Many people also choose a minivan to tow small trailers and other items as well. While millions of people have safely towed trailers without any trouble, there are also far too many instances of improperly towed trailers causing damage and injury.
It's important to get up to speed on the basics of trailer towing before you attempt to try it for the first time, and this list of towing tips -- written with minivans in mind -- should be helpful.
1. Determine your needs
Before you even consider hooking up a trailer to your minivan, a vital first step is to determine what sort of towing needs you require.
Most minivans rely on 4- and 6-cylinder engines, which may limit the overall weight of what you can tow. Most minivans are also front-wheel drive, which can restrict their utility as a tow vehicle in certain situations. Trailers put more weight on the rear wheels of the tow vehicle, which can make things a bit more difficult for front wheel-drive minivans on steep or slippery slopes, such as boat ramps and icy uphill grades.
If you need to pull a large boat, horse trailer or other heavy load, you'll likely be better off turning to a truck or SUV with rear wheel drive, body-on-frame construction and a powerful V8 engine.
2. Know your vehicle
After determining what you need to tow, your next step is to find out the trailer towing limits and capabilities of your vehicle. You'll find information on towing in your vehicle owner's manual, and you can also ask your local auto dealer (or other reliable information source) for more information.
A few of the most important bits of information you'll need are the tow rating and the gross axle weight rating (GAWR) of your minivan, and the weight of the trailer being towed.
The tow rating specifies how heavy the trailer can be attached to your vehicle, while the GAWR is the amount of weight each wheel axle is designed to carry. You'll want to try and match the tow rating of your minivans with the weight of the trailer you'll be towing. I'd personally suggest that you avoid towing a trailer that is near your maximum tow rating, just to give you a bit of extra control and safety. For example, if your tow rating is 3500 pounds, I wouldn't tow anything more than 3000 pounds or so.
Many minivan manufacturers offer a towing package that provides heavy duty components to a vehicle to facilitate towing. Our own 2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager SE came equipped with an optional tow package, which included an oil cooler, automatic transmission fluid cooler, a trailer hitch and some other vehicle improvements to optimize towing capability. You may not necessarily need a specific towing package to tow very light trailers, but be sure to check your owner's manual for details.
4. Tires and Service
It's always important to make sure that your tires are properly inflated and that basic maintenance has been done on your vehicle, but those items become doubly important when you're towing a trailer. Pulling that extra weight puts severe demands on many aspects of your vehicle: the brakes, transmission, engine, suspension and even the frame of the vehicle undergo much more stress when towing. Checking your vehicle fluid levels is a must, as is close monitoring of tire pressure on the tow vehicle and trailer.
5. Trailer Brakes
Most states have a requirement that trailers over a certain weight (sometimes 1,000 or 1,500 pounds) must have their own separate, fully-functional brake system. The primary concern here is safety, as trailers over the aforementioned limits place significant stresses on the brake system of a tow vehicle. Brake failure is bad enough, but brake failure when you're towing a 3,000 pound trailer is even worse.
6. Hitching 101
Trailer hitches are available in a huge variety of types, capabilities and sizes. There's too much to go over in detail in this article, but most minivans will rely on a typical ball receiver for the trailer to mount to. Check with your local auto dealer if you need more information, or use online services like the Hitch Hunter (see link below) to find compatible hitches and related gear for your own specific minivan model.
- Related: The Hitch Hunter
Towing rules and regulations can vary from state to state (and even county to county), so be sure to contact your state division of motor vehicles (DMV) for any tips, advice, guidelines and/or regulations they may have for towing. Guidelines and requirements can run the gamut, from limitations on the weight and physical dimensions of trailers to the maximum allowable speed while towing.
- Related: 2006 - 50 State Towing Laws (Camping Life)
8. Check your Insurance
If you do plan on towing a trailer, be sure to contact your insurance company to make sure that you're carrying the proper types of automotive coverage. They may also have some additional towing advice or other resources you can rely on as well. This is an important item to check, as some insurance policies may not cover trailer towing at all, or perhaps only allow certain aspects of your coverage.
9. Check your Warranty
Most automakers are very specific about trailer towing requirements that need to be followed in order to maintain your warranty. Your owner's manual should have information on this, as would a local dealer for your make of vehicle. You can also contact many automakers directly (through their websites or via email) and ask for information about trailer towing warranty information for your vehicle.
10. Driving with a Trailer
When towing a trailer, it's good advice to drive smoothly, with gentle and gradual acceleration and braking. The extra weight of the trailer will impact your acceleration, making traffic merges and passing other vehicles more difficult. Conversely, your braking distance will be impacted as well, so allow for much greater distances to slow or stop your vehicle when towing.