Considering an upgrade--tow ??s

[ajh14]

We drive a 2005 Toyota Sienna and currently camp with a pop-up. We are considering an upgrade to a Roo and wondering if we can get by w/o getting a different tow vehicle. The Sienna has a GVW of 3500. Can we tow a Roo 183 & gear w/o hurting our vehicle? Thanks for your help.

[Happy Vibe]

I would say you would be pushing it. The 183 will weigh around 4000 by the time you put a battery and propane then you add your stuff to that and you will be 1000 - 1500 lbs over you maximum limit. I towed a vibe 6501 with my minivan and it did ok. But the vibe loaded was around 3300 lbs and it is only 7 feet wide so the frontal area is less ie less wind resistance. I have seen people towing larger trailers with minivans but I would look for a lighter trailer or bigger TV.

[jking46]

Not only will you be 1500 lbs over on tow capability, you will be way over on the Sienna's cargo capability. Please don't do it. Recommend late model Durango, Tahoe, Suburban, or of course a half ton pick up.

[jking46]

Just flipping through some older posts and saw...full size van. It would be another good choice for you. Believe me, pulling a Roo is nothing like pulling a pop up. We moved to a Shamrock 23ikss from a pop up. Got a Ram 1500 hemi to pull it. Granted, it's 1000 lbs more than a 183, but I wanted a safety cushion. No towing on the edge.

[rockfordroo]

Pulled my Roo 19 (~4000 lbs loaded) for one season with a Chevy Traverse (5200 lb tow capacity). Even though it was "within capacity" I was NOT happy. Bought a Silverado, 7500 lb capacity.

They say "buy your 2nd TT first." I say, Buy your 2nd TV first!"

[ajh14]

Thanks for the input. Looks like we need to pursue a different tow vehicle before shopping for an upgraded camper. Thanks

[bikendan]

DON'T DO IT!

Do you know that your Sienna's MAX towing capacity is only 3500lbs.
And every fictional "dry' weight spec of the 183, way exceeds the Sienna ' s specs.

And that's before you add the weights of options, battery, water and cargo.

Only the absolute smallest of hybrids would be possible.

If you want a 3 bunk style hybrid, you need to leave the minivan world and look at a SUV.

[zuterbru]

I moved up from a Popup too, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!
Loved my popup but being able to use the camper without putting it up, so worth it.

I towed a 2800lb dry 4000lb loaded Hybrid camper with a S15 Jimmy rated at 5000lb tow rating. Way under power, not able to relax while towing.
Bought a half ton dodge rated for 8000lb, I did not know how bad the other setup was until I had something better.
I have a 3/4 ton now rated for 12,000lb and pulled the same trailer for several seasons, even better barely know it is back there...

Simply put...
There is no such thing as too much tow vehicle...

[ebcobra93]

You will be over your limits. I pull a Roo 183 with a new Explorer Sport (rated 5000 pounds towing, 500 pound hitch weight), and I'm just within limits.

Fully loaded (gear, full propane, dual batteries, passengers), I'm within 100 pounds of max GCVW, and rear axle GAWR. I confirmed this last weekend after a visit to the local CAT scales.

[crash3]

As much as I agree with everyone here. The sienna actually has more payload than my 1500. Weird right?


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[ornery]

Originally Posted by zuterbru

I moved up from a Popup too, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!
Loved my popup but being able to use the camper without putting it up, so worth it.

I towed a 2800lb dry 4000lb loaded Hybrid camper with a S15 Jimmy rated at 5000lb tow rating. Way under power, not able to relax while towing.
Bought a half ton dodge rated for 8000lb, I did not know how bad the other setup was until I had something better.
I have a 3/4 ton now rated for 12,000lb and pulled the same trailer for several seasons, even better barely know it is back there...

Simply put...
There is no such thing as too much tow vehicle...

I'll second that and even toast you on it!
As Mrs Ornery says, and I quote: "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"!

[The_Rhino]

You don't have to break the bank to find a suitable tow vehicle (TV). A couple years ago I found a 2 year-old Ram 2500 CC for $14K w/balance of Ram's powertrain warranty. Annual fuel costs for commuting are only about $500 more than my old Accord.

Originally we considered towing a popup with my wife's Odyssey but with our family of 5 we ran-out of payload capacity... Then we considered pairing a hybrid with a SUV but ran into the same thing - lack of payload unless we opted for a pricey 3/4 ton Suburban. The 3/4 ton Ram has a payload of 3,000 so for $14K it offers the best bang-for-buck & allows us to tow a roomy 2-slide TT.

[RACarvalho]

You should study and understand very well how weight distribution work and then give a try with the sienna fine tuning your system.
It's well possible that you will not need to change TV if you don't want to climb Ike @ 85mph....
I just fine tuned my wd and it's like another vehicle towing....

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by RACarvalho

You should study and understand very well how weight distribution work and then give a try with the sienna fine tuning your system.
It's well possible that you will not need to change TV if you don't want to climb Ike @ 85mph....
I just fine tuned my wd and it's like another vehicle towing....

The fictional brochure/website "dry" weight of the 183, already exceeds the max towing capacity of the Sienna.
How is a WDH going to help that?:what::what:

[jking46]

Let's see if I understand this......take a camper that's 1500 lbs ( loaded) over tow capacity, transfer 500 to the tv that has a limited payload capacity, now over limits on both payload and tow capacity....that helps?

[crash3]

Payload is not the issue!! The Toyota Sienna has more payload than your ram 1500 jking46. The only issue is tow capacity. Towing the 183 would not be a pleasant experience.


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[fedrocker]

Definitely need another tow vehicle.


2011 Rockwood Roo 233s
2007 Tundra Crewmax, 5.7

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by bikendan

The fictional brochure/website "dry" weight of the 183, already exceeds the max towing capacity of the Sienna.
How is a WDH going to help that?:what::what:

The same way that this X5 towed a 34 Airstream with a 1000lbs tongue weight having a 600 limit for 30K miles with no problem...
Or canadians tow with minivans from Toronto to Florida every year w/o problems.

I'm not saying go and do whatever you want, I'm saying:
1 - go educate yourself and understand the dinamics of WD.
2 - Then test your rig with what you learned.
3 - then take an educated decision.

Fortunately we live in the information age and we can educate ourselves and not rely so much on "professionals" that doesn't know the differences in WD set up when you have a body on frame or not...

There is way more to this dynamic than wheel base and TV weight.
Ball angle, the ratio between the ball/rear wheel and wheel base distances and vehicle stability features, for example, play a critical role on this, including safety.

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by RACarvalho

The same way that this X5 towed a 34 Airstream with a 1000lbs tongue weight having a 600 limit for 30K miles with no problem...
Or canadians tow with minivans from Toronto to Florida every year w/o problems.

I'm not saying go and do whatever you want, I'm saying:
1 - go educate yourself and understand the dinamics of WD.
2 - Then test your rig with what you learned.
3 - then take an educated decision.

Fortunately we live in the information age and we can educate ourselves and not rely so much on "professionals" that doesn't know the differences in WD set up when you have a body on frame or not...

There is way more to this dynamic than wheel base and TV weight.
Ball angle, the ratio between the ball/rear wheel and wheel base distances and vehicle stability features, for example, play a critical role on this, including safety.

That picture is very reminiscent of Andy Thompson.

Unfortunately we also live in the litigation age. I've educated myself to rely on the fact that if I am at fault in an accident with injuries or worse, I can rely on some "professionals" getting involved that know the difference between exceeding manufacturers recommendations or not. I am not referring to the weight police. The dynamics I am thinking of are recklessness, negligence, and a few others. The professionals I refer to are very good at attempting to obtain things for themselves, that I worked my entire life to obtain, from me. That being said I think I'll pass on towing my Airstream with an X5, or towing a Roo 183 with a Sienna.

[jking46]

Well spoken, mr.H.