Best way to tow a minivan...

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Sawbones25

New member
Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Posts
3
I borrowed my wifes stepfather's RV...
It's a 1994 Fleetwood Tioga Montara 29Z. Ford chassis with a 460.

We're planning a trip from Maryland to South Carolina next month and would like to tow the minivan down with us so we have transportation when we get there. We have 2 year old twins and it would just be a lot easier if we had our van with the car seats, etc...

I have a 16' two axle open car trailer I use to haul a race car. But the weight of the trailer+van will exceed the towing limit of the RV by about 2000 lbs.

I don't really want to install all the stuff needed for a 4-wheels down tow on the van just for this one trip.

The next option was a tow dolly, but the more I look into one of those, the more hassle they seem to be. Renting, breakage, etc...
Plus I think the tow dolly+van will exceed the towing limit of 3500 lbs on this RV.  :mad:

Should I give this all up and rent a car down there? Or can I make this work???

Thanks. 
 
Hi Sawbones,

It certainly sounds like towing is out of the question. You do not want to exceed the towing rating of the coach. Dollies are a hassle if you have to back up. You have to unhook the car, unhook the dolly, move both out of the way, back up the coach and then reattach everything. Again, if the combination exceeds the tow rating, it's out of the question.
 
If the tow rating of your coach is only 3500 Lbs, you would probably be close with the minivan alone. Rent when you get there and save a lot of headaches.

Larry
 
Sawbones,

What are the weights stated on the sticker of the motorhome (GVWR, GCWR GAWR, etc.) and what is the weight of the minivan and the trailer? Got any other info that may be helpful? There are a couple of guys here that eat and sleep weight/tow ratings, and can probably give you a yes, no, or maybe in short order.
 
As for "installing the stuff" Well, depending on the mini van that may be nothing more than a tow bar or base plate and an remote braking system (Brake Buddy, Even Brake, etc)  and of course tow lights (again possibly nothing more than a couple of magnetic slap on jobs)

You need to find out the towability of your van first... Mine requires a bit more work than the above (oh, about 800 worth of modificaitons, in addition to the above) but yours may be easier
 
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