!