Re: [Fwd: Trailer Tongue Weight Question - too much stuff in

JBlumhorst@aol.com
Wed, 18 Aug 1999 19:01:08 EDT


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In a message dated Wed, 18 Aug 1999 1:42:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Lars S. Mulford" <mulford@bellatlantic.net> writes:

> JBlumhorst@aol.com wrote:
>
> > That may be true for a standard passenger vehicle, but not necessarily true when for a vehicle with the factory tow package of heavy duty shocks, brakes, tranny cooler, alternator, and wiring
>
> Judy:
<<snipped>>
>
> > With 6-7 persons and their luggage, the allowable trailer load is 2700 pounds. With 3-5 people and luggage, allowable trailer weight is 3000 pounds, and with 2 people and lugglage, it's 3500 pounds)
> > Total gross axle weight of the van, contents and tongue weight cannot exceed 5400 pounds. The combined weight of the van, contents and trailer cannot exceed 8300 pounds.
>
> Judy, are you sure about this? Rob Cameron (the guy down the street who owns a similar van to yours) says that this does not sound right at all. He says that if his van is loaded to capacity, that the van would safely tow significantly less than 2000lbs.

Lars,

I'm not at all sure this is correct advice. However, it's exactly what the manual for my van says on page 144. Like I said in an earlier posting, Chrysler Tech support says to use regular drive (aka "3" on the Dodge) rather than overdrive (aka "D" on the Dodge) for towing, in contradiction to my manual. However, I have a 100,000 mile warranty, and have to follow the advice in the owner's manual to keep it in force.

IN summary, the tech support guy at Chrysler-Daimler central says:
1) it's okay to use overdrive ("D" on the dodge 4 speed tranny) as long as there's no excessive shifting.
2) use overdrive for hills
3) it's okay to use "L" (low gear ratio) for engine braking on long declines. this keeps the engine from shifting into a higher gear except to prevent engine damage. It's not actually a lower gear, just a computer programm that simulates a lower gearing shifting pattern.

4) If I follow any of the above advice, which is all very good advice, i will void the warranty on my 1996 Grand Caravan, because the owner's manual is full of crap!!! <g>

Best,
Judy

>
> > The Caravan manual specifically advises you MUST tow in OD to avoid overheating the transaxles on the four speed tranny, which is the one you get when you order the tow package on the car. Gotta read the manual. Times change... that used to be true, but no longer. The four speed model with tow package is equipped with a huge auxillary tranny cooler.

Apparently, page 143 of the 1996 Caravan manual is incorrect in terms of what is best for the tranny. But that's what it says, and that's what rules on warranty claims.
>
> Again, he says that it is a BAD thing to tow in O/D when nearing capacity. I can check with the local Chrysler dealer (it is only 2 miles away) if you like to check on this. I have personally not seen a domestic vehicle manual that advises towing in O/D. It lugs the engine. For the record, the manual on my Bonneville strongly advises against towing in
> O/D, and I've got the towing package on it and have 222hp on tap in which to pull. O/D is such a steep drop in RPMs with my Bonneville that it does lug at speeds much below 60mph.
>
> I am sure that you have researched all of this, but I just wanted to let you know that something doesn't sound right with it.

I did research it carefully before I ordered the van with the towing package. I even compared torque curves for the engine and rear end gear ratios before I boutht it. And I did read the owner's manual carefully after it arrived. There is a chart on page 144 which gives the limits for vehicle axle loads )van, tongue wieght, van cargo and passengers)as well as a combined limit of 8300 pounds for the van plus trailer total weight.

But, boy, am I glad I ordered a tow vehicle that supposedly can tow 3500 pounds, even though I only use it for about 2000 pounds. I never believe what the Dodge folks say, so I figured that towing only about 55% of the vehicles stated ability was pretty safe.

It does an adequate job, but I'd like more power. Most of the time, it does a fine job, but if I get stuck behind a truck, at a weird speed, it can't hold a steady speed. I wouldn't want to tow anything much heavier than 2500# with the Caravan, even though it's rated for 3500#. The 3.3L engine barely has enough power to go 55 in the Sierra mountains, and only if I keep the engine revs in the range of maximum torque. My next Caravan is going to have the 3.8 L engine or larger.

Only another 26,000 miles to go before I get a new one... like Rick gort said, Dodge isn't exactly know for their fabulous trannys -- and I plan on selling mu '96 Grand Caravan while there's still 12,000 miles left on the bumper-to-bumper service contract/warranty.

Best,
Judy