Pull Pop-Up with Car?

[Westlysbride]

My husband and I sold our minivan last fall.  : (

We now have the pop-up camper itch.  We have a 2003 Toyota Camry and a 1996 Toyota Corolla.  According to the specs for the Camry the GAWR is 2000 lbs.  Wondering if anyone has used a 4-cylinder car to pull a pop-up camper.  I am very concerned that it will ruin the car.  My husband is a truck driver and he said that the 'guys at work' said that it shouldn't be a problem.  Any feedback is appreciated!!!  Thanks.

[ptzop]

I sympathize - my car, a Forrester, can only tow up to 2000 lbs for a trailer with brakes or a 1000 lbs trailer without brakes.  

In research tow weights, tongue weights, etc. I decided it would be much safer - both for the car & for everyone else on the road - to get nowhere near the 2000 lbs. limit.  We looked only at trailers that were 1500 lbs or smaller.

The bad news is, you're probably going to end up getting something small..... probably an 8-foot box.  On the upside, these are cheap! And since a lot of folks are in the same situation, they're relatively plentiful so you can probably find one used with a bit of hunting.

If I were looking for a new camper, I'd look at the Fleetwood Cobalt, which is I believe around 1300 lbs.  We ended up buying the used version of this, a Coleman Taos.  It was 7 years old but in good condition and cost about 1/3 as much.

Boxes of this size are small, realistically they're good for 2 adults and a couple of kids, or maybe 4 adults for a very short trip. They all have kitchens & eating areas, and some have awnings. I didn't see anything this size with pottys or showers.

Good luck!

[fritz_monroe]

You'd have to get it set up properly, but I'm sure you can get a bigger setup.  There's an outfit in Canada that configures cars to tow campers.  It's called Can-Am RV and they've set up quite a few regular passenger cars to tow.  I've seen some videos of their setups and it's impressive.  Do your homework and you can set it up.

I've also seen someone on one of the forums that tows with a Jetta Wagon, I think.

[wavery]

I towed our 3,000# Coleman Tahoe with a 2001 Chrysler Concorde 3.5L V6, for quite a few miles (20 camp-outs). I did some brake modifications and added a trans cooler. It towed the PU quite well and never gave us a minutes concern.

However, the Chrysler Concorde is quite a large heavy vehicle and has a very good braking system and I had electric brakes on the trailer. I also never went over 60 (55 most of the time) and never exceeded 50 on a downhill grade.

We also owned a 2000 Camry LE with a 4cyl. I have overhauled the brakes on our Camry and I would never tow anything with that vehicle. It's not the going that's the problem. The Camry will certainly pull a 1500# trailer (with proper modifications), although it would grunt & grown up the slightest hills.

The real problem is the stopping. The Camry brakes are barely sufficient for stopping that very light car. The front pads and rotors are very small and the rear drums are almost a joke. Camry's have a history of brake rotor over-heating and distortion (without towing). I don't think that there is a lot that you can do to increase the stopping power on that vehicle. Adding brakes to the trailer would be an asset but if they get hot, going down a grade, I would be real concerned about the Camry's ability to avoid brake overheating and experiencing the dreaded, "Brake fade" :yikes: .

It only takes one time of experiencing brake fade to become a catastrophic event. If you are towing a trailer, there is no way of overcoming brake fade while going down-hill. Once it happens, it's like having no brakes at all and the harder you press on the brake pedal, the worse it gets.

There are HD vented disc brake rotors and pads, that are used for racing, available for the Camry. If you do end up towing with it, I would recommend getting those installed and adding a very large transmission cooler.

[Westlysbride]

There are HD vented disc brake rotors and pads, that are used for racing, available for the Camry. If you do end up towing with it, I would recommend getting those installed and adding a very large transmission cooler.[/QUOTE]

WOW.  Thank you very much for the info.  My husband and I were just commenting the other day on our Camry's brakes.  (We don't feel they are the greatest.)  I will start looking into that right away.  If my husband insists on pulling the camper with the Camry maybe I will drive my boys and follow behind in the Corolla.  I will start looking into the brakes and cooler right away.

[wavery]

There are HD vented disc brake rotors and pads, that are used for racing, available for the Camry. If you do end up towing with it, I would recommend getting those installed and adding a very large transmission cooler.

WOW.  Thank you very much for the info.  My husband and I were just commenting the other day on our Camry's brakes.  (We don't feel they are the greatest.)  I will start looking into that right away.  If my husband insists on pulling the camper with the Camry maybe I will drive my boys and follow behind in the Corolla.  I will start looking into the brakes and cooler right away.[/QUOTE]

That's what we did with the Concorde. If the grandkids came camping with us, my wife would follow me with the G/Ks in our other car and load that car with the camping gear too. That would relieve a lot of weight. However, it is still be a good idea to be sure that you have brakes on the trailer and a Prodigy brake controller in the TV.

[wavery]

WOW.  Thank you very much for the info.  My husband and I were just commenting the other day on our Camry's brakes.  (We don't feel they are the greatest.)  I will start looking into that right away.  If my husband insists on pulling the camper with the Camry maybe I will drive my boys and follow behind in the Corolla.  I will start looking into the brakes and cooler right away.

That's what we did with the Concorde. If the grandkids came camping with us, my wife would follow me with the G/Ks in our other car and load that car with the camping gear too. That would relieve a lot of weight. However, it is still a good idea to be sure that you have brakes on the trailer and a Prodigy brake controller in the TV.

BTW........just to be clear........I am IN NO WAY recommending that anyone tow with a vehicle that is rated for less than the load that they are towing. Just because I did it, doesn't make it OK or even smart.   Trust me......you never want to experience brake failure while towing. If you survive the experience, you may still be very unhappy about it .

However, if you are going to do it anyway, I'd be happy to give you some tips on how to do it as safely as possible. In that case, please PM me. I don't think it wise to do it on this forum.

[mjdfarm]

I would go with a truck or small suv.  They can be found pretty cheap if you look.  The thought of towing anything with either of those vehicles is concerning.  Besides, by the time you add beefed up brakes and transmission coolers you could have traded up to a (used) small truck or suv.  i speak from experience.  I have always had used paid for trucks bought reasonably and never had a real problem.



Good luck with whatever you decide.

[wavery]

I would go with a truck or small suv.  They can be found pretty cheap if you look.  The thought of towing anything with either of those vehicles is concerning.  Besides, by the time you add beefed up brakes and transmission coolers you could have traded up to a (used) small truck or suv.  i speak from experience.  I have always had used paid for trucks bought reasonably and never had a real problem.



Good luck with whatever you decide.

mjdfarm is right again....

We just sold our Camry for $7500 and bought a great little '99 S10 P/U for $5K. We had to sacrifice a little MPG (25MPG vs 29MPG) but we feel it's worth it. I needed a P/U anyway and your needs may be different. Now we don't have to tow with our Concorde :sombraro: . I think I'll sleep better.

[Westlysbride]

I would go with a truck or small suv.  

That is a good point.  Both cars are paid for and I cringe at the thought of wrecking them.

[fritz_monroe]

How about something like a Ford Escape?  They get around 20 mpg and have a 3500# tow rating.  There's also some of the little Korean SUVs.  I've towed my Bayside with my Jeep Liberty and the combination of the short wheelbase and the long pup didn't give me a lot of confidence, but there's people around that swear by the Liberty for towing.  I really like mine, but just not to tow with.

If you'd like a P/U, take a look at the Chevy Colorado.  They are rated at 4000# and EPA estimate of 22 mpg highway.  Don't know what kind of mileage you'd get towing.

[GeneF]

Have you looked at a small Aliner?

Met an older couple towing a small Aliner with a Saturn.  I was a bit surprised and talked to them about it.  They said no real problems towing as it weighed about 700 pounds.

They are on the pricey side.

[Westlysbride]

Have you looked at a small Aliner?

Met an older couple towing a small Aliner with a Saturn.  I was a bit surprised and talked to them about it.  They said no real problems towing as it weighed about 700 pounds.

They are on the pricey side.

Wow.  That is an excellent idea.  Does anyone know someone with an Aliner for sale?  

We still want to bring our tents when we go camping.  We would just like the extra ability to go in various weather conditions.  And with young kids it is nice to have that extra security.  My husband is 6'3" so I don't know that he would fit into it very well but the boys would be fine!!

[ForestCreature]

Wow.  That is an excellent idea.  Does anyone know someone with an Aliner for sale?  
  And with young kids it is nice to have that extra security.  My husband is 6'3" so I don't know that he would fit into it very well but the boys would be fine!!

Being 6'3" it would be a real tight squeeze fitting into the beds of an Aliner. Gene is talking about the Alite I'm guessing. Even if it's the Scout, not a good option for a family with kids. 1 rainy day and you'd be bonkers.

Our Aliner bed opens to either full or queen, a tall person would have to sleep at an angle.

[GeneF]

thanks for chiming in Marcy.

I didn't know the height or the size of the family.

It might still be worth a look if there is a dealer near you.

Hubby can use the tents and you and the kids could be comfy.

As hubby enters, Gene ducks.