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Old 10-11-2009, 11:44 AM   #1
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Default 2006 X210 and a 3.3 litre Grand Caravan?

Hi all. It's my first post - nice to be here!

We saw a great 2006 X210 yesterday and we were told our 3.3 litre engine Grand Caravan could pull it with the tow package installed. This was a surprise to us as we didn't think we could handle that kind of weight.

Is this a reasonable combination of tow vehicle and trailer? Has anyone else had this setup (or something close)? How did it work out? Is there anything we need to do or beware of?

This is our first RV of any kind, so we're complete newbies. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and hello to all!

Jim and Kelly
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Old 11-11-2009, 09:56 AM   #2
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Hello Jim&Kelly,

I just found the site today, logged in and saw your post. The answer to your question really depends on your expectation. Most would probably say that it's over the top to try and pull with a mini van. Having said that I have a 189 and tow it with a Chevy Venture (3.4L). It really depends on your expectations.

We bought our trailer in '08 and have pulled it about ~2000 miles on 8 or so trips covering Maryland, Virginia, West Virgina, and North Carolina. I take it real easy which means top speed of 60 and 45 up hills. I the trip computers fuel consumption and temperature to make sure I am not working the old girl too hard.

Our decision matrix included a strong desire to keep non towing MPG above 20 with seating for at least 6. We also didn't want to buy another vehicle. The trade is slower pace. I'll have to say that in the past year I have only seen one other person on the roads pulling this size camper with a mini van.

Hope this helps.
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Old 11-11-2009, 10:56 AM   #3
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You don't say what year your van is, but I checked the tow vehicle ratings for the 2008 grand caravan which is 3600 lbs with the tow package. With an X210 you are right at that weight or maybe even a bit over. Then you have to figure in the weight of all the stuff you will load on your trailer like propane, the battery, water, food, and all of the rest of your gear which could easily add another 1000 lbs. So you would now be close to 4500 lbs. The rule of thumb I've always heard is that you don't want to exceed 75% of the vehicles tow rating capacity. Otherwise it puts a lot of extra wear & tear on the vehicle and could impact the safe handling of your rig.

I recommend that you find out the exact tow rating for your model and year grand caravan so you know for sure what it is. You can find it from trailerlife.com or similar websites. The other thing you should do is take your trailer to a truck stop and get it weighed. Once you have that data you will know for sure what you have and can decide from there.

Edit: I just saw that its a 2006 x210, the 3600 lbs is for the 2010 X210 so the 06 could be lighter. Of course getting it weighed will tell you for sure.
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Old 11-11-2009, 01:21 PM   #4
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Thank you both for the advice. After thinking it through away from the excitement of the dealer's lot we decided against it for a while. I'm a little bummed out about that but you have to be practical about these things, right?

Cheers

Jim
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Old 11-12-2009, 08:02 AM   #5
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Well for sure you don't want to get into anything that could be unsafe, but there's smaller units like the 160's that would be more in the weight range you could tow.
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Old 11-12-2009, 08:34 AM   #6
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The nice thing about most mini-vans & Vans is in most cases, the tow rating is exactly what they indicate. Unlike trucks/suvs where the tow ratings are dependant on how much weight is actually in the tow vehicle. This is why you see minivans & vans hauling good size trailers. They are great tow vehicles. Take a look at your actual manual and see what it says.

At any rate, it would appear that you would be way over once the trailer was loaded up.

Are you new to towing or just new to Rving? If you are new to towing I'd error on the side of caution, and try to have a more than capable tow vehicle until you get used to towing.
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Old 11-12-2009, 10:00 AM   #7
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We're new to the whole RV world. We rented one a few years ago to follow our daughters and their drum and bugle corps down to Madison Wisconsin for championships and had a blast. Since then the plan has been to get an RV and hit the road at retirement. Now we're thinking we might want to get started in the RV life before retirement hits. Another 10 years is just too long to wait!
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Old 11-12-2009, 12:08 PM   #8
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My advice for first time rv'ers is to consider a used (2-5 year old trailer).

this is for 2 reasons:
1. you will find out what you like & dislike about rv'ing, the trailer or tow vehicle, without spending alot of cash on a new unit. For example, alot of people prefer motorhomes vs trailers. Some areas don't allow trailers 30' and up.

2. If you decide you don't like rving you don't have a ton of money invested, and feel obligated to use it even though you hate rving.

It has been my experience that most people purchase one trailer that meets there current needs/wants, then within 5 years (usually less) they realize they would like a different floor plan, that works alot better. But this is something you don't realize by just walking through the rv dealerships.

If I was you, I would buy something used, enjoy rv'ing and truly figure out what you would like to do when retired. (ie.. snowbird or see the country).
This will drastically change what you want in an rv.

Another thing. If you are planning on travelling alot (10-15000 miles/yr), I would stay away from lightweight trailers.
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