agnewhewes Posted March 19, 2009 Posted March 19, 2009 Hi all; After four years building I am putting the finishing touches on my Weekender. Though I have been pretty much a silent viewer, I am very appreciative of the help I have received from this forum. So thanks! My question has to do with the vehicle I would like to used to pull the boat across the country, a couple thousand miles. I have a good trailer though slightly longer than it need be. I hope to be able to use my 2000 fwd Town and Country Minivan. It has a 3.8 L engine and according to the specs seems to be OK. Living in ranch country (Montana) where everyone drives a pickup or SUV, people are skeptical about my van. I do notice that when I hook the trailer to the hitch, the rear end goes down an inch or two. The tongue weight is 225 lbs. The boat seems reasonably well balanced on the trailer. Any thoughts? Thanks. Quote
John Weigandt Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Trailered mine all over with a Chrysler short version mini van 3.3 liter. Had all the oomph I needed. You do need to watch your tongue weight. And don't try to make a sharp left accellerating from a stop across traffic to get on the interstate on ramp with a weeks worth of groceries, the kids in the car, the canoe on top and the weekender behind.... (I broke a drive axel ) Finished that trip towing with the Rav 4... through the ozarks.. But that said, I've been to florida, Kentucky lake, Okoboji etc all towing with the mini van.. No problems other than the aforementioned surpassing of design parameters. John Quote
agnewhewes Posted March 22, 2009 Author Posted March 22, 2009 Thanks John. Very much appreciate the response. Hewes Quote
Frank Hagan Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Like John, I'm a little concerned about the tongue weight. A Weekender only weighs from 400 - 600 pounds, and the usual formula is 5 - 8% of the weight of the boat, trailer and every thing in it as tongue weight. Unless you have a very heavy trailer, you might want to try towing it around with less tongue weight ... move the boat back until you have about 160# and see if it tows better (that's a guess if your trailer weighs 1000# and the Weekender and gear 600#). You might have it moved too far forward. If you know someone with the truck scale, you might weigh it, and then you'll know how much tongue weight to have. I found my Weekender towed a bit better with a slightly heavier tongue weight (closer to 10%). But 225# seems pretty high to me. Quote
PAR Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 On a light boat/trailer combination, you want a fair bit of tongue weight, but no more then say about 100 pounds. this will keep it "engaged" and not "hobby horse" on you. This weight will also be easy on the tongue and hitch. Quote
Konrad Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 From www.theautochannel.com .... Chrysler Town & Country LX (2000) By Matt/Bob Hagin SPECIFICATIONS Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price $ 26,800 Price As Tested $ 27,415 Engine Type OHV 12-valve 3.3 Liter V6 w/SMFI* Engine Size 201 cid/3301 cc Horsepower 158 @ 4850 RPM Torque (lb-ft) 203 @ 3250 RPM Wheelbase/Width/Length 119.3"/76.8"/199.7" Transmission Four-speed automatic Curb Weight 3978 pounds Fuel Capacity 20.0 gallons Tires (F/R) P215/65R15 all season Brakes (F/R) Disc (ABS)/drum (ABS) Drive Train Front-engine/front-wheel-drive Vehicle Type Seven-passenger/five-door Domestic Content N/A Coefficient of Drag (Cd.) 0.36 PERFORMANCE EPA Economy, miles per gallon city/highway/average 18/24/20 0-60 MPH 11.5 seconds Maximum payload capacity 1150 pounds [glow=red,2,300]Maximum towing capacity 3500 pounds[/glow] * Sequential multi-port fuel injection The Weekender don't weigh nothin' close to 3,500 lbs. You're good. Quote
Konrad Posted April 14, 2009 Posted April 14, 2009 Oh, and by the way.. You're NOT ALLOWED to complete a Weekender and NOT post photos. So light up that camera and show us the new addition to the family. (I mean really.. If I can post shots of Bruce's weiner car..??) Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.