2016 Kia Sedona (van) Boat Towing Safe?

[ahicks]

bottom stamping pieces of the sedona unibody to point out to Ahicks that the sedona is a unibody and not body on frame. however since the boat and trailer combo are over 3000# and dont have brakes, thats a show stopper right there

Scott, here's a News flash: There are MANY unibody tow vehicles that do not sit on a stand alone frames, that are very capable of towing at their rated capacities. Chevy vans for instance, don't have a "frame" and never have, yet they seem pretty capable. Cripes, they've built thousands and thousands of motor homes on that "unibody". Have you EVER heard of a Chev. van hitch having any trouble?

Jeep Cherokees? You want to disqualify them for their unibody construction too?

I could go on, but think I may be wasting my time. You seem to have some sort of fixation on what a tow vehicle with a 3500lb towing capacity should look like. Remember, we're talking 3500 lbs here. Not the same as 10k.....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Scott, here's a News flash: There are MANY unibody tow vehicles that do not sit on a stand alone frames, that are very capable of towing at their rated capacities. Chevy vans for instance, don't have a "frame" and never have, yet they seem pretty capable. Cripes, they've built thousands and thousands of motor homes on that "unibody". Have you EVER heard of a Chev. van hitch having any trouble?

Jeep Cherokees? You want to disqualify them for their unibody construction too?

I could go on, but think I may be wasting my time. You seem to have some sort of fixation on what a tow vehicle with a 3500lb towing capacity should look like. Remember, we're talking 3500 lbs here. Not the same as 10k.....

you cant compare the construction of a G series utility van to a sedona. one was built and designed to haul things and the other started life as a car. nothing wrong with a properly designed unibody.

and yes, repeated towing on a G-series van, even under its max tow limit will eventually tear the hitch mounting loose. has happened on every single G20 van that was used by Grandpa's heating and plumbing business that he had from the 40's thru the late 90's and the towing capacity of a G20 is 7k, the hitches were dealer installed. I personally welded up 4 of them to reinforce the rails

and no, having towed with a Jeep Cherokee, I wouldnt use one to tow.

 

[briangcc]

The determining factor for the KIA is the tow limit set by the manufacturer, not the hitch. So 3500 it is. You're incredibly close to the max tow rating on the vehicle. Having driven a Kia Sedona as a loaner, I sure shooting wouldn't do it with that gutless wonder. Nope.

Let's put it this way.....the tongue weight for your trailer is going to lift up the front end of your Sedona. Being FWD, that's where you 1. Steer and 2. Accelerate. With the weight off the front end you're decreasing your traction and ability to steer....two things that aren't optional. And we haven't even gotten into brakes. Check your manual - bet your KIA requires brakes on the trailer to tow at max limit.

As for the Jeep - short wheel base and tippy...it'll be tail wagging the dog. I wouldn't do it either.


I'd be looking at something rated to tow 5k.Traverse, 4Runner, Durango, Telluride, etc.

 

[ahicks]

you cant compare the construction of a G series utility van to a sedona. one was built and designed to haul things and the other started life as a car. nothing wrong with a properly designed unibody.

and yes, repeated towing on a G-series van, even under its max tow limit will eventually tear the hitch mounting loose. has happened on every single G20 van that was used by Grandpa's heating and plumbing business that he had from the 40's thru the late 90's and the towing capacity of a G20 is 7k, the hitches were dealer installed. I personally welded up 4 of them to reinforce the rails

and no, having towed with a Jeep Cherokee, I wouldnt use one to tow.

I've done it, and plan on continuing to do it. Not an endorsement for long distance towing, but towing locally there is no hint of any issue. Been towing all over the country for many many years. Beyond that, we'll need to agree to disagree.

 

[Starcraft5834]

nothing's a problem untill you have a problem...... tow away... have a accident, investigation will point blame on person towing to much weight... roll the dice

 

[emoney]

The Kia is designed and built on a car chassis. The Chevy G20 is designed and built on a truck chassis.

 

[ahicks]

The Kia is designed and built on a car chassis. The Chevy G20 is designed and built on a truck chassis.

You better have another look.

 

[briangcc]

Ahicks...seriously you need to take another looksee at the Kia. It's a unibody based off a car chassis. While it may have some structural members, it is not a full fledged body on frame vehicle.

The Chevrolet van has a full ladder frame based off the Silverado 1500. Same as the full sized Tahoe and Burbs....which coincidentally would tow the boat in question without any concerns.



Of course this has nothing to do with the cost of tea in China as really the OP is towing very close to max limit with a trailer that has no brakes and more than likely isn't rated for that particular configuration....ie. needs to add brakes and seriously reconsider towing at max limit.

 

[ahicks]

Brian, I haven't been under a Chevy van in quite some time, so maybe there's a new generation I'm not aware of. The earlier ones though, If I installed 1 class 3 hitch on them, I've installed hundreds. There's no pick up truck style frame under them, or the Dodges. The Fords did have a real frame.

I'm assuming the Kia is similar to my '17 Honda Pilot, which is also a uni-body. I installed that hitch too, so pretty familiar with that install, and the materials I fastened that hitch to.

When people say it's a passenger car platform, they're talking about the drive train, not the part of the vehicle the hitch fastens to.

People that say uni-body vehicles can't tow 3500 lbs need to do some updating on their thinking. 20 years ago, they may have been right, but not any more.

No, they aren't going to pull like a 4 door pick up with a 10k tow rating, but they do work. Not all off us can justify owning a vehicle that gets crappy mileage and takes a city block to turn around for a twice a year to across town.... -Al

 

[Captain Caveman]

I think that it's pretty clear. Don't tow with your Kia if you need to travel on the highway or over a good distance. If you're planning to take it somewhere local and use side roads, you might be okay.

Here is a link to a similar question someone asked about towing a 3,700lb camping trailer with a 2015 Sedona. The "Ask The Expert" guy had some recommendations to make everything safer, and DID suggest trailer brakes.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-303787.html

If you can't stop safely in an emergency then you shouldn't be out on the road.