We use a Toyota Sienna minivan with 3.3 l, 230 hp engine, 5 speed auto
and front wheel drive to tow a Bayliner 175. The minivan is rated to
tow 3500 lb (standard, no optional equipment required), while the boat
weights approx. 2500 lb (with trailer and full tank of gas). We never
had any issues towing, launching or retriving the boat and we never
felt the need for 4 wheel drive or more power, even on steep and wet
ramps. Worst case, if the ramp was very uneven and the wheel of the
trailer got stuck against a bump or fallen into a hole, the front wheel
of the van have spun if I stepped to hard on the gas pedal, but I never
had a problem getting out of the situation just by using the gas pedal
gently and gradually increasing the traction without letting the wheel
to spin agan.

katekebo wrote:
We use a Toyota Sienna minivan with 3.3 l, 230 hp engine, 5 speed auto
and front wheel drive to tow a Bayliner 175. The minivan is rated to
tow 3500 lb (standard, no optional equipment required), while the boat
weights approx. 2500 lb (with trailer and full tank of gas). We never
had any issues towing, launching or retriving the boat and we never
felt the need for 4 wheel drive or more power, even on steep and wet
ramps. Worst case, if the ramp was very uneven and the wheel of the
trailer got stuck against a bump or fallen into a hole, the front wheel
of the van have spun if I stepped to hard on the gas pedal, but I never
had a problem getting out of the situation just by using the gas pedal
gently and gradually increasing the traction without letting the wheel
to spin agan.


That's what I've got my eye on. My kids are grown now...but the base
Sienna seems to be good value for the price. Why a small Subaru
Forrester with a 4 cylinder engine costs as much.

That's what I've got my eye on. My kids are grown now...but the base
Sienna seems to be good value for the price. Why a small Subaru
Forrester with a 4 cylinder engine costs as much.

A nice detail about the Sienna is that it is reated to tow 3500 lb
without any optional equipment. You just have to pay the price of the
hitch (I think it was around $300) and that's all. Other minivans are
either rated 2000 lb only, or need special tow package to get 3500 lb
towing rating (for example the tow package for Honda Oddyssey costs
something like $850, plus hitch).

katekebo wrote:
That's what I've got my eye on. My kids are grown now...but the base
Sienna seems to be good value for the price. Why a small Subaru
Forrester with a 4 cylinder engine costs as much.


A nice detail about the Sienna is that it is reated to tow 3500 lb
without any optional equipment. You just have to pay the price of the
hitch (I think it was around $300) and that's all. Other minivans are
either rated 2000 lb only, or need special tow package to get 3500 lb
towing rating (for example the tow package for Honda Oddyssey costs
something like $850, plus hitch).

I probably already stated that Chrysler expects me to have trailer
brakes if my Voyager towes over 1000 lbs. That Sienna seems a bit big
for an 'empty nester' but what the heck...with the back row seats folded
and the middle removed, I could haul plywood, etc. That's gotta be worth
something. Up here they want $30500.00 CDN for the base model.

"Chris" wrote in message
.. .
Just curious as to what everyone's experiences have been with towing... I
know that a good full size 4x4 pickup truck is ideal, however, for those
of us with toy trucks (smaller 2x4's) there could be some issues...




Don't exceed the truck's rated towing capacity. Best not to exceed 2/3 of
it. Be sure trailer tongue weight is right - too much or too little will
cause problems and danger. On steep ramps you might have some traction
problems, take it slow and easy.

--
Peter Aitken