Quote:
Originally Posted by Patricia
I live in the Southern California desert, and I expect that most of my weekend trips will be to full hookup sites. However, my question really is for my cross country and back trip, where I expect to use a mixture of dry camping and full hookup sites. This trip will be over 6,000 miles. That is why I am really trying to drill down on carry weight. And now I guess I need to consider if my car is up to towing a TM over the rigors of a 6,000 plus trip as opposed to a weekend mini-trip.
My car is a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, which is a 3.5L V6. The owner's manual says 3500 # tow capacity, 8500# GCWR and that it can take a class III hitch. The dealer tells me that it has a transmission cooler. I have read a post from a TM owner with this car, but I don't know if he uses it for long trips/dry camping.
Thanks so much to everyone who responded - the TM community is SUPER
Pat
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Pat,
I did a search on this forum, and found two members who have TM's and Pacificas and weren't complaining (one has a 3023 and is still with us, the other had a 2720 and said they loved it, but have since upgraded to a fifth wheel and gone full time (it's hard for me to say "upgraded to a fifth wheel").
This is one of them, along with the rest of a thread about lighter tow vehicles (you might want to try to contact them, and you'll want to join this forum so that you have access to all the stuff):
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...light=pacifica
You have a vehicle that weighs about 4700# and a long wheelbase (116"), assuming the stats I just got from the 2008 Chrysler web site are accurate for your 2005. I like tow vehicles that weigh more than their trailers and I prefer a longer wheelbase to a shorter one because I think of these things as likely to help make for steadier and safer trailering.
In round numbers, 8500 pounds GCWR less a 4700 pound curb weight is 3800 pounds. That will need to cover all of what you load into/onto/behind the vehicle: People, trailer, fuel, dogs, souveneirs, Pepsi, household goods, luggage, etc. This is marginal, but is probably colored at least somewhat by the manufacturer's experience in replacing transmissions on Dodge Caravans. The 2008 Pacifica, it says, comes with a lifetime powertrain warranty. I'd read the fine print about the possibility of being caught voiding that (they weasel word warranties, and they weasel word towing limits; what do all these say to a reasonable person?).
I try very hard not to tell other people what to do, so please accept these comments as telling you what I think I might do. If I was going to do that 6000 mile trip often, I'd be thinking about the possibility of more tow vehicle. If towing is going to be a minor part of the life of the tow vehicle, I'd probably go for it, knowing that I need to travel light, drive conservatively, and be careful about loading.