Dodge Caravan Towing a Rockwood 2280???

[missybb]

We just purchased a pop-up Rockwood 2280. The Forest River site claims the weight is around 3000 pounds. We have a Dodge Caravan and are getting a hitch installed and, I assume, an engine cooler (our Mechanic is awesome, reliable and honest ). I am hoping the mechanic says it will work or we are in the market for a truck. Mechanic is going to hook it up to another Caravan on his lot tomorrow and take it for a spin to see "how it does" and we will go from there.

Does anyone have any experience towing this model of trailer with a Dodge Caravan (2004)?

Here are the specs for the Rockwood 2280 from the Forest River site in case you want the specs in order to answer this thread:

Freedom Series
Model 2280

Dry Hitch Weight 331 lb. (150 kg )
Dry Axle Weight 1,719 lb. (780 kg )
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 2,050 lb. (930 kg )
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 3,081 lb. (1,398 kg )
Cargo Carrying Capacity 966 lb. (438 kg )
Box Size 12 ft. (3.7 m)
Exterior Length - Open 23 ft. 10 in. (7.3 m)
Exterior Length - Closed 17 ft. 2 in. (5.2 m)
Exterior Height - Closed 4 ft. 9 in. (1.4 m)
Exterior Width 85 in. (2.2 m)

Thanks in advance

[Happy Vibe]

As a very minimum you will need a weight distribution hitch and a brake controller. It may be doable with your van as long as you do not have much in the van. If you have a family of 4 with all there stuff you will be over weight.

[missybb]

Originally Posted by Happy Vibe

As a very minimum you will need a weight distribution hitch and a brake controller. It may be doable with your van as long as you do not have much in the van. If you have a family of 4 with all there stuff you will be over weight.

The trailer itself has brakes. We bought it in NY state and it is law there that the trailer has to have brakes. So, yes, we will have a brake controller installed.

[Happy Vibe]

How about a weight distribution hitch. I tow with a mini van as well and with the tongue weight of the popup you will need a WD hitch. A big problem towing with a mini van is the soft rear suspension.
The dry tongue weight does not include the battery and propane tanks so your tongue weight could be well over 400 lbs loaded for camping.

[bikendan]

since you're having a receiver and tranny cooler installed, your Dodge obviously doesn't have the factory tow package.
you need to duplicate everything in the factory tow package, to tow the 3500lbs. tow capacity. otherwise, you probably will be limited to 2000lbs.

there's more to the package than just a receiver and cooler.

and you have to subtract the weights of anyone and anything in the Dodge, other than a 150lb. driver, from the tow capacity amount.

and yes, you'll need a 600lbs/6000lbs. WDH, since the tongue weight of the trailer will require it. should show that in the owner's manual.

[Herk7769]

http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-conten...Guide-2004.pdf

Here is the correct year tow guide.
BikenDan's numbers are correct as always.

[missybb]

Well, it's looking like we are getting:

- a weight distribution hitch
- new, heavy duty shocks
- a brake controller
- a transmission cooler
- and some other hitch thing that I can't remember what it is called

Mechanic seems to think it can be done with the above modifications. I am not a car person and got it all third hand from my husband but I think the stuff above is what he said.

[Julian]

I towed a 10' Flagstaff fully loaded with 2 kids, 2 adults, a dog, 4 bikes on the rack and a canoe on the roof and the Grand Caravan did fine...except....make sure your tires can handle the weight. I had a blowout last summer and the tow alone was 200 bucks off the highway and 2 miles to get new tires. The WDH is amazing..Once it's setup the rear of the Caravan raised about 3-4 inches....Only thing to keep in mind is that Caravan transmissions are troublesome without the extra strain of towing. Keep up with the oil changes and fluid changes and you should be fine...

[Taranwanderer]

Originally Posted by Julian

Only thing to keep in mind is that Caravan transmissions are troublesome without the extra strain of towing. Keep up with the oil changes and fluid changes and you should be fine...

This is what I think of every time I see someone towing anything with a front wheel drive vehicle, be it minivan, sedan, or whatever. CAN you put a hitch on your (insert inappropriate towing vehicle here) and make it work? Yes. SHOULD you do this? No, not IMHO. You'll be at your mechanic a year down the road wondering why your transmission (or other expensive to repair driveline component) failed. Buy a truck. 1/2 tons for what you need to do are a dime a dozen. Go shopping, its a good weekend to do it! Good luck.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by missybb

Well, it's looking like we are getting:

- a weight distribution hitch
- new, heavy duty shocks
- a brake controller
- a transmission cooler
- and some other hitch thing that I can't remember what it is called

Mechanic seems to think it can be done with the above modifications. I am not a car person and got it all third hand from my husband but I think the stuff above is what he said.

the mechanic will also have to set up wiring harness for the trailer, which would be part of a factory tow package.

[Rsgtivr6]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

This is what I think of every time I see someone towing anything with a front wheel drive vehicle, be it minivan, sedan, or whatever. CAN you put a hitch on your (insert inappropriate towing vehicle here) and make it work? Yes. SHOULD you do this? No, not IMHO. You'll be at your mechanic a year down the road wondering why your transmission (or other expensive to repair driveline component) failed. Buy a truck. 1/2 tons for what you need to do are a dime a dozen. Go shopping, its a good weekend to do it! Good luck.

While I generally would agree with your statement, let me just toss this one out there. My grandpa hauled a 5'x8' enclosed trailer with an old harley 3-wheel golf cart (old school heavy sucker) and much of their belongings stacked on top of it from MN to south TX and back every year for the first 6-7 years of their retirement. Same Caravan every time, and they sold it for a new Caravan 3 years after they stopped towing to TX, with 250k miles on it. He replaced basic items like water pump and such, but nothing major. Just shows that if you take care of it, don't overload it, and generally be smart about what you are doing, you can make anything work for what you want it to (w'in it's limits that is). Not everyone has the ability to just "go buy a truck". That "dime a dozen" (or 15k+ for a good newer one with <100k miles) 1/2 ton might not fit the family, or needs of daily use.

Just because some people think the only way to tow is with a diesel 1-ton truck, doesn't mean there isn't another way to skin that proverbial cat. It's a PUP, not a 28' TT. They are sort of designed for smaller TV's...


In the end, take all the safety precautions, follow your mfr limits, and take care of the TV and you should be fine.
Lastly,

[kingranch]

Ok I will weigh in here we did what u want to do I had an 08 Chrysler town and country and a 09 flagstaff hw27 s/c. I installed the hitch controller wiring and cooler also went for the 8k wd hitch ( thought of future). Did it tow. Yes fast. No. Uphill slow better yet slow all around. The T/C felt way overloaded. We used it I went slow for safety. I have a million miles driving so I can honestly say do not do it. Look at upgrading T.V. And possibly camper also. I bought the truck in my avatar cheap it is only used for the camper an gets 8mpg but it was bout for that so acceptable to me. The camper is a 21ss in the avatar and traded the hw 27 in on it
Guess the moral is not a good idea to tow with a minivan. Buy a rot rod that is mechanically sound. U live in newyork there is a lot of rot here I live near buffalo hope this helps sorry for long winded post

[Manymoto Pop up]

Originally Posted by missybb

Well, it's looking like we are getting:

- a weight distribution hitch
- new, heavy duty shocks
- a brake controller
- a transmission cooler
- and some other hitch thing that I can't remember what it is called

Mechanic seems to think it can be done with the above modifications. I am not a car person and got it all third hand from my husband but I think the stuff above is what he said.

I have same Pop up with a Dodge Caravan but I live in Florida, how did pull with the WDH?

[itat]

Originally Posted by missybb

Well, it's looking like we are getting:

- a weight distribution hitch
- new, heavy duty shocks
- a brake controller
- a transmission cooler
- and some other hitch thing that I can't remember what it is called

Mechanic seems to think it can be done with the above modifications. I am not a car person and got it all third hand from my husband but I think the stuff above is what he said.

As long as the popup has electric brakes, you may be fine with these mods plus the wiring harness that Bikedan mentioned. I towed a 10' box Coleman Santa Fe popup (2500# loaded) with an early-90s Plymouth Voyager. I added air bags rather than heavy duty shocks and it worked fine. The Plymouth had terrible brakes so it really needed the electric brakes on the popup.

One caution though, I don't know anything about the transmission in your 2004 Caravan but the tranny in my Voyager (paired with the 3.0L V6 Mitsubishi engine) gave up a year after I sold it to a co-worker and I felt awful about it.

If it were me, based on my experience, I wouldn't tow anything heavier than 2500# with a minivan. If you can afford it, shop around for either a mid-sized pickup like a 4dr. Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline or Chevy Colorado or a larger SUV. You don't need a full sized truck or SUV unless you plan to go bigger in the near future.

Whatever you do, enjoy your new Rockwood. Compared to the competition, they are better built.

[rmac04401]

You don't need truck. When we first was going to get RV we had ford windstsar. Fords version of caravan at time. I traded up to full size SUV with towing package keep grand Cherokee with a 7000 lb tow capacity. Still have passenger room of van same gas milage bigger engine. Worked well for eight years. Now have pickup. Wife misses SUV and VAN , but I wanted truck for other things besides towing. They still make full frame SUV capable of pulling the pup.

[pgandw]

I tow a similar weight A-frame (A122, 5ft tall, 12ft box) with our Hyundai Entourage minivan (now up to 160K miles). Our A122 weighs 2700-2850 lbs in camping trim - actual weight depends on whether we have to tow a full water tank.

The ride was terrible in the dealer's parking lot - lots of porpoising of both camper and minivan. Dealer suggested an E2 Equalizer 600/6000, which he installed for just over $300. Tows like a dream with the WDH/anti-sway.
I've taken it up to 75MPH to test for sway - there is none, even in Colorado crosswinds. Wife was comfortable driving the rig on the interstate across Eastern Colorado and Western Nebraska in 35 MPH crosswinds. My old 2000 Coleman Westlake PUP used to sway at 62MPH when towed without a WDH by a 1993 Ford Explorer, and was a white knuckle experience.

The 3.5L 250HP V6 (5 spd auto xmsn) on the Entourage does fine in the Rockies. Power and torque are sufficient even at 11,000 ft. I can hold speed limits on all roads while towing. I manually downshift (usually to 3rd, sometimes to 2nd) on the downgrades to help prevent runaway and overheated brakes (I encountered serious brake fade with the old Explorer while towing in California coastal mountains. Not an experience I want to repeat.). Transmission has held up fine while towing for the past 3 years, but the Entourage came standard with a huge xsmn oil cooler - bigger than any of the aftermarket secondary coolers.

I also air the Entourage tires to about 40PSI while towing. My Michelins are 45PSI max, and seem to like a little over placard pressure (35 PSI) when loaded.

Based on my experiences, you will be fine with the Caravan, properly equipped, and keeping your weights reasonable. The WDH and aux xmsn cooler are essential pieces of gear in your case.

The PUPs and A-frames were made to be towed by decent 6 cylinder vehicles. They have the reduced frontal area and gross weights to fit into the 3500lb tow rating.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan (re-badged Kia minivan)
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
next trips: 1) Rocky Mountain National Park, 2) Mt Rushmore, 3) Utah 5