Towing a Jay Feather ultra lite X17Z options

[rpetrinchuk]

I am looking at buying this TT. My TV is a 2005 Honda Odyssey which is rated for 3,500 lbs. Is there anyone else out there pulling with this type of vehicle, or any vehicle rated for 3,500 lbs. towing capacity? I currently pull a StarCraft AR-ONE which is rated ~2,700 lbs. empty. I do have a stabilizer hitch. Is there anything I should be aware of? Do I have enough vehicle to pull this. I wouldn't be pulling it much further then 4 hours trips and relatively flat roads.

Do I need a transmission cooler or any additional air bags?

I don't want to buy this before I know if I can safely pull this. The dealership tells me I can pull it, but I would like to know from you folks.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

On another note, I see the Jensen sound system doesn't have any cords coming out of it. I assume would have to drill a hole in the side of the cabinet to pull these cables out to use the DVD to hook it up to my tv?

[Denise]

Although not an x17z, here is our experience with the Honda.

We towed a 17' Casita Standard fiberglass tt with our 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring. It has a tow package, but in order to tow we still needed to add an engine/transmission cooler as well as radiator cooler so our engine wouldn't overheat (sorry, my non-mechanic techy mind can't remember which, but the mechanic installed two different coolers). Loaded, our tt weighed in at about 3,200lbs. The thing with the Honda Odyssey though is you only have 300lbs max on the hitch.

Our experience with that set-up... (for the most part, never knew the tt was back there).
-on flat/hilly terrain, the tt towed as though it wasn't there (we did use overdrive on the hills). Just know that if during your ownership of that set-up you do wind up driving a grade, you will bog down. Going down the other side of the grade if five to seven percent left us 'white knuckling' it. Just start out at 45mph at the top of the grade and use lower gears and 'flashers' and you should do well.
-we definitely needed the wdh, however, the tt towed better without the stabilizing bars! Never needed the stabilizing bars even in wind.
-our gas mileage while towing dropped to 14mpg. In a headwind on the interstates or traveling grades, it could drop to 10mpg.
-traveling 60-65mph on the interstate... never felt the big rigs blow past us
-not sure if your '05 have the same exterior mirrors as our '06, but it was tough to find extension mirrors that would fit and stay put on the mirrors while driving.

One thing to consider... you only have a few hundred pounds storage before you max out at 3500lbs with the x17z. Welcome to the JOF and happy shopping

[LongIslandCamper]

Originally Posted by rpetrinchuk

I am looking at buying this TT. My TV is a 2005 Honda Odyssey which is rated for 3,500 lbs. Is there anyone else out there pulling with this type of vehicle, or any vehicle rated for 3,500 lbs. towing capacity? I currently pull a StarCraft AR-ONE which is rated ~2,700 lbs. empty. I do have a stabilizer hitch. Is there anything I should be aware of? Do I have enough vehicle to pull this. I wouldn't be pulling it much further then 4 hours trips and relatively flat roads.

Do I need a transmission cooler or any additional air bags?

I don't want to buy this before I know if I can safely pull this. The dealership tells me I can pull it, but I would like to know from you folks.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

On another note, I see the Jensen sound system doesn't have any cords coming out of it. I assume would have to drill a hole in the side of the cabinet to pull these cables out to use the DVD to hook it up to my tv?

There are way too many variables for anyone to give you an idea. Given the fact that you have a minivan I'm going to assume you have a number of kids. More kids = more weight in the van. More kids = more clothes, toys food which = more weight.

Add all of that weight in addition to the weight of the loaded x17z tongue on your van and I can only assume you'd be over the gross weight rating for your minivan.

We towed an x17z with a 5,000 lb rated 4Runner. It did it but we weren't thrilled with the setup. We sold the x17z after one season and then bought a larger camper and a half ton. We feel a lot safer. A story follows.....

About a year ago I was following my brother as he was towing the x17z with his 5,000 lb rated 4Runner. It was him, his wife and 2 young boys in the car. We had a weight distributing hitch and a sway bar. So I was following him in the slow lane of the highway and we were doing about 50. In my mirror I saw a coach bus or semi, I forget exactly coming in the lane to our left. It passed us doing about 60-65 I assume. Let me tell you that the x17z swayed back and forth in the lane about a foot in either direction. It scared the crap out of me as I saw it in front of me. It settled down and all was well.

20 minutes later we arrived at the campground and I relayed my story to my brother and his family. He said he never felt a thing in the truck. Nothing at all.

I guess the moral of my story is that just because you don't feel anything in the truck, it doesn't mean it's a safe towing experience.

Bare minimum in your situation, I'd consider a mid size SUV like a 4Runner, Explorer, Durango, etc.... A larger SUV like an Expedition, Armada, or a pickup are better options. You can also get those large commercial passenger vans too.

[Rustic Eagle]

IMO the X17Z may be to much trailer for your Honda.

Please note:

The X17Z has a 2,785lb UVW and a 3,500lb GVWR. The actual Ship Weight (yellow sticker on trailer) of the trailer will be higher than the UVW (possibly by a couple hundred pounds). As mentioned, a limited cargo capacity will easily push the loaded weight of the X17Z to it's GVWR weight of 3,500lbs, especially with a family.

RV and WDH manufactures recommend a 10% to 15% loaded tongue weight (of trailer loaded weight), so at 3,500lbs this would be 350lbs to 525lbs........ which is above the Honda's specified 300lb maximum.

NOTE: The trailer's loaded tongue weight is supported by the tow vehicle, so the tongue weight will act as "cargo" weight in your Honda.

The Honda's published Tow Rating of 3,500lbs is based on the "Curb Weight" which includes a driver at 150lbs and all fluids filled. The combined weights of the Honda's options, passengers, and cargo have to be subtracted from the 3,500lb published tow rating to get the "actual" tow rating.

To eliminate a lot of the "weight" guess work, take your Honda to a CAT scale and weigh it under "loaded" conditions. Subtract the CAT scale weight from your Honda's GVWR that is noted on your driver's door..., the remaining weight is for the trailer's tongue weight and any other weight not account for at the CAT scale (cargo, passenger, etc.).

If you know the "curb weight" of your Honda, subtract the curb weight from the CAT scale weight, then subtract the remaining weight from the 3,500lb Tow Rating to get your "actual" tow rating.

I realize this is a lot of info to digest, hopefully it will aid in your decision process.

Bob

[gaylec]

I would want a little bit higher towing capacity in the TV for the X17z.

We tow our X17z with a Chevy Astro Van that is tow rated at 5,000 lbs. Having taken it out on twelve trips at this point, I can assure you I wouldn't want any less towing capacity than we have with the Astro, and I would feel more comfortable if we had more. As soon as it is financially feasible, we want to upgrade the TV to a Chevy Express rated at 6,500 lbs.

I would be very concerned safety wise that Your Odyssey can make a safe and comfortable job pulling that trailer.

[29BHS ECO]

The Odyssey/17Z would not make a good safe combo period. Larry

[mcfarmall]

Welcome to the forum. I would not attempt towing with that combo. 3500 lbs on a utility trailer and 3500 lbs worth of high profile travel trailer are two completely different situations. I wouldn't hesitate to pull a loaded popup with the Ody ( I have in the past with our '03 Odyssey ) but not a TT up there around 10' tall. Our factory tow package consisted of the receiver hitch, wiring harness, transmission oil cooler and power steering cooler.

Remember that TT manufacturers are only interested in selling TT's. Just because their trailer weighs 3000# off the line doesn't mean you can tow it with a minivan rated for 3500#.

[wmoses]

Originally Posted by 19H F250

The Odyssey/17Z would not make a good safe combo period. Larry

X2

I had a 3500# front driver and on the way home from the dealer with my new 17Z decided that it will be too much for the CUV when loaded. Bought my truck before the first trip with the 17Z.

[go wild]

I wouldn't recommend towing a 17Z with any minivan.

[jepotts]

i TOWED MY 17z WITH A gm uPLANDER, RATED AT 3500 BECAME OBVIOUS THAT IT DIDNT HAVE THE POWER THE FIRS YEAR WE TOWED. i UPGRADED TO A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER WITH TOW PACKAGE RATED AT 5000 BIG DIFFERENCE. I TRADED IN THE UPLANDER AND FELT BAD THAT THE TRANNY WAS SLIPPING A BIT PROBABLY CAUSED BY THE STRESS OF OUR TOWING.

[campingdog]

We owned the 17Z and we own a Honda Odyssey. That minivan was not made to two that camper. TRUST ME! When we bought the 17Z we towed with a Jeep Cherokee and then a Ford F150. We investigated all of the variables for both our Odyssey and our Jeep and I don't care what the dealer is telling you, that minivan shouldn't be towing the 17Z. Matter of fact, there are only a few pop-ups I would pull with the Honda. What many others have said here about how fast your "extra" weight limits add up is very true, and they are correct about sway issues, head winds...the list goes on. If you research all of the weight limits yourself, you will find that this is a bad set-up. Please, find a different camper for your Odyssey or upgrade your tow vehicle. Safety is my big pet peeve with camper owners and dealers that push unsafe set-ups. Sorry if this sounds like a lecture, but we investigated, and this is my 2 cents.

[wmoses]

Sound advice.

[JaycoNB]

I know someone who tows a tent trailer with a 2010 Honda Civic. Personally I think he's crazy. I agree that your Oddyssey should not tow the x17z. In perfect conditions it might be fine but throw in a few hills, a cross wind and a transport truck blowing by??!! No thanks!

Have you tried a pup-up? We had two of them over a number of years and towed them with our Chev Astro. Great trailer and miles better than tenting!!!

[TributeSalukis]

We pull our X17C with a dodge ram 3500 15 pass van - gas v8 engine. Recently had to put in a new engine (poor thing was nearly 14 years old afterall!) and while it's the same engine, it does NOT pull the same. It bogs down on anything over a mild grade and the original engine did not - or rather, not to the same degree. My problem is we use the trailer for dog shows, so MUST have a VAN TV as I have this personal quirk that the dogs must be inside in the same conditions I am enduring. Just this past week, hubby got re-ended big time in his Mazda6 and insurance company totaled the vehicle. So we're looking at replacing it with a Ford E350 Super Duty 6.0L V8 Turbo Diesel 12 pass van. Slightly smaller van, higher torque = we hope, better towing capacity; gas mileage is still gonna suck. LOL We rarely take more than 2-3 dogs with us, and some expens so weight should not be an issue in this van since we remove the seats to make the vehicle dog friendly. (And since we only need to pack for a couple of days, luggage isn't exactly an issue either.) We also don't tow more than a few hours from home much as we'd prefer to have the trailer. It's just more cost effective to hotel it in those instances.

[LongIslandCamper]

Originally Posted by TributeSalukis

We pull our X17C with a dodge ram 3500 15 pass van - gas v8 engine. Recently had to put in a new engine (poor thing was nearly 14 years old afterall!) and while it's the same engine, it does NOT pull the same. It bogs down on anything over a mild grade and the original engine did not - or rather, not to the same degree. My problem is we use the trailer for dog shows, so MUST have a VAN TV as I have this personal quirk that the dogs must be inside in the same conditions I am enduring. Just this past week, hubby got re-ended big time in his Mazda6 and insurance company totaled the vehicle. So we're looking at replacing it with a Ford E350 Super Duty 6.0L V8 Turbo Diesel 12 pass van. Slightly smaller van, higher torque = we hope, better towing capacity; gas mileage is still gonna suck. LOL We rarely take more than 2-3 dogs with us, and some expens so weight should not be an issue in this van since we remove the seats to make the vehicle dog friendly. (And since we only need to pack for a couple of days, luggage isn't exactly an issue either.) We also don't tow more than a few hours from home much as we'd prefer to have the trailer. It's just more cost effective to hotel it in those instances.

I don't know about your camper, but our x17z had a sticker on the a frame warning not to tow with a one ton or larger.

[wmoses]

Originally Posted by cm11599ps

I don't know about your camper, but our x17z had a sticker on the a frame warning not to tow with a one ton or larger.

Good one!

[Paulx213]

Personally I see no reason why a 4000 + lb. minivan with a powerful V6 can't pull a trailer with a max weight of only 3500 lbs. I think the reason people have had trouble is auto makers failure to offer proper towing packages on anything but trucks. The packages you get on minivans and large crossovers are to often little more then a trans cooler and some prewiring.

It would be nice if there more choices for people with small to mid sized trailers other then pick ups. Yes a pick up makes a great TV but it's not a good minivan and it's a lousy commuter car.

The Expedition I bought makes an OK minivan but sucks for commuting. Too big and too much gas. I spent months search for a new TV and ended up buying used for lack of choice. The Expedition will serve as our second car and I'll buy a new car instead.

(my little rant for the day)