Toyota Sienna -

[Karalyn]

If you are towing with a Toyota Sienna what kind of camper are you towing, what size and weight? I am hoping to get a Casita.
Thanks.

[Carol H]

Karalyn, the thread Trailer Weights in the Real World may help you to determine what trailers fall within the tow specs of your Sienna.

[FRED SMAILES]

We just bought a 2004 Siena in July.
We tow a 74 Boler that is probably a little on the heavy side.
15-1800,,I'm guessing. We have only been out once with this combo.
Seemed happy to tow in 4th and we went over the highest pass that has pavement in BC. Stayed in 3rd at 35-40 mph up this steep grade, temp didn't even climb.
Someone on here is pulling a 17 something with a Sienna hope they chime in for you.
Fred

[Ron F]

I towed my EggCamper (17 ft.) with a 2002 Sienna and again with a 2011 Sienna. They both pulled the egg well. The 2002 had better ground clearance than the 2011. When I got the 2011, I added air springs to the rear to help with the tongue weight. I never actually measured the weights for the EggCamper but, if you get a Casita, I think that you'll find it somewhat heavier, both overall and tongue weight. The Sienna had a 3500# tow rating.

BTW, the tow package for the newer Sienna was a joke. There's no wiring for a brake controller, no additional engine/transmission cooling, and no larger battery/alternator. The tow package consists of an engine oil cooler, that's it. I added a transmission cooler, which turned out to be more expensive than I'd planned. Once installed, it was necessary to add fluid because of the added capacity of the cooling coils. The transmission in the newer Sienna's is a sealed unit. It'll cost you over $100 at the dealer to add a pint of fluid after installing a transmission cooler. Once you've overcome those issues, it tows well.

Ron

[Tom Trostel]

We tow a 1980 17' Bigfoot with a 2006 Sienna LE. The trailer is an early 1500 series and much lighter than later models. It weighs 2500 lbs. and has a 340 lb. tongue weight. The Sienna has added equipment of air bags, single bar WDH, Prodigy brake controller, transmission cooler and towing mirrors. We've towed over the continental divide with no problems.

Lake Bardwell, TX Photo by tomNjo | Photobucket

[Tom Trostel]

And, we used to tow a 1973 Compact Jr with a 2003 CE. Trailer weighs 1400 lbs. and we added no special equipment to the Toyota. We towed from Texas to Oregon and Texas to South Dakota with no problems.

California Redwoods Photo by tomNjo | Photobucket

[Mike Magee]

Just watch out for the high tongue weights on the 17' Casitas with front bath. Otherwise you should be fine.

[melissab]

I towed a T@b and a 2012 13 ft Scamp Deluxe fully loaded with a 2006 Toyota Sienna with no special equipment other than brake controller and factory tow pkg. Have been to Wyoming and Minnesota from Florida via the highest pass in TN. Just put her in 4th and climbed with the truckers no overheating issues etc. and on flat land I don't even know the Scamp is back there. I just traded the Sienna for a 2009 Rav4 V6 and have yet to try out he new tow combo but am looking forward to testing it all out. I'm definitely gonna enjoy having more hitch clearance bc on some steep gas station driveways it would occasionally drag if I didn't have a good angle. One reason we went with a Scamp was tongue weight. The Casitas are a lot heavier and I didn't want to have to fool with a weight distribution hitch. My Scamp only lowers my minivan maybe an inch or two with a full propane tank and battery on the tongue.

[Michael Pupeza]

I've been towing our 1993 Bigfoot since we bought the Sienna in 2011. Prior to this I pulled the Bigfoot with a 2004 Honda Odyssey. Both of these vehicles pulled the Bigfoot 17CB, weighing close to 3500 lbs, quite well. The Sienna has been used to take the Bigfoot about 4000 miles each year without problems. Mileage under normal towing is about 10 - 11 MPG (US) for each of those vehicles while double that without towing. I can easily pass Semi's on the hills and keep up with traffic, but I do tend to ride just around the speed limits.
I do have Airlift 1000 airbags installed in the Sienna, as I did with the Honda, and Weight Distributing Hitches and the new Dexter Never Adjust Brakes (Which work and self adjust well for me). Sway control is not needed as my trailer never gives me trouble even on I-75 with all the trucks. Toyota tells me that additional equipment for towing is NOT required for 'normal' situations.
Contrary to many others, I do believe that the Manufacturers recommendation for Maximum Towing Weight is just that! I feel confident that my system is safe and stable, running close to that maximum.
BUT, that is MY opinion, and I impose it on NO-ONE!
Mike .....>

[MC1]

Over the past 10 years, on various RV forums there have been many favorable reports of Sienna's and their towing abilities. Many are towing dual axle TT's without issues. Based on those results one would suspect no problems with a Sienna towing a glass egg.

The key is getting the setup/connection optimal.

[hillary]

We tow a 2005 Escape 17B with our 2006 Sienna and haven't had any problems. We've driven over the passes going from western WA to eastern WA and took it easy on the uphill parts and stayed with the faster trucks, but when they just got too annoying we were able to pass and stay with car traffic too. The worst part is the mileage! We get about 18 city/22 hwy (US Gal) not towing and that rockets down to 12-15 towing... But from what I can tell pretty much all vehicles have a similar drop towing (though some have worse overall mpg to begin with but don't drop quite as much when towing).
We haven't weighed our trailer yet, but the dry weight listed in the manual is 1900lbs, and we figure loaded with full water and our stuff it's probably pushing 3000. We tow with a WDH (in our manual it mentions using that if the tongue weight is between 350lbs and 500lbs, because without it you're limited to 350). It just feels better and helps the low hitch clearance a bit. Our manual actually says we should use sway control, but we don't. I missed that box when reading the manual when we were getting ready to tow and having the brake controller installed and then after we got the trailer the WDH, and by the time I'd seen it, we'd towed a few times and I never went back and bought sway bars.
One thing to know is that 2007 is the last year that the tow package (extra engine oil cooler) came standard, so if your Sienna is newer than that and doesn't have it the towing capacity is 1200 lbs: Sienna Gen-II Towing Capacity. (2004-2010)

[bcchase]

Hey there, I also have a 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE. I have received a quote from Camping World to add a hitch at $1105.54 (US). They have listed a Toyota Sienna CLS III which I understand to be a hitch (I was able to find this part on google). They have also listed a Round Bar Weight Distributing Hitch 800 lb tongue weight (which I found on google also) and which I also understand to be a hitch. Am I being bamboozled? Why would they have two hitches? Is this necessary?

Thanks. I am very new to this and would appreciate any advice you can offer.

[Karalyn]

I will be so upset if my Sienna can not tow because of no towing package. The reason I bought a Sienna was to be able to tow up to 3500 lb.
The price of that camping world hitch is outrageous also. If I wanted to pay an extra 2000 for parts to tow with, I would have bought another SUV.
Fustrated here!

[Tom Trostel]

BCChase,
That quote from Camping World is much too high. Yes, Class III is the type hitch you need. A hitch (like the Curt linked below) can be delivered to your door for less than $200. It takes less than an hour to install. Check locally for a hitch shop. They may match the price from eTrailer.com and should charge $80-$100 to install it. I use a single bar Draw-Tite weight distributing hitch. I like it and installed it myself. It just bolts on. And, you will need a brake controller. Most use the Prodigy and this can be more complex to install on newer cars with LSD tail lights.

2011 Toyota Sienna Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com
http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distr...e/RP66069.html

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Karalyn

I will be so upset if my Sienna can not tow because of no towing package. The reason I bought a Sienna was to be able to tow up to 3500 lb.
The price of that camping world hitch is outrageous also. If I wanted to pay an extra 2000 for parts to tow with, I would have bought another SUV.
Fustrated here!

Just take your vin # to a Toyota dealer and ask them to look it up. They can tell you exactly what options it came equipped with. If it doesn't have the tow package, then they can tell you what items should be added to make it tow-ready.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by bcchase

Hey there, I also have a 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE. I have received a quote from Camping World to add a hitch at $1105.54 (US). They have listed a Toyota Sienna CLS III which I understand to be a hitch (I was able to find this part on google). They have also listed a Round Bar Weight Distributing Hitch 800 lb tongue weight (which I found on google also) and which I also understand to be a hitch. Am I being bamboozled? Why would they have two hitches? Is this necessary?

Thanks. I am very new to this and would appreciate any advice you can offer.

A lot of people are less than fond of shopping at Camping World.

Hitch talk can be confusing. The part that bolts onto the underside of your vehicle is often called a hitch, but the better name for it is 'hitch receiver'. It has a square tube at the back, into which you insert a ball mount with a ball. Then there's the thing you can optionally add for weight distribution (and maybe sway control, depending on the model), called a weight distribution hitch; this thing will usually have bars and/or chains that can help move some of the weight from the vehicle's rear wheels to the front wheels.

I once bought a receiver at Walmart for my Mountaineer. I think it was under $150. But they only stock a couple of really common models. For the Sienna, shop at a larger U-Haul center or a trailer specialty shop, or online. You really should not have to spend much more than a couple hundred for a receiver, plus a bit more for the ball mount and ball (Walmart has those for sure).

[Steve and Rosemary]

I don't have any experience towing with a Sienna but I just want to chime in about towing packages and such. First, we would STRONGLY recommend getting a brake package and, if you don't have something that's substantial, a true blue towing package. I don't know all the details (the "he" part of this equation does) but I'll say that we asked around for several weeks and talked to the "top three" on our list in person. Then, we had everything installed on our Ford Explorer. It came out looking nice and strong and we never had to worry. Plus! It was far cheaper than taking it to the dealer or buying a vehicle with such extras added on in the factory. When we sold her, I was a little scared because the TV we bought (Toyota Tundra) had the factory package on it and it didn't seem as burly or "convincing". Anyways, we had it checked for free by the guys who helped us with the Explorer and everything's fine -- I'm just a little paranoid. Anyways, happy Glass Camping!

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Just take your vin # to a Toyota dealer and ask them to look it up. They can tell you exactly what options it came equipped with. If it doesn't have the tow package, then they can tell you what items should be added to make it tow-ready.

Mike has the good advice here. Sometimes there are just a few inexpensive items that need to be added to give you your max capabilities.

Karalyn.... If you are just towing a small egg you may choose to not use a WDH. Therefore the connection and setup will be a minimal expense.

An Suv is no simpler or less expensive than setting up your Sienna, generally speaking. In many cases the Sienna will feel better towing the trailer than many SUV's.

[Ian G.]

Here is some very good information and advice on tow capacity of the Sienna and upgrades that may be required to tow to the 3500 lb maximum capacity (you may have to register with the site to access all the pictures)
Sienna Gen-II Towing Capacity. (2004-2010)