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

 

The Aliner http://www.dgrv.com/aliner_home.htm

 

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

 

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.

OPPIE

 

Thanks for the information.

 

|> The Aliner http://www.dgrv.com/aliner_home.htm
|>
|> |> > 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?

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.

--
NOTE: to reply, remove all punctuation from email name field

Ned Forrester 508-289-2226
Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Dept.
Oceanographic Systems Lab http://adcp.whoi.edu/
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA

 

...
I was thinking the limit on this car was 1500. At any rate, we're pulling a
Skamper that weighs 1067. Can't tell you the model number, it's outside
under a tarp and a bunch of snow.

 

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.

 

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

 

Please read.

http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm