Does anyone tow a 26' or 27' with a 2004 or newer Toyota Sienna or other mini-van??

[yendor]

I Towed A 2619 Anywhere And Everywhere With A Mazda 2003 Mpv
No Problems Had More Power Than My 2005 Ford Exlporer Make
Sure You Have The Towing Package Makes All The Difference .
Yendor

[roned2]

We pull our 3124KS with a 2008 Highlander rated for 5000 lbs, and use a weight distribution hitch. We have camped with water hook ups lately but usually fill up with water at the campsite. It is a bit of a pain to put the trailer up to fill but it saves a lot of weight. So far we have had no problems pulling the trailer. We just completed a week of camping in New York and Ohio and are going to the East coast of Canada next week. We are very pleased with our set up so far.

We tow our TM 3023 with a 2005 Sienna. We live on the edge of the Great Smoky Mt. National Park. We have been pleasantly surprised at how well our Sienna tows. We try to pack light -- grocery shopping when we arrive at camping destination and carrying no water (except in hot water heater). We are thinking about getting a Honda Ridgeline or a Nissan Frontier truck before we head out West. The going down steep grades bothers me a whole lot more than going up! We go down in a lower gear, but it sounds like the engine is going to explode. Does anyone know if this hurts the TV in any way? I know it helps the brakes!
Kay
2004 TM 3023
2005 Toyota Sienna

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by rubydoodle

We tow our TM 3023 with a 2005 Sienna. We live on the edge of the Great Smoky Mt. National Park. We have been pleasantly surprised at how well our Sienna tows. We try to pack light -- grocery shopping when we arrive at camping destination and carrying no water (except in hot water heater). We are thinking about getting a Honda Ridgeline or a Nissan Frontier truck before we head out West. The going down steep grades bothers me a whole lot more than going up! We go down in a lower gear, but it sounds like the engine is going to explode. Does anyone know if this hurts the TV in any way? I know it helps the brakes!
Kay
2004 TM 3023
2005 Toyota Sienna

You have identified the real issue with towing with a marginal vehicle. It only takes one time of over-heating the brakes and encountering brake fade. If this happens in the mountains, you'd better know how to pray. That will be your only tool available. Once brake fade occurs, it only get worse. It doesn't go away on its own. It is sometimes fatal.

It is far better to go slow down a steep grade, keeping your TV in low gear than trying to keep your speed down with the brakes. The Toyota Sienna has marginal brakes for towing in mountains. You may want to look into Carbon Metallic or Ceramic brake pads. They will withstand and dissipate heat better. I noticed that most ceramic pad manufacturers do not recommend their pads for towing. They are mainly used for racing and they may have a problem with adhesion to the backing plate under the severe strain of heavy loads.

I know that a lot of people use ceramic pads for towing but after some research, I opted for carbon metallic. I just get the feeling that the manufacturers know something that I don't (with their advertised warning). However, I haven't been able to verify the reasoning behind the warning.

As for the engine revving at high RPM while going down-hill.....it will only be harmful if you over-rev the engine. As long as you stay below the max RPM rating for the engine, you should be OK. It's not as harmful as constant-revving under the load of full-throttle. You don't have the extreme stress and heat build-up.

Yes, we tow a 2009 Trail Manor 2619 with our 2004 Sienna Van AWD. It tows fine. We use a load distribution hitch which I would recommend be used. I have added a transmission cooler to the Sienna and I also have a temperature gauge installed for the sump on the transmission. I don't tow above 65 mph. but on level roads I can leave the transmission in D.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by harveyrv

You have identified the real issue with towing with a marginal vehicle. It only takes one time of over-heating the brakes and encountering brake fade. If this happens in the mountains, you'd better know how to pray. That will be your only tool available. Once brake fade occurs, it only get worse. It doesn't go away on its own. It is sometimes fatal.

It is far better to go slow down a steep grade, keeping your TV in low gear than trying to keep your speed down with the brakes. The Toyota Sienna has marginal brakes for towing in mountains. You may want to look into Carbon Metallic or Ceramic brake pads. They will withstand and dissipate heat better. I noticed that most ceramic pad manufacturers do not recommend their pads for towing. They are mainly used for racing and they may have a problem with adhesion to the backing plate under the severe strain of heavy loads.

Frankly, a pickup bed and steel rails in the frame don't have a lot to do with either braking or the towing prowess of a vehicle. And the vehicles that should have the best brakes ever made (heavy trucks) are the ones that are at greatest risk for operating with fewer working brakes than their 18 wheels, splattering their brake parts along the highway, and losing control on long grades.

According to Consumer Reports, Toyota Sienna owners have much better than average experience with their brakes (and transmissions). Further, a TrailManor 3023 is on the road within the rated towing capacity of a Toyota Sienna as long as you don't load up with a lot of stuff. Assuming the trailer brakes and brake controller are operating properly, the trailer is doing most of its own braking. Both the trailer and the tow vehicle are within their rated capacities for braking, even in the mountains. I agree that extra care and slower speeds are required on long grades.

I'm not tempted by non-spec brake pads for a Toyota, particularly while we're contemplating a problem that only hypothetically exists. If I lived in Colorado, I might want a bigger tow vehicle because I respect the opinions of the people who do, but that's different than just visiting occasionally.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by SigurdHoy

...but on level roads I can leave the transmission in D.

Overdrive has been a point of transmission failures with some vehicles. I used to use a Ford truck as a tow vehicle that would shift out of overdrive frequently at highway speed, a sign to me that overdrive towing was a bad idea.

My owner's manual doesn't say anything about having to tow with overdrive turned off. Geoffrey Card, who towed his TM to Alaska and back with a Highlander, told me that he leaves the overdrive setting on except when the engine is under heavier loads (like uphill grades).