2008 sienna towing pop up tent trailer

Dillipop

Well-known member
I know we can have a hitch installed. But is it safe to tow a trailer if our van doesn't have the towing package? Are most pop up tent trailers small enough to be under the tow weigh limits for towing without the tow package?
 
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thepote

New member
We tow without the radiator or power steering cooler or extra brakes in our 2005 Ody. Our (antique - 1979!) pop up is about 2000lbs loaded. We've never had any obvious problems. When you park it you have to keep in mind the power steering and give it a rest if you are doing a lot of positioning.

You will get lots of differing opinions I'm sure, but this is what we do.
 

bubbaray

New member
It will depend not only on the weight of what you are towing, but how much is inside the van and also the terrain over which you are towing.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
It will depend not only on the weight of what you are towing, but how much is inside the van and also the terrain over which you are towing.

We'd be towing from Oregon to Idaho mainly on highways, though the highway goes through the mountains. In the vehicle would be the 6 people and luggage/sleeping bags for 4/5 days. We'd be parking at my SIL's house and using her facilities/kitchen etc, so just clothes and bedding for cargo.
 

thepote

New member
Is the towing limit on the sienna 3500lbs like the Ody?

One of the reasons we have the vintage trailer is the weight on it was low for how much room it has. It's a 12ft box and sleeps six, which is what we need.

Towing with a minivan, you are very limited in what you can get to begin with. On the pop up forums they talk about how even with the 3500 limit at 3000 your van is really working it and you can feel it, so definitely don't try to max it out.

If you aren't planning to get tow package (what about a brake controller?) then it's really important to keep the weight low. This might mean a small box and less sleeping spots. How many beds do you need?
 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
A popup big enough to house 6 people is going to be heavier than you think and no way would I tow one without a transmission cooler (which comes with tow packages). Our PUP that we just sold this summer had a GVWR of 3000# and we were near loaded to that each time we went out.

I'd go look at your vehicle manual. They often specify a towing capacity with and without the towing package, or if it's not recommended to tow at all without the towing package.
 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
Here's an example of a PUP that is probably on the small side for your family size http://www.jayco.com/products/camping-trailers/2015-jay-series/1207ud/ That has a queen bed and a king, and you'd probably want 2 kings. But this one is 2950# for GVWR (the 2 king model is 3450#).

And considering that you're fully loaded inside the van, you'll have reduced towing capacity due to that so I'd say you've got a snowball's chance in hell of towing a PUP safely and without wrecking your van. Even properly equipped, a van will only tow 3500#. We actually found our 3500# tow capacity vehicle pushing it for towing our PUP and 2 adults and 2 children. We were very happy to get our 5000# tow capacity vehicle.
 

bubbaray

New member
There will be a hitch rating and (more importantly for your tranny) a max tow weight. For 4 people and personal gear (camping stuff, clothes, shoes, toiletries) for a week, DH figures 1000lbs. Water and food would be extra weight and we usually tow with nearly dry tanks.

There is zero chance I would tow through mountains without a tranny cooler. You may also need a brake controller.
 

thepote

New member
There is zero chance I would tow through mountains without a tranny cooler. You may also need a brake controller.

Yeah the mountain thing is definitely a concern. Also, we take the thing from point A to point B and camp, under 3hrs away. There is additional transmission stress over long distances.

I wouldn't get a heavier camper without brakes, that's for sure. We weighed it all at the transfer station in town (full and empty), by the way. For the hitch weight we used a bathroom scale. These are some things you need to do initially to stay within (well within, esp. for vans) the limits and learn the weights of all the components. The pop up camper forums are really helpful for startup info. I used PopUpPortal.

We have a hard time fitting all of our gear in the van for tent camping. Once the vintage pop up bites the dust we may either get a gear trailer or a tiny sleeps-four pop up just to have a place to haul all the stuff, and a place to chill when it rains. DH and the boys love to sleep in tents so they can do that while I have my pop up mattress ;)
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Sounds like it might not be in the stars for us . We just got hit with having to get a hotel room for a family reunion that was touted as everyone pile into our house, we'll make it work- it's now I've reserved a room for you at $75 a night for 5 nights. I was thinking if we could haul a small (borrowed) popup, we might be able to save some money. I really don't want to spend the money on a hotel and then drag a 2 month old back and forth every day with all the stuff that goes with a 2 month old and 3 older siblings... Oh well. Maybe next time we buy a van, we'll make sure it has a two package.
 

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