Parkliner with TV 3500 lb Towing Capacity ??

[disneydoc]

Hi every body,

I need your feedback on towing a Parkliner with RX 350 2WD with Tow package of 3500 lb capacity which we own.

Due to a ankle fracture I had to postpone Rving for next year. I am sort of getting my ducks in a row while recovering.

The Parkliner website shows the Trailer being towed with a Honda Odyssey which has a towing capacity of 3500 lbs, so I presume it should be alright, but I have made wrong & stupid presumptions before.

Thanks in advance for your take & opinions.

[Sandy54]

You can call Parkliner at (800) 418-2120 or email sales@parkliner.com and ask them. I am going there in 2 weeks to look at a Parkliner. I spoke with the owner, Tom Bass, who is very friendly and will give you any information that you want about Parkliner.

[Jon in AZ]

With a dry weight of 2300 pounds and a GAWR of 3500 pounds, you should be fine. I'd expect a loaded weight of 2800-3000 pounds. There are no Parkliners in the Real World database... C'mon Parkliner owners- get with the program...

The only concern I'd have is how much the tongue weight might affect the front-rear balance of the vehicle. Toyota products tend to be softly spring at the rear. Some folks add air bags; others use a light-duty weight distributing hitch. Each has pros and cons, and you may not need either. You could try loading 300 pounds near the back of the cargo compartment and see how it looks and feels. Need any concrete?

Several forum members tow Parkliners with similarly rated vehicles.

[Pat in Michigan]

I pull my Parkliner with a Town and Country and it pulls beautifully.

[disneydoc]

Thanks Sandy, Jon & Pat for chiming in. Nice to know, I plan to call Parkliner soon.

[bluebird]

Hi Raj,

We have a 2014 "gorgeous" ParkLiner and we tow it with a 2011 Toyota Sienna Van. Our van is a V6, FWD (Front Wheel Drive), 8 Passenger and is factory equipped with a tow package for towing up to 3500 lbs. I believe the tow packages are included in most of the Sienna vans. Check your Owner's Manual or your dealer for more information.

I do agree that the tongue weight, which has a rating of about 350 lbs, is important to consider. Our ParkLiner tongue weight comes in under this rating. However, the rear coil springs needed some extra help, so I had our dealer install Firestone Air Bags made for the Toyota Sienna (installed "within" the coil springs and had the air valves placed inside the vehicle jack compartment way in the passenger side rear for ease of use. The air-bag kit can be purchased at etrailer.com. See if Firestone makes a kit for your vehicle. When towing, I fill the air bags to 30 lbs, otherwise, 20 lbs. The air bag capacity is 5-35 lbs.

My hitch (installed by Toyota) has a 1 1/4" receiver for the 1 1/4" tow bar. A 2" receiver is not needed. The ball size is 2".

Our van tows the ParkLiner "like a dream"!

[disneydoc]

Thanks Bruce for a informative post, which answers many of my questions.

I spoke with Tom Bass at Parkliner, & he confirmed a Vehicle with a 3500 lb Towing Capacity will be fine towing the Parkliner. They are taking bookings for Dec delivery now.

I like the feature of the queen Bed, which will sleep 2 easily, I wonder what the size of the Fridge is & such details as we plan to camp for 3 days to a week at a time.

I will soon plan to see one in person.

Thanks again

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by bluebird

Hi Raj,

We have a 2014 "gorgeous" ParkLiner and we tow it with a 2011 Toyota Sienna Van. Our van is a V6, FWD (Front Wheel Drive), 8 Passenger and is factory equipped with a tow package for towing up to 3500 lbs. I believe the tow packages are included in most of the Sienna vans. Check your Owner's Manual or your dealer for more information.

I do agree that the tongue weight, which has a rating of about 350 lbs, is important to consider. Our ParkLiner tongue weight comes in under this rating. However, the rear coil springs needed some extra help, so I had our dealer install Firestone Air Bags made for the Toyota Sienna (installed "within" the coil springs and had the air valves placed inside the vehicle jack compartment way in the passenger side rear for ease of use. The air-bag kit can be purchased at etrailer.com. See if Firestone makes a kit for your vehicle. When towing, I fill the air bags to 30 lbs, otherwise, 20 lbs. The air bag capacity is 5-35 lbs.

My hitch (installed by Toyota) has a 1 1/4" receiver for the 1 1/4" tow bar. A 2" receiver is not needed. The ball size is 2".

Our van tows the ParkLiner "like a dream"!

Remember a Class II -1 1/4" hitch is rated for a maximum tongue weight of 300 lbs.

[bluebird]

You are correct Steve. My 1 1/4" Reese/Draw-Tite hitch supplied and installed by Toyota is rated for 3500 lbs with a 300 lb tongue weight. The 1 1/4" Curt tow-bar I purchased from etrailer.com (#C45015) is of course a Class II with a 5" Rise, and 11-5/8" long. It has a rating of 3500 lbs and a tongue weight rating of 350 lbs (but it states, "DO NOT EXCEED TOW CAPACITY OF HITCH". We are still below these limits. I had to get the 5" rise and ll-5/8" length to allow enough spacing between the trailer jack post for the Sienna hatch door to open without conflict.

Regarding the ParkLiner fridge, it is a Dometic 1.9 cu ft 3-way unit. There is no freezer. But the 3-way ability has worked very well for us in all circumstances. When towing, I use the 12V option. At camp, I use the 120V option. However, I use the propane option at times (I'm a believer in "don't use it, lose it"). When using the 120V option, I have the thermostat set on "3". All three options keep our food equally well and like our fridge at home. We purchased a Coleman PowerChill Cooler (best price-Walmart) that operates on 12V or 120V. During travel, we plug into the 12V receptacle in the back of our Sienna. At camp, we set it on an aluminum fold-up table and plug into the outside 120V outlet on the ParkLiner using the supplied adapter. This cooler cools about 40 degrees below the outdoor/ambient temperature. We use this for our drinks and overflow food like fruit/veggies. The small fridge in the camper doesn't really accommodate drinks very well. We have used this Coleman cooler since 2010.