Dave -
Seven adults? Plus camping supplies (food, clothes, bedding, dishes, some appliances, some tools, etc etc) to take care of seven people, plus the weight of the options on both the TM and the tow vehicle? And since you are going to meetings and seminars, add paper, books, computers, and so forth? As my Hispanic friends here in Arizona would say, Olay Cheet, Mon! Depending on WHERE you plan to tow, I'm not sure that even a 5000-pound-rated vehicle will do the job. Most folks in this situation plan to take a second vehicle, and carry at least half of the people and most of the cargo in it. Is that a possibility for you?
A Suburban-sized vehicle would be a good choice, unless you are limiting yourself to the table-flat parts of the country - and even then, 5000 pounds is going to be a stretch.
Review Harvey's posts. The tow rating of a vehicle is specified with NO CARGO and NO PASSENGERS. If you add 1200 pounds of people and 800 pounds of their stuff, you will most likely be very close to the Villager's ratings already, even before you hook up a trailer - even if the trailer is empty. Morph these calculations around into GCVWR, etc, and it won't change the answer.
I truly suggest that you not do this.
Bill
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