RE: Towing with RAV4

[GeneF]

 
Okay think I know the answer but a friend of mine has a Rav4 and wants to get a small 8 foot popup.  
 
 I think the tow rating on the RAV4 is about 1500.
 
 Anyone ever tow with a RAV4?
 
 Thanks Gene

[Turn Key]

 GeneF
Is it that high?

[brainpause]

 GeneF
Well, it s not listed in Trailer Life s ratings, so it is less than 2000# for sure.
 
 Most 8  PU s are above 1000# when loaded, and although I have never towed with a RAV4, I would highly discourage it. A person would be awfully close to its limits.
 
 Larry

[Turn Key]

 GeneF
Just checked.  1500 lbs. with the following footnote:
 
 

3. Before towing, confirm your vehicle and trailer are compatible, hooked up properly and you have all necessary additional equipment. Do not exceed any Weight Ratings and review all instructions and cautions from your trailer hitch manufacturer and Toyota vehicle Owner s Manual. Note that the maximum amount you can tow depends on the total weight of any cargo, occupants and optional equipment in the vehicle.

(Italics mine)
 
 Don t believe this would be my first choice as a TV.

[Ab Diver]

 GeneF
I know where a pop-up for your friend s RAV4 is located, with a " for sale"  sign on it. Problem is, it s a " Napper II"  motorcycle trailer, and the bed popps up and out to the sides to give an nice full size bed. That s about all I d wanna pull with something that small, other than the older style 500 lbs. pop-ups with a canvas top. (I ve seen one of those old Heilite pop-ups being pulled by a Subaru Brat, and the pairing worked out perfectly.)
 
 It ain t just the size of the pop-up, it s what you bring with it: food, beer, clothes, beer, people, beer, firewood, beer, folding chairs, beer, propane, beer, Tylonol, Advil, Aspirin, etc, etc,... oh--  and some ice for the beer. []   All that weight adds up pretty quick.

[SactoCampers]

 GeneF
8-footers are small and light, and I don t think it would be a problem for a RAV 4 Here s why:
 
 1.) 8-footers don t have much interior space for junk so I doubt it would get that heavy.
 2.) A RAV 4 is a small vehicle without that much space to get too heavy either.
 
 So by deduction, a person with a RAV 4 will be restricted in how much he/she can bring and the subsequent weights everyone is warning against. Is it ideal? No, but I don t see a real problem with a RAV 4 and an 8-foot popup. So long as it s a single person or maybe a couple. A full family would be too much.
 
 Take my opinion for what it s worth which is probably nothing, since it comes from someone who towed a 2300 lb popup for a year (and to Oregon twice) with a Dodge Intrepid against everyone s advice.

[mike4947]

 GeneF
Here s a few 8 foot trailers with their " gross weights"
 Coleman Tucson 1850
 Flagstaff  176D   2292
 Viking  1796       1980
 Starcraft 1701    2190
 
 As you can see 8 footers ain t no light weights any more. All go over the fantasy " tow rating"  of the Rave 4. With it s short wheel base I m surprised they even publish a number that high.
 IMHO he s stuck with motorcycle type trailers with just a box and tenting with no hard roof.
 

[brainpause]

 GeneF
Also, I was " admiring"  a friend s new Rav4 not too long ago, and I noticed how small the frame and the suspension was. I noticed it had a class II hitch on it too, and I thought, " maybe I d tow one of those small mower trailers, but nothing more."
 
 Larry

[GeneF]

 GeneF
Thanks for all the advice.  You said just about what I had thought.
 
 She is going to get a new tow vehicle but wants to get the camper first.
 
 We looked at a used 1998 Jayco 8 footer.  It wasn t used that much but they never bothered to open it up all summer. They popped it up and it was full of mildew.  What a way to ruin a camper.

[Jeffrey]

 GeneF
Palomino Colt Total Weight listed as 1160 lbs

[SactoCampers]

 mike4947
Starcraft 1701 dry weight = 1247. I don t know anyone who puts 1000 lbs of options and baggage in their popup, especially one that small. There simply isn t enough space...unless you re packing sand bags in there. If GVWR for this popup were 5000 lbs, would you use that number too? There are reasonable assumptions one can make on the weight of a popup. GVWR isn t always the correct assumption.
 
 Viking 1706 dry weight= 1319
 
 Fleetwood Tucson dry weight = 1225
 
 Flagstaff 176 dry weight  = 1251. See above point re Starcraft.
 
 I m well aware that nobody tows at dry weight, so I don t need that pointed out to me. However assuming everyone always tows at GVWR and not a pound less (or or more) is equally damaging...especially the assumption that somebody can fit nearly 1000 lbs of options and belongings inside an 8-foot box.
 
 Note: All these trailers will push a RAV 4 over it s published tow capacity. Doesn t mean it s unsafe, IMO. Toyota has also been known to include fully loaded tow vehicle with their tow ratings, but not sure on this vehicle. They may need to check it out. If so, some of that load allocated to the TV can be transferred over to the trailer capacity, assuming all axle ratings are not violated.