towing with a caravan v6

[rcrete]

I was wondering if anyone tows a popup with a v6 caravan or knows someone who does. I have seen people towing but my auto mechanic says the brakes are not very good to begin with and he thinks that with a trailer it would be worse.
Rich

[tknick]

as long as your PU has it's own brakes, the brakes on your caravan are mostly irrelevant.  I would assume you would have adequate brakes on your caravan anyway b/c i'm guessing you use it everyday to carry the family around.  the whole idea behind brakes on the PU is not adding any additional braking load to the TV.  if you were towing with a 3/4 ton pick up or a full size SUV the brakes on those types of vehicles are designed for loads in a bed or rear compartment and therefore the additional weight of the PU wouldn't be quite as noticeable (i would still recommend brakes on the pu even with a vehicle like that).

Using an intertial based braking controller and not a time based one would help as well.  intertial controllers apply braking force proportionally just like you do when you drive (a little at first and more braking the closer you get to the actual stopping point).  time based controllers, as the name would imply, apply braking force in time based method.  they start with the minimal amount of force and increase braking force at a predetermined time interval until maximum force is applied.  it doesn't matter if you are making a long slow gradual stop or a quick short panic stop the braking force to the trailer is applied the same every time.

from what i recall reading, chrysler trannys aren't known for being the strongest and longest lasting out there.  you would definitely need to add a tranny cooler and follow the manufacturers weight limits and service intervals.  lots of people tow with minivans without problems.  chrysler put the limits in the owners manual for a reason.  follow them and you should be fine.

good luck
travis`

[mountainrev]

I used to tow with a '98 Grand Voyager.  It had the 3.8 liter v-6, but not the tow package.  That was not a terribly torquey engine, and since I didn't add a transmission cooler, it inevitably threatened to overheat when towing up mountain grades.  

Having said that, others who tow with Caravan/Voyagers report they do well.  The addition of a transmission cooler (if you don't have the tow package), or a larger cooler if you have a small one, would help tremendously, especially if you plan to tow in the mountains.

As far as brakes, if your camper has them, then, as tnick said, your tow vehicle's brakes aren't going to be overloaded.  I didn't have brakes on the small camper I towed behind my GV, and I did overheat the brakes once going down a very steep pass, following a long line of vehicles backed up because of a very slow 5th wheel.  Scary moment!  I had downshifted, but the brakes got mushier and mushier as I looked for a place to pull off.  When I finally found a spot wide enough, I had to use both feet on the brake pedal to stop.  Yikes!

Under normal driving situations, though, I felt that the GV's four wheel discs were adequate for stopping my small camper.  The main thing with the GC/GV's is the transmission.  Just make sure yours is adequately cooled, and I think the GC makes an adequate tow vehicle.

[Milt]

We have a 16' Chalet Arrowhead (2,000 lb.) PU and pull it with a Grand Caravan with full tow package.  Haven't had any problems other than it really has to work to get over some of the mountain passes we have encountered.  Milt

[AustinBoston]

from what i recall reading, chrysler trannys aren't known for being the strongest and longest lasting out there.

You got that right.  In two Chrysler vehicles, I paid for five transmissions, and that was without towing anything.  

When we bought the Bayside, we asked the tranny tech (just finished servicing the tranny on our '90 Grand Caravan) if it would be OK to tow it home (five miles of city streets).  His response was "I wouldn't use that minivan to tow your camper across the parking lot."  We paid the dealer to store it until we took delivery of the Astro.

I think Chrysler transmissions are better today, but they still don't have the best reputation.

Austin

[Igetit]

"I wouldn't use that minivan to tow your camper across the parking lot."

I'm not disputing anyone else's experience, but it IS odd how different they can be. There may be more individual differences between two TVs of the same make & model than different makes & models on the whole. Other factors apply also, like the degree to which you maintain your equipment, how much gear you haul, how many towing miles per year, flat terrain vs. mountainous, etc. That having been said, here's my $.02 worth:

We had a '95 Dodge Caravan (bought it used with ~30k miles) and pulled an '87 Coleman Sun Valley all over the eastern half of the US. Mostly flat terrain, but no tranny cooler and still no overheating problems (that I was aware of). Seemed to be geared properly (no hunting or abrupt downshifting under load) and made an excellent TV. After about 130k miles, the tranny did begin to slip a little, but with that many miles I couldn't necessarily attribute that to towing.
Assuming your van has been reliable thus far, I would take the advice of others and check your specs, use trailer brakes, and keep your vehicle well maintained.

[trumpet87]

You got that right.  In two Chrysler vehicles, I paid for five transmissions, and that was without towing anything.  

When we bought the Bayside, we asked the tranny tech (just finished servicing the tranny on our '90 Grand Caravan) if it would be OK to tow it home (five miles of city streets).  His response was "I wouldn't use that minivan to tow your camper across the parking lot."  We paid the dealer to store it until we took delivery of the Astro.

I think Chrysler transmissions are better today, but they still don't have the best reputation.

Austin

I feel your pain! We went thru 3 trannys in 2 Caravans in less than 5 years without pulling a thing, yikes! We have a Kia Sedona now and am going to put a hitch on it. It has 58,000 mi. now and we bought it brand new. Have had no trouble yet with tranny *crossed fingers*. The Kia actually comes standard with a tranny cooler. I hope it will do well.

[AustinBoston]

The Kia actually comes standard with a tranny cooler. I hope it will do well.

Be careful here.  All auto transmission vehicles have something called a "transmission fluid cooler," which is a tube that loops through the radiator so that the relatively cool 200

[SheBantam]

Our ford dealer condemned our tranny in our Windstar.  We ahd them do a basic service and crossed our fingers...I use it to tow an Aliner cabin A about a ton fully loaded.

The trany is OK per Cottman Transmission.

I had them add a tranny cooler, that the tech who put in my hitch, could not figure out where to put it and Ford dealership Parts told me that it already had a larger whatever.

Here is what I should have done.

1. Gone somewhere who could figure out how to put in a tranny cooler ( a minivan does not have much room up front and it is $$ to install)
2. got a basic service done to the tranny prior to towing.
3. and I will have to have a basic service done every year to year and a half (until I get a new tow vehicle that will easily pull both trailers (NOT in tandem) with an automatic transmission)

[flyfisherman]

I was wondering if anyone tows a popup with a v6 caravan or knows someone who does. I have seen people towing but my auto mechanic says the brakes are not very good to begin with and he thinks that with a trailer it would be worse.
Rich

Of course, a lot depends on just what you plan on towing with the Caravan!

Tow vehice brakes are important, but I've not heard brake "stories" about the Caravan as much as I've heard about the transmissions (certainly models of a few years past anyway). Even if you have brakes on the popup thay are only as good as they are maintained. Nothing worse than thinking you have brakes on the camper but indeed you do not!

Along with the automatic overdrive transmissions coming into vogue meant, too, that they were more fragile then their older 3-speed ancestors. That shifting in and out of overdrive can take it's toll. Certainly an auxillary transmission cooler is a good idea but it's second to good transmission maintenance. All the magic of the automatic transmission happens in the fluid. The life blood of the auto tranny is the fluid; and vital to the fluid is the filter. Regular transmission servicing of fluid & filter change is number one - there's debate as to just dropping the old fluid that's in the pan along with a filter replacement vs. having all the fluid flushed out (at more expense, of course) - but for sure, having the basic servce done as per manufacturer's schedule is critical for an automatic tranny and especially so if your towing.



Fly

[GeneF]

I just think it might be the luck of the draw on some vehicles plus how you maintain them.

I towed with three different Chrysler minivans and one Ford Windstar.  None had the tow package or auxillary transmission cooler.  Yup, I didn't know any better.

I did maintain the vehicles and never had a tranny problem on any of them.

I also towed with a Toyota Sienna with a tow package.  Again no problems.

All vehicles were traded with 80,000 plus miles on them.

It may cost a few bucks, but getting the tranny fluid changed can make a difference.

I get the fluid changed on my Silverado every year.  I believe that the book says you can do it every 50,000 if towing but I have about 15 to 20,000 when it gets changed.  Truck has 90,000 miles on it and no sign of tranny problems.

I wouldn't tow anything bigger than a 10 footer with a minivan.  I did tow a 12 footer with the Sienna but for comfort and safety. a ten footer was the most comfortable for me.