Towing advice - capacity- 2007 Toyota Sienna - 1200 mile tow

[djm3801]

Hello. Not an experienced tow-er. Have a 16' McKee Waccamaw on older Shoreline trailer. IN middle of transom repair and have hollowed out and reinforced transom for Seacast pour but got to cold here to finish the job and was planning to finish in Florida when I arrive there. Have engine and hoist and other tools in boat to take to Florida one way. I figure total weight to be 2800 pounds. Sienna has a tow package rated at 3600 but is 105K on it. Runs fine. Will be loading wife and 3 dogs and some belongings into the van for trip. Is this too much to ask of a Sienna? Plan on doing no more than 70 and stopping mid way.Realize this is very subjective. I am pretty skittish cause I have NEVER done this. TOwed it 180 miles home from where I bought it and that was about it. Appreciate any advice. Would just as soon sell the whole parcel rather than risk the Sienna.

Dan

 

[jkust]

Way back in the day, I towed my 4000 lb sig boat/trailer combo with a 2000 Oldsmobile silhouette minivan. I did it for an entire summer before moving up to body on frame suv's. It was inferior to your Toyota in every way possible and had about 105k on it at the time. Ignoring the actual launching of the boat at the ramp because that is a different topic, the minivan does fine on the highway assuming there are no emergency maneuvering needs. Where it really struggled was in town when there was a lot of stop and go, turns and of course braking even though the trailer had trailer brakes...oh and getting up to highway speed took a while. That one summer of towing the boat with a minivan I learned a lot about the limits of unibodies, the realities of how much HP and TQ it really takes to do the job versus what truck commercials make you think, the inability of the cooling system to keep up when driving in town, the dangers of being forced into emergency maneuvering situations with an on-paper inadequate vehicle and ultimately the astronomical difference towing with a real body on frame, V8, 4wd, G80 rear end, tow vehicle by comparison. The only thing that Silhouette had in its favor was the auto air springs that would ensure there was no rear end sag when the heavy tongue weight was connected. By the time I sold the Silhouette many years later, I came to the conclusion it was indestructible and the only thing ever to break was the drivers side seat heater. I didn't catch how far you are actually towing but I would repack the wheel bearings, bring two spare tires/rims and make sure the lug wrench in your sienna fits your trailer lugs if it is a long distance trip.

 

[Starcraft5834]

"Have a 16' McKee Waccamaw on older Shoreline trailer"

I'd be most concerned with your definition of "an older trailer", rather than can your car tow it, is that axle 2000lb or 3500lb? do you know? I would be most concerned with making sure your trailer capacity is not exceeded, as jkust said, your bearings should be replaced and re-packed.. overloaded bearings, (example ie- towing 3000lb on a 2000lb rated axle) your asking for bearing failure.. that's why there are limits recommended.. That's not to say you might make it with the rig you have... I've been through this....the right axle load rating for the right load= stress free towing... if you know your overloaded and hear high pitched screeching back there, don't be surprised your bearings failed..

 

[djm3801]

Your point is very well made about trailer. In fact, Shoreline is no longer in business and documentation on these is almost non existent. That said, the construction is very robust - heavy galvanized steel girders - I cannot extrapolate that into capacity. I do know that the tires on it are 185/80 d13 and the tires and rims are also not the typical stamped rims but heavy steel rims. Bearings were re-packed this spring by former owner - saw the receipt. That said, both caps are coming off and I am going to double check - have done many bearing over the years on cars. I can say when I towed it 3 hours to my home I heard nothing strange AND placed my hands on both bearing hubs where there was no sign of overheating.

 

[jkust]

I'll pipe back in and just mention to make sure your tires are in good shape. I've had so many towing incidents and flat tires over the years from as much towing as we used to do. I always set my side mirrors so I can see the trailer tires and one time there was the slightest, almost unnoticeable amount of out-of-roundness every rotation of the trailer tire. I really didn't think anything of it at the time given the tires still looked new with most of their tread and as it turned out that was my one warning to replace the tire. Of course it blew on a holiday weekend way out of town, on the busiest highway in the state and there was no shoulder or turn off for a couple miles. I carry a breaker bar with a hardened air socket the size of the larger trailer lugs which again is another thing I learned the hard way. Also, I will just say that using an auto jack to lift a trailer takes forever.

 

[djm3801]

Hello. Yes I had to break some lugs loose with a breaker bar and got all new lug nuts. Greasing up studs a bit. New spare. Separate jack. I will say upon getting this rig there is precious little about Shoreline trailers anywhere, but it is made of huge galvanized metal and none of it rusted.

 

[pckeen]

Sounds like you will be close to or under the 3600 lbs. If the trailer and vehicle are both in good shape, then there aren't any red flags being raised by what you are describing. Any trip with an older vehicle runs the risk of a breakdown, so make sure you have towing insurance before you leave.

 

[smassey22180]

I tow 3000 lbs with our 2006 Lexus RX. It has the same engine and towing limits as your van. It tows great. Especially since my new trailer has disk brakes. Towing in FL is easy as the roads are flat and in great shape.

Pick up one of these to monitor your hub and tire temp http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JA3BMDW?tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=1f79e73b8963495eb5d2fbe0fe76782a

 

[jcamp61]

Great posts already. Watch transmission temp. Check owners manual wrt use of overdrive.

 

[alldodge]

Hello. Yes I had to break some lugs loose with a breaker bar and got all new lug nuts. Greasing up studs a bit. New spare. Separate jack. I will say upon getting this rig there is precious little about Shoreline trailers anywhere, but it is made of huge galvanized metal and none of it rusted.

Take the lug nuts back off and clean all the grease off the studs and nuts. You don't want any kind of lubricate anywhere around, including the holes of the rims

 

[bruceb58]

Take the lug nuts back off and clean all the grease off the studs and nuts. You don't want any kind of lubricate anywhere around, including the holes of the rims

+++1

In addition, if you use a torque wrench to put the lug nuts on(which you should), any grease on them will cause you to overtighten them.

 

[ihearth2o]

Not saying it can't be done, but I think you need to assess your comfort level with the whole idea (doesn't sound like you're too stoked about it) a little more. Personally, I'd think long and hard if I were to take on such a trip and I have a very capable tow vehicle (suburban), do regular maintenance on my trailer and tow about 3500 miles every year. 1200 miles is a long way to tow with any vehicle and driver skill level. Good luck

 

[jkust]

+2 on not greasing the studs...that is a big no-no. I don't know the 2007 Sienna but am guessing there is no way to actively monitor the trans temp as mentioned. Galvanized trailers are a wonderful thing. We've got the original galvanized trailer from one of our 1984 boats and it is weird to see anything metal that is still rust free after so many years in MN where cars will start to rust after just two year. I'll refer back to my comment about when I moved from the minivan which seemed adequate, to a real, tow worthy fully capable suv. The difference in capability is just off the chart and an analogy won't do it justice but I will say the Minivan is like my 10 year old on his tackle football team versus the NFL. Just the ability to handle emergency maneuvers alone is worth what a body on frame suv can do. The minivan 'unibody' is about 1/15'th as thick as the SUV frame. In hindsight, I can't believe I did what I did just for the safety factor alone but bought the boat before considering how I was going to tow it so the minivan was forced to step up.

 

[jbetzelb]

We all know where Flordia is and it seems 1200 miles in any direction will mean you will hit some large hills on that drive. That might play into your experience level and plan. 1200 miles might be a three day trip if your vehicle is getting tugged and bounced around the whole way by the trailer. It will wear on you.

 

[KD4UPL]

Make sure you're not over weight on your trailer tires with the extra stuff in the boat. Also, check what speed their weight rating is made at; I'll bet it's 65 MPH. If you're going to tow at 70 MPH then their weight rating is likely less. Finding out how much less might be difficult.
The tow rating of your van is probably with it empty. You'll be loading in the weight of passengers, pets, and whatever else. This weigh subtracts from your tow weight unless your owners' manual says otherwise.
Can you physically do it? Probably. But don't be surprised if you run slow and hot up the mountains.

 

[djm3801]

Well no i am not excited to tow 1200 miles and the van is worth more to me than the boat. That said, hopefully if i cover 600 miles a day taking my time it should be manageable. No trans oil guage. Will watch engine temp and rpms. Will clean up studs and the thermometer a good idea. Installing bearing buddies. Ture treads jn decent shape and i have a new spare.

 

[smokeonthewater]

105k miles... lol... that's almost new.... the newest vehicle I've ever had has 92k on it when I bought it... my truck has 340k


NOW... I haven't seen anyone mention this BUT loading a bunch of weight into a boat that was never intended to haul a high density load like tools and engines and also has a compromised structure and then towing it 1200 miles sounds like a real good way to destroy the hull.

 

[smokeonthewater]

you don't need a thermometer for hubs or tires.... you already have a MUCH more reliable way to check em... you should be able to easily hold your hand on them...... If it's uncomfortable bordering on painful they are too hot.... take a break, slow down, reduce load, and or repair as needed.

 

[joetheis]

Add a trans cooler!
Repack those trailer bearings!
(I'm anal, I carry a spare hub and bearing as well as grease, spare tire)!
I found when my truck coil sheet the bed and left me on the side of the road in upstate N.Y. that my AAA card (my plan covers trailers, bikes RV's),up THERE- Syracuse to Watertown) would not cover towing the boat!!
The driver wanted $350 CASH to tow (2 tow trucks), to his garage not to my camper, (I know the deal- tow it there and charge me $150 per day to keep it outside in back). (I ended up calling a shop close to my camper and they hauled truck and boat home for no additional charge. I had them fix my truck, just to throw them a bone)!
Each AAA has it's own rules!
Do a complete service on you tow-er oil, trans service.
Tell the shop what your gonna do, and not to over look everything, engine belt also.
Seems to me all the stuff in your trailer is gonna add a lot of weight.
Then ask yourself as you pull outta the drive way all loaded up, "Do you feel luck? Well do ya"!!
Joe
As always take any advice I give with a beer er 2!

 

[rndn]

All great advice, I would add that you should take it slow and carry the extra bearings, tools needed, JACK for the trailer or someway to get the weight off of the wheel. Enjoy your vacation!