Towing Scamp 13

[Julie N]

We're looking at Scamp 13'. We currently have a 2007 & 2012 Honda CR-V. We know we need something with more towing capacity & are looking at trading in our 2007 CR-V & possibly getting a used Honda Odyssey.
Anyone have experience in towing a Scamp 13' with an Odyssey? Or, what else do you use to tow a Scamp 13'?

[honda03842]

Julie,

We towed for 7 years with a 2004 Honda CRV with manual transmission, putting 250,000 miles on the CRV. We towed all over North America without a problem. For the last 4 years our trailer has been a Scamp 16. It worked just fine as a tow vehicle trailer combination..

After 250,000 miles we traded our CRV in on a 2014 Odyssey. Though the CRV was really perfect, never a drive line repair, we bought the Odyssey. So far we love the Odyssey as you can read in the following thread on our Odyssey.

If you decide to tow with the CRV drop me a message and I'll give you a few tips. Regardless if what trailer or tow vehicle combination you use it would be wise to have trailer brakes.

Here's the Odyssey link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sey-65482.html

[gordon2]

Since you did not mention what year Odyssey you were looking at please be advised that the following comments refer to the current generations of vans.

I did a LOT of research on towing with a Toyota Sienna minivan (similar to Odyssey) before placing my Scamp order. Almost without exception, reports were positive regarding towing a Scamp 16 with either van. Sometimes a WDH and/or sway control were advised or called for, but just as often, they were not used. Since my research led me to be confident towing a 16 Std (appx 2500-2660 real world weight), I think you have no reason at all to worry using an Odyssey to tow a Scamp 13.

Having said that, I bought the Toyota minivan instead of the Honda based on reports related to the “Eco” cylinder limiting function, and the CVT transmission. There were just too many reports for my liking about the car shaking when the cylinders kicked on or off, and the transmissions being problematic. Toyota uses more conventional, time tested technology, and thereby sacrifices some fuel mileage. If the Honda problem reports are exaggerated than I think the Honda would be the better choice. Norm and Ginny have towed extensively with the Odyssey and they love it. However, I decided the new technology was too new and I went with the Toyota Sienna. I’ll gladly pay a little more for gas to have a transmission and engine I feel I can trust. I have not towed more than about 1550 lbs with the Toyota yet, but I am very happy with the van (now that I got the dreaded second row seat trolleys out, but that’s another subject).

I should also add that I would not buy a Sienna again if I planned to tow with it. Getting it wired up for trailer lights and brakes was a major project, and according to Toyota likely voids part of the van’s warrantee. They advertise the van can tow 3500 (when properly equipped) but when I asked for guidance in setting it up to tow they gave me a lawyer written answer that was less than no help, and made a point to tell me the communication was documented (no doubt in case I made a warrantee claim related to a problem with the additional wiring). They said that only Toyota wiring would be covered but they do not offer the needed wiring or brake controller, and therefore they could not direct me to an after market manufacturer for that reason! Next time I will get a vehicle that is pre-wired for trailer stuff (plug in harness at least). Other than that, love the van. I expect the Odyssey would be the same. Of course if you don’t mind paying someone to do all the wiring and taking the chance that the vehicles warrantee will not be honored, then its not an issue.

[Jon in AZ]

Older Odysseys were notorious for transmission failures until Honda finally upgraded to the stronger unit from the Ridgeline. I don't know what year that happened, sometime around 2007-2009, but I'd do some research to find out. Get the stronger unit and have an ATF cooler installed.

Personally, I'd also avoid models with the VCM (variable cylinder management) system. I have it on my Pilot and it's good for fuel economy, but there has been a lawsuit over problems related to the system, which Honda settled by extending the powertrain warranty to 100K for certain engine codes. VCM was only offered on higher Odyssey trims until the 2011 redesign, when it became standard on all trims. I haven't had any problems with the system on my Pilot, but if I were in your place, buying used, and probably planning to keep it past 100K miles, it's a question mark I'd prefer to avoid.

My choice would be an '09-'10 EX. That was my first preference when we replaced our tow vehicle a few years ago, but my wife voted against a minivan, so we ended up with a Pilot.

[eagle of flight]

Hi I am currently traveling in New Mexico with my 13 ft Burro. I have been traveling from home in Tennessee. I am pulling my Burro with a 2.4 cyl Nissan Frontier extended cab. It pulls great and so far I have averaged 18 mpg.

[Julie N]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Julie,

We towed for 7 years with a 2004 Honda CRV with manual transmission, putting 250,000 miles on the CRV. We towed all over North America without a problem. For the last 4 years our trailer has been a Scamp 16. It worked just fine as a tow vehicle trailer combination..

After 250,000 miles we traded our CRV in on a 2014 Odyssey. Though the CRV was really perfect, never a drive line repair, we bought the Odyssey. So far we love the Odyssey as you can read in the following thread on our Odyssey.

If you decide to tow with the CRV drop me a message and I'll give you a few tips. Regardless if what trailer or tow vehicle combination you use it would be wise to have trailer brakes.

Here's the Odyssey link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sey-65482.html

Thanks so much for all the well-thought out info. We did try pulling a 13' T@B & it was really a strain on our engine but it is much heavier than a 13' Scamp. After considering both the Scamp & the Little Guy T@B, the Scamp looks more feasible with space, height, weight, etc.
We currently have a pop-up camper which has 150 tongue weight/1550 lbs. which we pull with our CR-V, but want something with minimal set up time. ( our pop-up takes about 45' to set up which is not conducive tooling every night or couple of nights).
We're going this week to look at a Scamp owned by someone in our area because we haven't actually seen one "in person". It's difficult to make a decision on getting one without having actually seen one & this is the only one in our area (middle Indiana) that the company could give us as a reference.
We definitely plan on the trailer brakes for safety. Again, thanks for all your input.

[Julie N]

Thanks for all the info-much food for thought as we make a decision on vehicle AND camper!

[Julie N]

Thanks for the detailed info on the Odyssey. You just saved me a lot of research time!

[Julie N]

Again, such a great response which saves us a lot of research time. Thanks for all the info!

[Julie N]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Julie,

We towed for 7 years with a 2004 Honda CRV with manual transmission, putting 250,000 miles on the CRV. We towed all over North America without a problem. For the last 4 years our trailer has been a Scamp 16. It worked just fine as a tow vehicle trailer combination..

After 250,000 miles we traded our CRV in on a 2014 Odyssey. Though the CRV was really perfect, never a drive line repair, we bought the Odyssey. So far we love the Odyssey as you can read in the following thread on our Odyssey.

If you decide to tow with the CRV drop me a message and I'll give you a few tips. Regardless if what trailer or tow vehicle combination you use it would be wise to have trailer brakes.

Here's the Odyssey link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sey-65482.html

We might try a scamp (if we can find one anywhere near us) with our CR-V to see how it goes. One issue is that it's about $400. To switch from our electrical camper hook-up to what wed need for the scamp. If we then decided to switch to bigger vehicle it wld be paying again for the electrical. Decisions, decisions, why can't life be simple??

[Julie N]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Julie,

We towed for 7 years with a 2004 Honda CRV with manual transmission, putting 250,000 miles on the CRV. We towed all over North America without a problem. For the last 4 years our trailer has been a Scamp 16. It worked just fine as a tow vehicle trailer combination..

After 250,000 miles we traded our CRV in on a 2014 Odyssey. Though the CRV was really perfect, never a drive line repair, we bought the Odyssey. So far we love the Odyssey as you can read in the following thread on our Odyssey.

If you decide to tow with the CRV drop me a message and I'll give you a few tips. Regardless if what trailer or tow vehicle combination you use it would be wise to have trailer brakes.

Here's the Odyssey link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sey-65482.html

Also, any tips for towing with CR-V would be appreciated.

[Julie N]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Julie,

We towed for 7 years with a 2004 Honda CRV with manual transmission, putting 250,000 miles on the CRV. We towed all over North America without a problem. For the last 4 years our trailer has been a Scamp 16. It worked just fine as a tow vehicle trailer combination..

After 250,000 miles we traded our CRV in on a 2014 Odyssey. Though the CRV was really perfect, never a drive line repair, we bought the Odyssey. So far we love the Odyssey as you can read in the following thread on our Odyssey.

If you decide to tow with the CRV drop me a message and I'll give you a few tips. Regardless if what trailer or tow vehicle combination you use it would be wise to have trailer brakes.

Here's the Odyssey link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...sey-65482.html

Another question-our CR-V is automatic transmission & 4 cylinder. What was your 2004 CR-V?

[DogHaus]

I tow a Scamp 13' with a 2009 4 cyl. Automatic Transmission Honda Element. No problems at all!

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Julie N

Another question-our CR-V is automatic transmission & 4 cylinder. What was your 2004 CR-V?

All CRVs and Elements have 4 cylinder engines, ours had a manual transmission. We've had a number of 4 cylinder Hondas and they have proven to be very strong. We did not buy another because we really wanted a manual transmission. When we had to get an automatic we also considered the Pilot and Odyssey.

The Odyssey, through 20,000 miles, switches to the ECO gear silently. You would not know it happens unless you read the manual. It is my only concern as you probably read in the Odyssey thread.

We've had the order of 10 Hondas and they've always worked well. Our history with Honda's responsiveness has been great. Our air conditioner failed well out of warranty and Honda America paid the $1000 in full.

To my knowledge Odysseys do not come with CVT transmissions. I believe they are all 6 speed automatics, and previously 5 speed automatics.

Our goal with the Odyssey is 10 years of ownership, 250,000 miles.

[ericw]

Originally Posted by Julie N

Anyone have experience in towing a Scamp 13' with an Odyssey? Or, what else do you use to tow a Scamp 13'?

I tow with an Odyssey and a Scamp 13' with brakes and love it. I have been CA to ME to FL to Canada. You may hear stories of Odyssey transmission issues when towing. I believe in 2007 they switched Odyssey transmissions to the one used in the Ridgeline (truck). I have had no issues with it and the online stories seemed to have largely gone away also since then.

[Julie N]

Originally Posted by ericw

I tow with an Odyssey and a Scamp 13' with brakes and love it. I have been CA to ME to FL to Canada. You may hear stories of Odyssey transmission issues when towing. I believe in 2007 they switched Odyssey transmissions to the one used in the Ridgeline (truck). I have had no issues with it and the online stories seemed to have largely gone away also since then.

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like you have had a wonderful time traveling all over the US!

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Julie N

We might try a scamp (if we can find one anywhere near us) with our CR-V to see how it goes. One issue is that it's about $400. To switch from our electrical camper hook-up to what wed need for the scamp. If we then decided to switch to bigger vehicle it wld be paying again for the electrical. Decisions, decisions, why can't life be simple??

Can you explain what you mean by "hook up" change?

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Julie N

We're looking at Scamp 13'. We currently have a 2007 & 2012 Honda CR-V. We know we need something with more towing capacity & are looking at trading in our 2007 CR-V & possibly getting a used Honda Odyssey.
Anyone have experience in towing a Scamp 13' with an Odyssey? Or, what else do you use to tow a Scamp 13'?

Hi Julie.. A perspective......

For a number of years we towed our 23' dual axle trailer with a 150HP, 4,200lb Nissan Mini Van.

Your 2012 CRV weighs a 1,000lbs less than our van and has 185HP.

When it comes to the power to weight ratio you should have an abundance of power to tow the small 13' Scamp.

Re the Oddy. Folks on other forums are towing very larger trailers with pro set up Oddy's. Point is the small Scamp would be a non event for an Oddy.

Connection/hitch and set up as always needs to be optimal.

[Jim G. - Ohio]

The cutoff date for the Odyssey transmission problems was mid-year 2003. My 2002 now has over 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. Yes, the tranny was upgraded many moons ago.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Jim G. - Ohio

The cutoff date for the Odyssey transmission problems was mid-year 2003. My 2002 now has over 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. Yes, the tranny was upgraded many moons ago.

Further investigation did show a drastic reduction in the number of reported transmission problems after about 2003, with the number of recent problems probably typical for most any vehicle. CVT is still on the new side of "time tested" but it's getting there fast and does improve gas mileage.

Thanks to Jon in AZ for clarifying the current xmission in the Odyssey is not CVT (its a six speed).

Still I would not want to tow with a van that cuts off cylinders at times and the complaints of the van shaking are still coming in. One thing about the Sienna is you can downshift for engine braking (and upshift), which the Honda does not do. Its handy when towing. If I had it to do over, for towing I think I would pass on any mini-van that was not pre-wired for a trailer. But for towing with a mini-van I still think Toyota has the edge. For a people mover (not towing).. I would go with the Honda. Both are good in their own ways and each has some advantage over the other.

All the above is IMHO and YMMV (quite literally).