Hauling Question

[cherterr]

Hello.

I suppose it's a little late to be asking this, but I'm a little concerned about towing my small RV with my vehicle.  It IS within the proper towing weight.  So.. here we go:

1999 Chevy Expresss 1500 Conversion Van;
Bumper pull 2018 Holiday Trail Runner 21'.

I've pulled it on a round trip of 5 hours each way and it did fine (last March in cooler times...) seemed a little bit hard (revved up a lot.. gas pedal constantly pushed uphill), but hey.. I guess if I was pulling a wagon around the yard for that long...

I just had a little incident when I took the RV back to storage and it's got me a little scared of taking off again (especially since my van is 'livable'.. although pretty scrunched w/2 Doxies and a Chihuahua.) 

As I arrived at storage, I found I had the key to it on my ignition, so I shut off the engine, got the key I need off, opened door and stepped out and I could Smell the metal (overflow of Coolant?) and noticed the radiator gage was a little over half way.  Within 45 seconds, I had it running again the temp went back just fine.  I guess I should ALSO say I've been testing it our for weeks, both prior to incident and since: leave it running WITH AC while I go eat, etc. for ?? 20 minutes or so.  It's never  wavered any more then it's usual driving position on the radiator gage.

SO.. ?? What happened? and
Is my rig good enough to travel the country.
(YES, my van is fully 'fixed' for every mechanical issue I could think of, and it is very low mileage 113K when I bought it.)

THANK YOU Mechanical People!!

 

[bullfrog]

Have you actually weighed the van and the trailer loaded? I towed an 18' older camper trailer with a Jeep Grand Wagoneer that had had lots of improvements for towing once, which was enough to convince me I would never tow it again. Even though the tongue weight with the equalizer hitch was in range and everything pulled and stopped okay the truck struggled to get moving and I felt it would cause it to wear out prematurely. I haven't ever recommended pulling anything 18' or over with a 1/2 ton truck and it looks to me you van probably has lots of extra weight with the custom extras added on. Escapees have gatherings where you can get this done professionally by people that deal with RVs. I would check to see if there is some place nearby to actually weigh the rig and advise you. In my opinion it looks like even if the van was capable of towing it when it was new it would have been so close to the limit that I would recommend a 3/4 ton or larger tow vehicle. Is the trailer and the van level (parallel to the ground) while parked on level ground? A side view might show us better.

 

[B and C]

Most truck stops have scales. That can tell you exactly what each axle is carrying.

 

[highdesertranger]

just by looking at that picture it looks to me like that is way to much trailer for that van. for me I don't even need to weigh it. that van is dragging it's ass like a dog with worms. you can see the front suspension is unloaded, it wasn't all over the road? I always like to have a 3/4 ton or better for towing. sorry for being so blunt but that is my 2 cents. highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

You really ought to get a bigger van or a smaller and lighter weight trailer. There is entirely too much tongue weight on your van. It is very unsafe to have that situation as your front wheels are not able to maintain control of the direction. You can see that just by looking at your photo.

You have not yet acquired enough basic knowledge of how you absolutely must not exceed tongue weight and towing capacity. It is not just about the engine, it is also about your ability to have the proper tire traction grip on your vehicle that is towing that heavy load so that you don't loose control of the van and the trailer. Right now what you have is a death trap for yourself and for other people out on the road. I am not in the least exaggerating how very dangerous your current situation is for the stability while underway.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

The others are correct. This setup is crazy dangerous. People often think a trailer setup is fine.... until it isn't.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

 

[wagoneer]

I have seen way too many setups like this on the open road, HDR has it right in my opinion, ass draggin. Loaded van with a loaded trailer on A 1/2 TON I WOULD NOT WANT TO DRIVE, I would be more worried about stopping distances than anything even with trailer brakes.

 

[B and C]

Everyone seems to like 1/2 tons because they are cheaper. They are cheaper because they are built cheaper. Smaller almost everything suspension and brake wize. The life you are endangering is not just your own. Don't guess at the weight, go weigh it.

 

[tx2sturgis]

A conversion van typically is right at the max GVW for any half ton (1500) van chassis. They rarely have much towing capacity after the conversion, which is an upfit AFTER the incomplete chassis left the factory.

I looked up the numbers for that trailer and with a 570 lbs dry tongue weight, more like 650-800 pounds with batteries and propane, water tanks filled, stored food, etc, that van is probably NOT at all within the published specs for towing that large, fairly heavy trailer.

If you do a proper 'ready to roll' scale weight, I'm betting $50 it is overweight on all three: GVWR, tongue weight, and GCWR. 

Not trying to rain on your parade, but I recommend you re-evaluate this plan.

 

[cherterr]

Yep.... The RV Dealership did all the figures. Likely wanted to sell an RV AaaAAAND.. Did not take Conversion into account and based on Pick Up is my guess. Hmm..

Glad I already decided to just yse Van...I hate all the mess of traveling with RV. I guess Ill keep it for a 2nd hone..lol. Guest house..short trips or 1 way to a new property if I move.

Sooooo.. THANK YOY ALL VERRRY MUCH.

 

[highdesertranger]

good call

for everybody out there NEVER EVER NEVER take the word of an RV salesperson. or any salesperson for that matter. due your homework.

highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

Yep.... The RV Dealership did all the figures. Likely wanted to sell an RV AaaAAAND.. Did not take Conversion into account and based on Pick Up is my guess.  Hmm..

Glad I already decided to just yse Van...I hate all the mess of traveling with RV.  I guess Ill keep it for a 2nd hone..lol. Guest house..short trips or 1 way to a new property if I move.

Sooooo..  THANK YOY ALL VERRRY MUCH.

you can always arrange to have someone with an appropriate vehicle to haul it to a new property.

 

[bullfrog]

I'm glad you posted as I'm sure many here want to think they can use a 1/2 ton to full time as it much cheaper. I have had trailers moved and delivered as it is actually much cheaper than maintaining a heavy duty truck especially if you are using it for your primary vehicle and only move once or twice a year working seasonally.

 

[DannyB1954]

If an engine is worked hard and then shut off quickly, the engine still has a lot of heat and no water circulation so it can be hot enough to boil your coolant. It helps to let it idle for a few minutes to bring the temps down before you shut off.
This also is an indication that you are working the engine hard pulling that trailer. The transmission is probably not that happy either. The rated tow capacity is generally OK for flat land. The mountains is a different story. Once you add up the weight of all the stuff you already have in the van, I bet you are already close to being over weight. Add the weight of yourself, Water, (8lb a gallon), fuel, (6 lb a gallon), batteries, (maybe 60 lb each), food, clothing, tools, etc.

 

[cherterr]

"If an engine is worked hard and then shut off quickly, the engine still has a lot of heat and no water circulation so it can be hot enough to boil your coolant. It helps to let it idle for a few minutes to bring the temps down before you shut off.
This also is an indication that you are working the engine hard pulling that trailer. The transmission is probably not that happy either. The rated tow capacity is generally OK for flat land. "

It was the first time I pulled the trailer in 100 degree heat, even tho it was a short 25 miles, it made a difference.. OR.. as you said... the Shutting off of engine likely was the culprit.  Still have not had this issue since, as I said.

Flat land for sure is better,  I WILL haul it if I need to get it somewhere; I'm just not going to even ATTEMPT to make a 'career out of it' or 'full time' use.   Which is fine.  For ME... I'm too much of a free spirit to be stuck with the whole RV Albatross Thing!

(Maybe I'll load up my little flat bed trailer with some stuff to take along.. KIDDING... I do NOT wanna be OTR with any kind of trailer.  Seems like sour grapes.. but I had already come to this conclusion.)

Appreciate all of you helping me with what I sadly already suspected!

 

[Qxxx]

CT, you have some options here. Since you already have the trailer, if have a place to keep it, it can act like a homebase, and you can travel around in the van for several years. Then one option is to trade the van for a big ole pickup truck that can easily haul the trailer, and travel that way afterwards.

I have a basic cargo van and am quite happy with it at present, but over the past couple of years thought about my second favorite option would be a nice 4WD pickup and a smallish trailer, maybe 18' in length. You don't really need a long, eg 30', trailer to live well. You're halfway there. Good luck.

I should add that, I'm a part timer and currently traveling about 1/3 of the time, and luckily have a relatively inexpensive homebase. If I were to become a full-timer, I would definitely think seriously about my option #2.

 

[Awjuhl]

A weight distribution hitch would be key on leveling out your rig, along with anti sway. I assume you will remove all the weight from the van and move it to the trailer. Which will help balance it out. But your engine may be too small. Over heating is need to look into your cooling system and see if there are any issues with it. Shouldnt over heat may need to upgrade with a bigger radiator or bigger tow unit. Along with a transmission cooler.

Well driving do your best to avoid mountains.
Varify your trailer brakes work and it is capable of emergancy stopping. Also as said before weigh your rig. Wanna stay with in its specs.

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[TheHobo]

Yep.... The RV Dealership did all the figures. Likely wanted to sell an RV AaaAAAND.. Did not take Conversion into account and based on Pick Up is my guess

The issue I have run into at rev dealers over the years is they assume you are never going to tow the trailer at max weight, and it is only ever going to be just you in the tow vehicle.   You have to take into consideration your vehicle payload is reduced by the tongue weight of the trailer, and the extra weight added by the conversion.  You can still effectively tow 6400 pounds, the issue Is you cannot have a 640 pond tongue weight without a load distributing hitch as previously mentioned, and no you do not want to just move stuff around in the trailer to lighten the tongue weight as it will affect the way the trailer tows..  also when towing at the max range of the vehicle you need to make concessions  such as speed on hills.  You will probably need to slow to 45 or less when hitting large hills, and the same goes for descending to save your brakes.  With all that said you are def better off to not tow things at the top end of your ratting if the vehicle you are using is your everyday car as it puts a lot of strain on it and shortens the life expectancy.  The other thing that is never discussed by dealers is the fact that altitude affects payload/towing as all of the manufacturer data is based on sea level performance. For example at 10000 feet you could experience as much as 20% decrease in towing capacity on a normally aspirated engine.

 

[Extra Terrific]

Wow, I have to agree that is a catastrophic accident waiting to happen.