Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

[WaterDR]

Re: Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

OK that's a similar sized car maybe even a tad smaller then the highlander. I think a 22ft would tow OK with our car, even though I live up a considerable hill from the lakes--maybe 800ft... On a side note, my parents towed their boat home from the dealer using a 1997 Chevy Lumina... Did I mention that boat was a 22ft cabin cruiser (dry weight 3700 before trailer) and the dealership was over 250 miles away?!?! :facepalm::facepalm::facepalm: Can you say SKETCHY!

I would frankly think a Highlander would be fine depending on how frequently and far you tow. I used to tow a toon routinely with a Jeep Cherokee and then later with a Suburban. The Suburban did great. But frankly, our Pacifica has done quite well. It has plenty of braking capacity, AWD for the ramp, load leveling suspension and enough power to get the job done. If I were going to tow a lot, I would get a larger truck.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

I am not exceeding the vehicle capacity. In other news, we don't tow that much as I have a slip.

A 24 foot Sylvan's dry weight is 2400 pounds. Yammie 115 four stroke weighs 400 pounds. Typical tandem axle barge trailer clocks in at 800 pounds. So, unless the manufacturer's towing capacity posted on line (3500 pounds) doesn't apply to your Pacifica you've exceeded it even before adding fuel, coolers, passengers or anything else.

 

[Bigkat650]

Re: Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

A 24 foot Sylvan's dry weight is 2400 pounds. Yammie 115 four stroke weighs 400 pounds. Typical tandem axle barge trailer clocks in at 800 pounds. So, unless the manufacturer's towing capacity posted on line (3500 pounds) doesn't apply to your Pacifica you've exceeded it even before adding fuel, coolers, passengers or anything else.

He's roughly just over the posted towing limit at 3600lbs if your numbers are accurate. IMHO, you're not going to kill your vehicle if your like 100lbs over towing capacity, unless you're doing some extreme hills or in extreme heat--its less then 3% over the limit. Is it recommended? Of course not. Could it possibly damage your vehicle, sure it could. But if you choose to do it, simply be cautious and be smart. I honestly am not worried about towing right at or slightly exceeding the towing capabilities of my Highlander. Right now I use my Suzuki SX4 to tow my little tin boat. Boat trailer and motor, i'm under 1000lbs, but my car is not even rated to tow, yet it does fine.

Trying to steer things back on track here--Any idea's on a dog ramp other then the option I posted above?

 

[cc350]

Re: Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

Paws Aboard Doggy Boat Ladder 64" x 16" - PA-5200

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: Considering a Toon... Now what else to consider?

Shift kit the trans, auxiliary trans cooler, and the best brakes you can get. Shift kits probably are not available for the highlander but my 4.0 grand Cherokee (120k miles original powertrain)has pulled a lot. I pulled f450 boom trucks up hill, boats, stumps, cars on trailers etc. the biggest thing is having a vehicle that weighs enough to control what's behind you. And Speed is a factor. Can it do it without breaking? Yes. Safely? Arguable. A Pacifica has the same transmission as a caravan. Be nice to that one. Drive safe!!