Towing 1976 28 foot

[phibbs]

I am sure I have asked before, but what type of vehicle can safely tow a 1976 28 foot Argosy... We have a 2000 Odessy Honda van. We will likely purchase this unit and tow it about 1 km for the winter..to a trailer park..but wondered about next summer.
Any thoughts?
I am not going to purchase a new vehicle at this point to tow the trailer..
Thanks, Wade
Stratford ON. Canada...

[SteveH]

Oh boy, what a can of worms you've opened, but here goes....I would suggest a tow vehicle with a tow rating of 6,000 pounds, or more based on the weight of your trailer plus a safety margin.

[Road Ruler]

Since you are so close to London you really need to consult with someone like Can Am who are familiar with setting up Oddy's for towing.

[overlander64]

Greetings Wade!

With the Argosy 28, you are looking at a bare minimum of 4,400 pounds empty/dry weight with a bare minimum empty/dry hitch weight of 510 pounds.

According to the Trailer Life Magazine tow ratings chart, the highest tow rating for the 2000 Honda Odyssey is 3,500 pounds depending upon equipment -- see this link. Even empty, the Argosy 28 would be beyond your Honda's trailer tow rating by nearly 1,000 pounds -- particularly when optional equipment found on the trailer is added to the empty weight -- just an air conditioner and patio awning would add close to 100 pounds to the empty weight of the coach.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[phibbs]

hmmm..wondering if we should just park it at our location..till we can get a new vehicle. It seems to be in good shape and they are asking $5000...so we may grab it. Will be selling our old reliable 1972 22 foot Argosy...kids are growing..
Thanks for your help so far.
How do people tow this around? I guess they talk to good friends and borrow trucks
Wade

[mutcth]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

Since you are so close to London you really need to consult with someone like Can Am who are familiar with setting up Oddy's for towing.

Follow this advice. I bought my Minuet 6.0 Metre from CanAm and they set up my 2005 Odyssey for towing. They have quite a few customers who tow heavier trailers than your Argosy with their well-set-up Odysseys.

The Odyssey (and front-wheel-drive minivans in general) are better tow vehicles than their 3500 lb rating suggests. They weigh a good amount, have long wheelbases, plenty of braking capacity, and short rear overhangs - all of these add up to good towing manners.

But. You will need additional transmission and power steering coolers. (The 2000 Odyssey isn't known for long transmission life, even without towing.) You will also need to get the standard hitch reinforced by someone who knows what they're doing (CanAm) - that is one reason, not safety or capability, for the low manufacturer tow rating. You also will need properly set-up weight distribution and sway control. Finally, at the end of all of it, you will definitely notice a 28' trailer going up hills.

Tom

[Apache_Camp]

We tow our 1975 Argosy 24' and our 1975 Apache Mesa with a 1992 Buick Roadmaster Wagon, 5.7 V8, AT/OD, trans cooler, coil over shocks, brake box, class 3 hitch, trailer load leveling hitch. It pulls the heck out of anything you hitch to it. It will smoke an F350 Diesel up a hill in a heart beat (I've had them, lot of smoke if you ask me). Does 85 MPH @ 1900 RPM not towing. Look in the older Airstream documents, they used station wagons/cars to tow with. You don't need a $35k truck.