09 Ex-Port 17C and 08 Grand Caravan SXT

[mleger11]

Hi everyone! I just purchased a Jayco 17C and was told if i do a few things to my 08 Grand Caravan SXT 3.8L 6 speed it can pull it no problem.
I NEED a van due to 3 kids under ages 4 so i need three car seats.
My van has helper springs, class III hitch with the stability/sway hitch which came with my trailer. I also installed a brake controller and im going to put a trans cooler on it.

My issue is, i think im at MAX capacity and im now worried but im committed to this...

I figure with the dry weight of the trailer 2920lbs plus all the options A/C battery propane... im pushing 3200lbs. My family of 5 and dog at max 500lbs and all our gear, food, etc... All tanks will be empty while travelling.

Supposedly the van can pull 3800lbs, am I missing anything here? Am i over doing it?

Thanks for all input!
Mike

[bankr63]

Hi Mike, and welcome to JOF! Lots of great people here with lots of great answers.

There are a few more numbers you need to look at to consider if your vehicle and HTT combination is safe. According to the Trailer Life towing guide, your van can pull 3600lbs WITH A TOWING PACKAGE. Your towing capacity may be much lower as it sounds like you don't have this option. Often adding all of the piece parts (if you actually know what these are) does not add up to the whole. For instance my Traverse has additional bracing added to the rear frame with the towing package; probably can't get that in the aftermarket. Check your owners manual for the towing capacity for your specific vehicle.

As important, or perhaps more, with a minivan or SUV is the payload capacity. This number is printed on a yellow sticker generally located on the drivers door jamb. It will state that all cargo and occupants cannot exceed X,XXX lbs. You need to add up the weight of your family and dog (already done, good start!), any cargo you plan to take in the van, the tongue weight of your loaded trailer (plan 12-15% of your 3200lbs = 450-480lbs, the weight of any aftermarket parts (like the hitch receiver if not factory installed) plus the dead weight of your WD Hitch assembly. All of that must be less than your payload capacity.

If you are okay there, check your axle weights too. This is hard to estimate, and can be much better measured at the CAT scale once you have it all together. Many manufacturers state that you cannot exceed your rear axle weight rating with the WDH bars disengaged. Engaging the bars does transfer some weight forward to the front axle, but under varying road conditions more weight may transfer to the rear axle, so they are looking at worst case.

In general if you are okay with the first two numbers (towing capacity and payload) then you can adjust cargo location to manage your axle loads.

Regardless, of all the above, if you plan to trailer a lot, you will probably be very near the tow limits of your vehicle and may find the combo uncomfortable. If you need the interior space, consider upgrading to one of the large SUVs with higher tow and payload rating. Our Traverse seats 8, has a 5200 lb tow capacity (2000 w/o tow package) and 1,600lb payload which comfortably tows your X17C's big brother. The Durango and Grand Cherokee offer similar capacities in the Mopar line.

[oldmanAZ]

Hello to you! Congratulations on the new Jayco and welcome to the forum.

[go wild]

Hi - I have a 17Z which is very similar to the 17C. I also have had two Town and Country vans which are very similar to a Caravan. Based on my knowledge of both, I wouldn't recommend towing the RV with the van. Weights are important but the real-life scenario is that you'll be towing a 3500 pound box that is 9.5 ft tall and 18 ft long on an uphill highway climb, in 90-degree summer heat, with the AC going full blast due to 3 kids, with a 30 mph side-wind, and semis blowing past you since you're only doing 50 on the interstate with your transmission in 4 and RPMs revved up. This takes a big toll on your van, not to mention your nerves when you're supposed to be doing something fun...Just offering my experiences here; I'd love to use my 2015 T&C to tow my 17Z but the van just isn't made for it.

[Jm9301]

We bought a 16xrb last year (almost the same). And my first two trips were towing with my 06 freestar with the 4.2 v6. Now i do really like my van, it has good power and it hauls the family around excellently. However it was not made for towing a trailer. On the first outing the transaxle started to overheat and i had to slow down to 60km/h on the highway. The second (with new fluid) it did not overheat, but it was not happy at all. I put Airlift 1000 airbags in my rear suspension, had just put new tires on the van etc etc and it still was just not comfortable. I was within my payload, axle capacity and overall weight so i was "SAFE" technically, but i was absolutely terrified on the highway.

I quickly found a great deal on my Jeep a few weeks later, and i havent looked back once. I still have the van, and will likely drive it for years to come (Love the interior) but we are all way more comfortable with the Jeep, plus we use it to explore a bit when there is places to do so. The payload on me jeep is actually less than that of the van, and i am still mindful of that. However the comfort level is much much higher.

All this being said, if you are within the limits, i would encourage you to test it out. Who knows, you may be much more comfortable than i was with it. And if not, there are a load of vehicles out there more than capable that should fit your family nicely.

[mleger11]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This year is a trial so im going to stick around in the local area and avoid highways. I will be putting the trans cooler on and hope for the best. Once my oldest is out of a car seat we can buy a truck or SUV but right now i cant fit three carseats side by side.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[Desert RVers]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new Jayco!

[Jm9301]

Originally Posted by mleger11

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This year is a trial so im going to stick around in the local area and avoid highways. I will be putting the trans cooler on and hope for the best. Once my oldest is out of a car seat we can buy a truck or SUV but right now i cant fit three carseats side by side.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Thats fair, and you seem to have a level head in terms of expectations, i imagine you will be fine!

The most important thing is having a good time camping!

[shawkins]

Hey Mike -

I'm in a similar boat as you as I pull my 2010 17C with a Honda Odyssey. It has a full Honda-built tow package (Hitch, PS Cooler, Transmission Cooler), along with Airlift 1000 Springs in the rear and a brake controller. Since 2009, it has pulled a Coleman Timberlake Pop-Up, a Fleetwood Niagra High-wall Pop-up, and now the 17C. My experience towing with this vehicle has been nothing but positive, but you can improve the relationship between the 17C and your van by keeping as much weight off tongue as possible. Anything I store in the camper stays toward the rear near the axle. As you stated in your post, travel with empty tanks except for propane. If your spare tire is up front under the propane tank, you can take the tire and bracket off and store them in the camper towards the rear. That takes about 30 or so pounds off the rear of the van. As others have stated, the van/17c combo is not exactly optimal, but I have yet to feel uncomfortable while towing relative to the height of the camper and how it behaves around highway traffic. I do a transmission fluid swap-out every third oil change or so and have yet to see any issues at all with fluid color or van performance due to towing.

Hope this helps!

Scott

[mleger11]

Thanks for the input Scott! Much appreciated. I have decided to buy a chevrolet traverse which can haul 5200lbs and its a 7 seater. I will let everyone know how it goes.
Thanks
Mike

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[SteveMM]

Originally Posted by mleger11

Thanks for the input Scott! Much appreciated. I have decided to buy a chevrolet traverse which can haul 5200lbs and its a 7 seater. I will let everyone know how it goes.
Thanks
Mike

Very wise move. These smaller hybrids like the 17c and 17z can and are partially designed to be pulled by crossover SUVs, but in my opinion pulling anything larger than a popup with a minivan is asking for trouble. They're just not meant to be haulers. I use a 2015 Pathfinder (5,000 towing capacity and seats 7) to pull my 17z, and haven't had any trouble.

One thing you'll now need to look at is payload capacity of the vehicle and the camper. The 17c is pretty much identical to the 17z, except for having the u-shaped dinette. Neither of these campers can carry much more than 300-400 pounds of stuff when being towed. Additionally, one of the things you run into with using a crossover SUV as a towing vehicle is that many of them don't have a lot of payload capacity. Once you add up the hitch weight, and the weight of the passengers, there's not a lot leftover for storing stuff while towing. With our Pathfinder, after adding all of that up, we only have a couple hundred pounds left over for stuff. It can easily be done, but you can't get into the habit of bringing the kitchen sink with you. Keep it simple when you camp, only bring what's necessary, and all should be good.

[mleger11]

I am going to spread most of the weight over the axle of the trailer.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[SteveMM]

Originally Posted by mleger11

I am going to spread most of the weight over the axle of the trailer.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Smart. As others have mentioned, it's best to put any heavier stuff in the back of the trailer, behind the axle. We pack our bags into the bathroom. It has the benefit of being in the back of the trailer, plus we know when we close the bathroom door the stuff won't move around much in transit.

[SteveMM]

One more thing (sorry if this is too much information) -- If you're bringing additional people with you, you may consider just taking two vehicles. With the payload capacity issues that happen with a crossover SUV, bringing additional adults can easily load you down too much. You're in good shape now, as it sounds like your kids are small, and thus don't weigh much. I have a teenager and soon-to-be teenager, and my wife and I decided that if they bring friends camping with us in the future, we'll just take a second car. We did it once, and found that the extra person plus her bags just got us too close to our payload limit. I could absolutely tell when hauling to the campground. In your situation, you could take the Traverse to the campground ahead of time, set everything up, and have your wife join you later with the kids. By the time she gets there, you could be having your first beer!

[mleger11]

I agree with you on that point. I will know more when the trailer is delivered to us in May. We are going to do a May long weekend camp at a camp site local to us as a trial. Im thinking this will be good, then we will know what we forgot and what we overpacked that we dont need. And getting setup and have a beer before wife and kids arrive is right up my alley! Good thinking! Lol

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[bankr63]

Just for a planning number, I have a 2012 Traverse LT with pretty much every option box ticked. I have 1621 lbs of payload capacity according to the door sticker. Your number should be similar, a bit lower for an LTZ a bit higher for an LS trim.

BTW - nice choice on the TV Coming up on 5 years with ours, 72k mi. on the clock and still loving it.

[mleger11]

Good to know bankr63. Thanks for the payload number. I should have the traverse soon. Its hard to find one with factory towing package.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by mleger11

Good to know bankr63. Thanks for the payload number. I should have the traverse soon. Its hard to find one with factory towing package.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Yup, I factory ordered mine so it would be just the way I wanted. For instance, I wanted all the higher end options, but wanted the 8 passenger seating from the lower tier (mid bench instead of captains chairs). I also took a flier on the color as it was a mid-year "special" introduction and no one had seen it yet, but I figured it wouldn't look like every other one on the road then.

[SteveMM]

Originally Posted by bankr63

Just for a planning number, I have a 2012 Traverse LT with pretty much every option box ticked. I have 1621 lbs of payload capacity according to the door sticker. Your number should be similar, a bit lower for an LTZ a bit higher for an LS trim.

BTW - nice choice on the TV Coming up on 5 years with ours, 72k mi. on the clock and still loving it.

That's a pretty good payload number for a crossover -- a good bit higher than our 2015 Pathfinder. Definitely makes it easier to deal with the low CCC on a small hybrid if you can pack more in the tow vehicle!

[mleger11]

I bought a 2010 Traverse LT with 60,000 KM. Every bell and wistle on it with the V92 tow package. Got a good deal on it. Cant wait to get it and hook up the trailer with the wdh and see how it is.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk