popup camper recommendations

My wife and I purchased a 2002 LW300 with the 3.0 V6. The owners manual does not recommend towing more than 1000 lbs. I defie anyone to find a popup with those specs. Does anyone have any experience in towing a bigger package or can someone point me in the direction of a camper that meets the 1000lb limit?

Thanks

Reply to
Ed
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Reply to
rufus

Would this car be able to handle more than 1000 lbs?

Reply to
Ed

I was planning to add a class 1 hitch to my '01 lw300 to tow a boat. I have seen only class 1 hitches avalable for this model. A class 3 hitch (while out of the question for towing weight) is nice thought for all the accessories that can plug into it.

My boat with trailer is about 1100 lb with about 80 lb tongue weight. I expect that the car should be able to handle it. From what I've seen it is more an issue of the frame pulling the weight than the power train. As with any tow package that is used for long trips, a separate temperature gauge for transmission oil temperature is a good idea as is an extra oil cooler.

Trailer brakes might be a good idea to investigate since the rear of the wagon is fairly light. Worst case hard braking in a turn might cause the rear of the car to be pushed out of control.

Reply to
Oppie

Thanks for the information.

Reply to
Ed

You should ask this question in the alt.rv.pop-up-trailers group. I sense that you won't like the answers you get there, however. It is not safe to tow above the manufacturer's tow rating because the vehicle will likely not handle safely, both in terms of manuvering and braking. Most experienced tow drivers keep the trailer weight below

75% of the recommended max. Remember that it is not only your own safety, and that of your family that is as stake, but also the safety of those in the cars near you if you loose control.

Safety aside, the weak link in most vehicles, when used for towing, is the transmission. It is very easy to overheat an automatic with a trailer because the torque converter stays unlocked more of the time, and even vehicles designed for towing often don't provide sufficient transmission cooling. With a manual, it is very easy to burn out the clutch, especially during low speed manuvering.

A lot depends on where you want to tow and how far. If you live in flat-land and only want to hop over to the state park 40 miles away, you can get away with a lot more than if you plan to drive through the Rockies. We recently gave up our Plymuoth Voyager in favor of a Chevy Astro; while the Voyager towed our 2000 pound pop-up fine on flat ground, the transmission would easily overheat in the Appalachian and Adirondack mountains. We took the Astro to the Rockies this year and only had to stop twice, in unusual circumstances, due to excessive transmission temperature (guage installed). I would never consider towing with my SW2, except something small like a log splitter.

I you are mainly interested in a tent off the ground, and don't have kids, then there are various popups made for motor cycles. They sleep two, and have a small space to stand up in to dress. I have seen these used by people with small cars.

Reply to
Ned Forrester

Reply to
Don Jennings

Thanks again for more information. It is good to have input from members in this newsgroup. I am looking into an Aliner which I believe meets the 1000lb limit. It would not meet your 75% spec. though. I would not be able to get away with the small motorcycle camper you speak of. I want to take our grandkids camping.

Reply to
Ed

I am not trying to berate or belittle any one. But I would not tow anything with my SL1. It is not meant for towing. Let's say you find a pop-up that weighs 750#. Buy the time you add 2 adults averaging

200lbs each and two kids say 100lbs each that's 1,350lbs already. Now add a full tank of gas 12gal X 6.5lbs. Luggage, pots, pans, dishes, sleeping bags, silverware, towels and all the other stuff needed for camping your LW300 even with the V6 will have a hard time getting that load started. And more importantly stopped. And I would take a guess and say the trailer will try to push the car around if you had to turn to avoid something. I would suggest you find an older S10 blazer type vehicle for towing. Or rent or borrow something.

Paul

Reply to
Paul

Please read.

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Reply to
Paul

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