Honda Odyssey

[SteveH]

Mr UK Toad,

You keep saying how happy you are with the minivan, but I have yet to see any weight tickets of it. We all know you are towing way more than the factory towing capacity, and suspect carrying more weight than the factory specs.

Is it a case of ignorance is bliss?

[jmcarter]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Mr UK Toad,

You keep saying how happy you are with the minivan, but I have yet to see any weight tickets of it. We all know you are towing way more than the factory towing capacity, and suspect carrying more weight than the factory specs.

Is it a case of ignorance is bliss?

The guy is determined, so why blast him? Doesn't seem to matter what anybody tows with unless it's a one ton Dually then somebody jumps on and declares him ignorant or worse. I see lots of set-ups going down the road that I wouldn't personally be comfortable with, some I try to avoid and hope the patron saint of RVs is working overtime for.

[MrUKToad]

Guys,

I'm the first to admit my ignorance in towing matters, which is why I had a professional set me up. I do not need the patron saint of RVs (that raised a smile) to work for me, overtime or otherwise, because the said professional did his job right in the first place.

It really doesn't concern me what any of the self-appointed experts on the Forum say about folks towing with a minivan (or sedan, or SUV) because the guy who sets these things up does so for a living and really knows what he's talking about. I know many of you think he's out to make a buck by fleecing innocents like me, but where's the evidence that his work is anything other than excellent? Heard any horror stories from his customers? I don't think you will.

I'll get the beast re-weighed Steve, if it means that much to you. I'm not sure you'll ever be convinced but that's fine. If I'm ever in Houston with the Airstream, I'll be sure to look you up so you can test drive it for yourself

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Mr UK Toad,

Is it a case of ignorance is bliss?

Neither. IMHO I believe it's a case of working with a towing specialist that understands the true capabilities of the combibation as a whole.

Most armchair expert wanabees just don't have the experience, training, knowledge, etc to comprehend the whole process.

[SteveH]

Just for the record, I couldn't care less what people want to tow with, it's their choice, as long as they're safe. But, when people come on this forum and ask for assistance because they have absolutely no experience either towing, or setting up a rig, I find it troubling when the "AndyT" "groupies" suggest anything can be done if they go to see him.

This when I know for a fact they will be going way above the manufacturer of their vehicle's max towing rating, and I suspect with the tongue weight of the trailer they intend to tow combined with the "stuff" they want to haul when going camping, they are exceeding the manufacturer of their vehicle's GVW.

I do not tow with a 1 ton dually, but I suppose it would be OK if I wanted to. I do tow a 31', and a while back I went thru a search and data gathering exercise because I wanted to go down from a 3/4 ton truck to a 1/2 ton truck. Guess what??? There was not a 1/2 ton truck built by any manufacturer that would carry the weight of my trailer's tongue and all the stuff I normally carry with me. I traded for another 3/4 ton and I'm happy with it.

So, an American heavy duty version of a 1/2 ton truck won't do it, but a Japanese minivan will???? Let me up.

In addition, the OP'er has a Honda, and if I'm not mistaken, Honda even recommends AGAINST using a WD hitch with their vehicles.

[DKB_SATX]

SteveH, the OP who's asking about it apparently has a '59 Flying Cloud. The dry weight of his entire trailer is barely 2x the tongue weight of your Classic. Not all trailers are alike, any more than all tow vehicles are alike. While your negativity about towing with minivans may have been directed at MrUKToads heavier modern trailer, the original question was about a very different setup.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

SteveH, the OP who's asking about it apparently has a '59 Flying Cloud. The dry weight of his entire trailer is barely 2x the tongue weight of your Classic. Not all trailers are alike, any more than all tow vehicles are alike. While your negativity about towing with minivans may have been directed at MrUKToads heavier modern trailer, the original question was about a very different setup.

Yes, I understand, and a '59 Flying Cloud weighs 2900 lbs dry, and his minivan is rated to tow/haul a gross of 3500 pounds, and is not recommended to be used with a WD hitch.

[JFScheck]

Originally Posted by SteveH

a while back I went thru a search and data gathering exercise because I wanted to go down from a 3/4 ton truck to a 1/2 ton truck. Guess what??? There was not a 1/2 ton truck built by any manufacturer that would carry the weight of my trailer's tongue and all the stuff I normally carry with me.

And we all know my story, trying to do the same (downsize from Super Duty to F-150), problem is I did my homework, but not enough as I remember the sticker shock when I found out my max payload was way below my requirements (and even less than the max payload of my Touareg TDI).

Anyone who flys planes knows they can be flown outside of the envelope - but one maneuver too hard can cause stall, airframe damage, etc. I'm sure the same can be said for vehicles and trailers.

I towed a 25fb classic with my Touareg all over (thank you ProPride hitch) but attempting to manage my weight load coupled with not being able to bring with me what I wanted took so much fun out of towing my Airstream.

[ROBERT CROSS]

"Anyone who flys planes knows they can be flown outside of the envelope - but one maneuver too hard can cause stall, airframe damage, etc. I'm sure the same can be said for vehicles and trailers."

When I was growing up every time Uncle Gene would take me up, during the pre-flight he would start the adventure with....."Takeoff's are optional, landings are mandatory."

Be safe before you start.

Bob

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by JFScheck

And we all know my story, trying to do the same (downsize from Super Duty to F-150), problem is I did my homework, but not enough as I remember the sticker shock when I found out my max payload was way below my requirements (and even less than the max payload of my Touareg TDI).

Anyone who flys planes knows they can be flown outside of the envelope - but one maneuver too hard can cause stall, airframe damage, etc. I'm sure the same can be said for vehicles and trailers.

I towed a 25fb classic with my Touareg all over (thank you ProPride hitch) but attempting to manage my weight load coupled with not being able to bring with me what I wanted took so much fun out of towing my Airstream.

Yes, Yours is not a very unusual story.

I frequently have people ask me if they can tow a certain trailer with the marginal vehicle they already own, and my standard answer is, "Yes, you can tow it, but you probably won't like it, or do it for very long."

A friend of mine wanted to upsize from a 25' International to a 30' Classic last year and wanted to know if his existing 1/2 ton GMC would tow the trailer. I told him the same thing.

Being the sort of person he is who wants more absolute data, I arranged for him to tow another friend's 30' SO with his truck as a test. We were both actually surprised at how well the 1/2 ton did, but it was marginal.

Later, after buying the 30' Classic, and towing it for a few months with the 1/2 ton, he was not satisfied, wanted to do another test, and so I loaned him my 3/4 ton GMC Duramax to test tow his trailer.

Less than two weeks later, he owned a new 3/4 ton GMC Duramax, and is happy to this day that he did.

I also have two such stories of my own that I could tell with the exact same outcome, but I figure most are getting bored with the subject already.

[dkottum]

The question was about setting up a Honda Odyssey to tow an Airstream.

Although we hear reports of the great performance of heavy duty trucks, airplane analogies, warnings from experienced truck people, it is noted we hear no reports of the failure of Andrew Thomson's Odyssey van modifications for towing these trailers.

Anybody have one?

doug k

[JFScheck]

Do we think that in this litigious society of ours that someone would actually admit of a failure publically due to the possibility of their posting being proof of negligence by an insurance company, law agency, etc.?

End of day, you drive an RV off of Anyone's lot, regardless of their modifications, experience, track record, etc. -The driver is still held solely responsible for the tow rig and any accidents or damage it may cause while under their ownership.

Back to the question - can the Honda Odyssey tow a 23FB or smaller - yea, larger - I my opinion after towing a 25FB Classic with a VW TDI the answer would be maybe but with extreme caution and astute attention to "weight and balance" of both the tow vehicle and trailer, such data which can only be gathered from frequent visits to the scales...

[dkottum]

The comments about the van may be useful, but these threads seem to stray far away from the original question "Who can set my 2012 Oddysey up to tow?"

Trying to deflect the usual controversy, he asks again "I appreciate your safety concerns and providing tow specs and it is noted, however, I am looking for someone to set my Odyssey up to tow and I am asking advice from people who've experienced towing with a similar vehicle. I wasn't trying to stir up a rant against a particular tow vehicle."

John, when searching for my last tow vehicle, I was very interested in your Touareg experience, as well as your recommendations after using it. Many of us just don't care to get a heavy duty pickup for towing use, when that's all we would use it for.

I think these threads can be more useful and interesting if they are allowed to proceed. More often than not, they become a tangle of information, warnings, and argument and we don't learn a thing.

doug k

[NJtoNC]

Do we think that in this litigious society of ours that someone would actually admit of a failure publically due to the possibility of their posting being proof of negligence by an insurance company, law agency, etc.?

End of day, you drive an RV off of Anyone's lot, regardless of their modifications, experience, track record, etc. -The driver is still held solely responsible for the tow rig and any accidents or damage it may cause while under their ownership.

From:
Proper Tow Vehicles A Must!

Well, after almost a year has passed since my buddy lost control of his FS3000 toy hauler being pulled by his F-250 coming down Sierra pass. He had sway bars and bags. The trailer swayed somehow and took over the control of his tow rig. He ended up smashing into another vehicle and the passenger in the other was killed and the driver injured.

The highway patrol cited him for hauling the trailer with a tow vehicle that was not rated for the weights of the trailer even though he was not too loaded up. The injured sued him big time, the insurance company disowned him due to the fact that he was improperly rigged and was "using his vehicle for purposes not intended by the manufacturer" even though they insured both vehicles.

He is awaiting trial for manslaughter, lost a civil suit for 1.2 million dollars, of which he was able to get 300,000 dollars from his insurances company sold his home, toys and vacation property to pay for it.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

From:
Proper Tow Vehicles A Must!

The lesson here:

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

doug k

[DKB_SATX]

Regarding the apocryphal tale of the FS3000 owned by a "My Buddy" of some unspecified place written by an unnamed person on an internet forum...

I didn't read all 14 pages, but later in the article it mentions that Mr. Buddy's F250 had a 4" lift and "bulbous" tires. Other comments recommending against bothering with weight-distributing hitches until you get "up around 10,000 lb."

Again I didn't read all 14 pages, but I was unable to find any information about how the toy-hauler was loaded, whether he had any weight distribution or just "sway bars", how fast he was going, etc. I don't know what year his F250 was, but it looks like the dry weight of that trailer is about 8000 lb, empty it has a 1500 lb tongue weight.

What mysterious purpose was he using a 3/4 ton truck and toy-hauler trailer for that wasn't "intended by the manufacturer"?

If he truly was "awaiting trial for manslaughter" I'd bet $100 he was speeding or drunk or both and that's just not mentioned by the writer. It might also be one of those "my cousin's brother-in-law's friend's co-worker's friend" games of telephone that isn't strongly grounded in the original event.

[dkottum]

Some stories are so loaded with lies, you know none of it's worth reading. This is one of them and a worthless distraction from the question at hand.

doug k

[cameront120]

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that the OP is asking for help setting up his vehicle to tow a 1959 22' Flying Cloud, which weighs 2900 pounds with a hitch weight of 260 pounds?

[NJtoNC]

oh gawd. i give up.

yes, im sure andy T will help the OP set up his minivan to tow a 59 FC.

[cameront120]

So, a vehicle rated for 3500 pounds isn't suitable for towing a 2900 pound trailer?