Towing a TM3326 with a Safari

[rajmoore]

Hey aLL,

Anyone towing a 3326 with a Safari or Astro?

Thanks,

Ron

No, but I am pulling with Tacoma V6 with towing package.

I towed a pop up that weighed around 2500 pounds with a 1998 4.0L Astro without a tow package. I only towed with the overdrive off. Even with doing that I still blew out a transmission in the Eastern mountains. In the flatlands of Florida it did fine. I also made the mistake of getting car tires that gave a softer ride but did not have the stability to pull weight without swaying, lesson learned make sure to get tires with a hefty enough sidewall for towing. My suggestion is that if you have an Astro or Safari and you pull where it is level then you could use it but get a transmission cooler and a WDH.

Currently I pull a 3326 with a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 4.0L engine. It does not have a tow package but I did install a transmission cooler. So far with 3,000 miles of towing no problems. Part of that mileage was a trip from Florida up to Cherokee, NC.

Good Luck!

We tow a 3326 with a Honda Ridgeline 3.5L V6 (247hp; 245 lb.-ft.) with towing package. No problem at all under varied roads and terrain circumstances. Have not pulled in the mountains.

[rajmoore]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Ron,

We tow a '98 3124KS with a '96 Safari AWD conversion van, which weighs about half a ton more than a factory unit with a normal trim package because of all the walnut and extra fiberglass, etc. and is rated at 5000lbs towing capacity. It's has the 4.3L V-6 at 190hp and 260 ft. lbs. of torque and we installed overload air bags on the rear and use a weight distributing hitch. We weighed the van and camper fully loaded (water tank full and toilet charged plus our gear) on the way to our first weekend trip and including our middle aged selves, we tipped the scale right at 10,000lbs. The 3326's dry weight is ~325lbs heavier than the 3124 but a factory Safari or Astro would be lighter, so adjust accordingly.

How does it perform? First off, we live on the south end of the Denver metro area, so virtually all of our trips are into the mountains. The day we brought it home from the dealer in Colo. Springs, I was quite surprised to find that it towed almost as easily as our old Flagstaff pop-up and that I could pull uphill in 3rd gear and maintain my normal towing speed of 60-65mph, but at that point, the 3124 weighed only a few hundred pounds more than the pop-up. This changed a bit once we loaded it however. As far as stability and maneuverability are concerned, the Safari is certainly up for the task. How much this is aided by the addition weight and stability of the heavy duty suspension on the Sherwood Coach conversion, I have no idea. But I never feel any wobble or pull and as of yet, the tail has never wagged the dog. In fact, on our 4th trip in it this summer, we experienced the dreaded trailer tire blowout while traveling about 65mph on the interstate and I honestly had very little trouble maintaining control and getting the rig pulled over. (The resulting $3500 damage is another story :-).

Pulling uphill is where the Safari is exposed as a bit under-powered, but I knew that when we traded up for the TM. At 7000+ ft. altitude on a 5-6% grade, it has to work a bit hard to stay in the 40-50mph range and without a transmission cooler (to be added next week), I have to keep an eye on the temp gauge, although we've only had to stop once to let it cool off before proceeding. But we're okay with that because it just means we join the semi's in the slow lane and it takes us a little longer to hit the campground. Is it the ideal vehicle for a 3326? No, I would suppose not. But if you’re in a situation where you already own a Safari or Astro, I wouldn’t let that stop you from getting the 3326 if that’s what you have your eye on, although I’m sure others on the boards here would disagree with me.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but hopefully the details give you a relatively good point of reference to make your own decision.

Good luck,
Joe

I can't speak to your trailer weight, but I can tell you my experiences towing with my Astro:

2005 AWD Astro with additional transmission cooler (the website: astrosafari.com users forum all recommend an additional transmission cooler and it was a wise investment)

2619 TM so there is a weight difference from the trailer you asked about. If I recall my TM is about 2500 pounds??

We have a WDH but not changed or added anything to the suspension.

The van was loaded with 4 adults, and 2 large dogs. The trailer was also also quite ful (my wife packed)l. I didn't check the trailer weight before leaving. We traveled from So. California to Bridgeport about 360 north. We traveled with 2 other families driving in their RV's. We drove 3 major grades plus lesser grades. The first Cajon Pass (about a 4,000 ft. rise in elevation), the grade up to and past Tom's Place down to Lake Crowley (the elevation I don't know), and the last was from Lundy to Conway Summit (about an 1800 ft rise that felt worse than going over Cajon Pass with all the turns)

All of us were driving between 40-50 mph, even the guy with his 2007 RV. My van held it's own, and I never uncomfortable.

There were other grades to climb, but none as challenging. On any level ground I drive in overdrive. In areas with street lights, stop and go traffic, or long grades, I shift to the "tow/haul" mode.

I was also towing on the steep grades going up to Devils Postpile past the town of Mammoth Lakes. No one was driving fast.

The guy that installed my transmission cooler for towing has these suggestions:

Change a $75 "valve?" to make more positive shifts (we did that)

Don't install a guage for the transmission to monitor it. "It was overkill."

"The transmission should tolerate the demands without trouble, but no tow vehicle was designed to tow at 75 mph. Driving at those speeds will destroy or shorten the life of the transmission. Only drive this way if you plan to sell the vehicle to someone else."

"After climbing a long grade", (like the three I mentioned) pull over with the engine running and let the engine and transmission cool down. This will extend the life of the van, and avoid future breakdowns on your trip."

By the way, I did experience a drop in mileage. I went from 19 mpg to 16 mpg. Someone told me they had no drop in mileage while towing their TM. I politely nodded at this. All mileage drops when towing, but 3 mpg is pretty reasonable.

For me, the Astro was a wise choice. Most tow vehicles with do fine on the flats, but the elevation separates out vehicles. If you want to go 60 mph all the time, you'll not be satisfied with anything but a V8.

My 2 cents

Originally Posted by rajmoore

Hey aLL,
Anyone towing a 3326 with a Safari or Astro?

A few things to consider... first and foremost, what is your rear axle ratio?
It varies slightly by year, but for the most part tow ratings are:
3.23 - not recommended for towing
3.42 - 5000 lbs
3.73 - 5500 lbs
AWD models are approximately 500 lbs lower than this.
Tow packages are required for these ratings.

Safaris/Astros have inherently poor rear leaf springs.
Rear suspension should be beefed up if towing anything.
If you have the composite type leafs, I would replace them with an aftermarket version.

Most Astros/Safaris have OEM engine oil coolers, which is good.
Tranny coolers are also highly recommended.
I would definitely install a tranny temp gauge. This is money very well spent and is easy to install. I can watch my tranny temp climb and fall, even when NOT towing.

The Astro/Safari is basically a 1/2 ton truck, but has it's limits.
One of it's drawback is it's own wind resistance.

With all of this said, the Astro/Safari can be a great TV for a TM.
You just need to use you head and get the details on your model and understand what your limits are.
Equipped correctly, it's a great TV for the TM.
I would definitely not recommend it for mountainous terrain.

I've been preparing my Astro for towing a 3023/3124KB and feel when it's finished, it will do a fine job.