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Old 05-14-2010, 11:35 AM   #1
lproutten
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Default Is anyone towing with a Toyota Rav4

This is my 1st post on this forum. After reading many helpful bits of advice in this forum I have gone through plenty dazed and confused moments to a semi-final decision. So thanks to all of you who have written about towing in various threads.

I was hoping to buy a TM 2720. I bought a 2010 Rav4 a few months ago with the factory tow package, 6 cyl, 269 hp engine and a 3500# tow rating. After reading many posts on this forum, I've pretty much decided not to go with a TM because it would be pushing the limits of the Rav4 and, we plan to put a lot of miles on it later this year. So I'll start looking at lighter trailers.

But before I finalize my decision, I'd like to ask if there is anyone out there who has actually towed a TM 2720 (or any TM trailer) with a Rav4? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience.

thanks,
Larry
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Old 05-14-2010, 03:58 PM   #2
ED-n-KEL
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Above and beyond the low tow capacity of 3500#, keep in mind that the RAV4 has a short wheelbase of 104.7". Generally speaking, based on the WB you should consider a trailer no longer than about 18-19ft. To be safe, you may want to consider a canvas pop-up for both the low weight and shorter towing length.
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Old 05-14-2010, 05:14 PM   #3
Redhawk
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Watch the weight on the canvas pop-ups, when we were looking, most weighed more then a 2619 TM. What about the TM mini ?
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Old 05-14-2010, 07:09 PM   #4
greentrail
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While I love my TM, I have to say there are some compromises I noticed. One is weight which is typically more for the equivalent sleeping arrangements. The second is the open feeling that wrap around windows and bunks in a canvas trailer give you. Before the TM we had a 93 Coleman 10ft box with a king and a full that was around 1800lbs unloaded. A choice like that would give you plenty of towing headroom.
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Old 05-15-2010, 08:08 AM   #5
ragmopp
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A good alternative to the TM would be either a Aliner or a Chalet. Both have lightweight models. I owned a Aliner prior to my TM and it weighed around 2000 pounds....With either you would have the advantage of hard sides.

Mike Anderson
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Old 05-16-2010, 07:30 AM   #6
Mr. Adventure
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Default Towing with a RAV4

Most people don't know that Toyota tells you to figure your tow capacity differently than most other manufacturers. With Toyotas, you are rated with a full 3500# in towing capacity on top of your gross vehicle weight, whereas most manufacturers tell you to subtract the load you put in the tow vehicle from your towing capacity. So another vehicle that's rated at 5000# with 1500# in the tv is just like your RAV4: 3500# tow rating.

My first thought when we discussed this a year or two ago was that the RAV4 was too small, but that was me thinking about older RAV4s, not about the new ones like yours which are bigger, heavier, and rated for more. In the case of your RAV4, you're about the same weight as my Highlander and have a wheelbase that's only a few percent shorter.

Your wheelbase and the weight, height, and balance of your trailer are important for towing. I've never seen an identifiable source for the length-of-trailer rationale along the lines of the anonymous old trailer towers table, which relates wheelbase to trailer length. But when you measure it out, you'll probably find that you're fine there with the smaller TM's.

I don't think you'll find places on the Interstate highway system that you can't reasonably go with your RAV4. Load management (you'll want to keep your trailer load on the light side), attentive driving, careful trailer brake adjustment, and conservative towing speeds are mandatory for safe towing for everyone. A properly adjusted weight distributing hitch is very important for almost everyone.

If you regularly tow at high altitudes out West, you need substantially more tow vehicle than us Eastern flatlanders for towing performance, vehicle durability, and maybe an additional margin of safety too.
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Old 05-16-2010, 11:04 AM   #7
cochise
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How about the Casita Travel Trailer? It is noit quite a long (from 13 to 17 feet long) as the TM's even the Elkmont is longer, but the are lighter than the TM's weighing in at only about 2100 lb dry, and with 255 lb dry on the hitch. They are nice trailers, wish I had known about them before I bought my Elkmont.
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