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Can I tow a travel trailer (camper)?

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2011 4 cylinder camper camping travel trailer
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Tara_Roseee

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2011 Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD 4 Cylinders F 2.5L
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I currently drive a 2011 Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD 4 Cylinders F 2.5L.

Is it possible to tow a camper? It would be small - only for 2 people. (Example: A-Liner Ascape)

I'm trying to do as much research as I can, but all the different weights, numbers, etc. is throwing me through a loop. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to even look for.

Would I need to upgrade things to my vehicle to help?

Personally, I would find it easier if someone could tell me the max length I should stay under and max weight of the camper I should stay under. Basically, I'm still new to this and need it "dumbed down".

Thank you so much!
 
#2 ·
Tara_Roseee said:
I currently drive a 2011 Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD 4 Cylinders F 2.5L.

Is it possible to tow a camper? It would be small - only for 2 people. (Example: A-Liner Ascape)

I'm trying to do as much research as I can, but all the different weights, numbers, etc. is throwing me through a loop. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to even look for.

Would I need to upgrade things to my vehicle to help?

Personally, I would find it easier if someone could tell me the max length I should stay under and max weight of the camper I should stay under. Basically, I'm still new to this and need it "dumbed down".

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
Hi Tara,

The pertinent details on towing a camper with your RAV are the weight and frontal area. Your RAV has (in North America) a tow rating of 1,000 lbs, or 1,500 lbs when the trailer has electric brakes. Be cautious of a trailer with surge brakes (search for that and posts by Dr. Dyno for details). Short answer - keep your trailer within the limits stated here and in your manual, and temper your expectations when towing (you won’t be comfortable doing 75-80 on the freeway when towing!) and you’ll be ok.

I have a FWD RAV which is otherwise similar to yours so I can pass along my experience towing a cargo trailer and my 8’ hardtop tent trailer. Length doesn’t affect the towing as much as the weight and wind resistance. Staying within the weight limits though can be important due to your rear springs (vehicle loading and level) and your brakes. With my camper (1,000 lbs empty, 1,500 gross) I was very cautious when towing loaded as the braking was horrible. I also had a lot of suspension sag at the back, due to load. I changed to the larger front brakes of the 3rd row models and also added the rear springs of the same. Now braking is excellent even when loaded, and there’s no more squat under load. I will be adding an external transmission fluid cooler as insurance as I do tow near (and sometimes over) the weight limit. Frontal area (or drag) is important too - I added bike racks to my trailer roof, and my mileage dropped by half or more. Normal highway consumption is 8.0 L/100 without the trailer, but up to 14.6 with the bikes on my trailer.

If you’ll be towing within the limits, and it’s reasonably flat areas, you should be ok while using the trailer brakes with an electronic controller. Keep your speed down though, and know you’ll be passed - our 4-cyl with only 4 forward speeds will do it, just not fast. Beware of hills [emoji846]. For added safety, I do recommend that people add the mods I’ve done (front brakes, rear springs) even if towing below the weight limits.


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Discussion starter · #3 ·
Foryota said:
Hi Tara,

The pertinent details on towing a camper with your RAV are the weight and frontal area. Your RAV has (in North America) a tow rating of 1,000 lbs, or 1,500 lbs when the trailer has electric brakes. Be cautious of a trailer with surge brakes (search for that and posts by Dr. Dyno for details). Short answer - keep your trailer within the limits stated here and in your manual, and temper your expectations when towing (you won’t be comfortable doing 75-80 on the freeway when towing!) and you’ll be ok.

I have a FWD RAV which is otherwise similar to yours so I can pass along my experience towing a cargo trailer and my 8’ hardtop tent trailer. Length doesn’t affect the towing as much as the weight and wind resistance. Staying within the weight limits though can be important due to your rear springs (vehicle loading and level) and your brakes. With my camper (1,000 lbs empty, 1,500 gross) I was very cautious when towing loaded as the braking was horrible. I also had a lot of suspension sag at the back, due to load. I changed to the larger front brakes of the 3rd row models and also added the rear springs of the same. Now braking is excellent even when loaded, and there’s no more squat under load. I will be adding an external transmission fluid cooler as insurance as I do tow near (and sometimes over) the weight limit. Frontal area (or drag) is important too - I added bike racks to my trailer roof, and my mileage dropped by half or more. Normal highway consumption is 8.0 L/100 without the trailer, but up to 14.6 with the bikes on my trailer.

If you’ll be towing within the limits, and it’s reasonably flat areas, you should be ok while using the trailer brakes with an electronic controller. Keep your speed down though, and know you’ll be passed - our 4-cyl with only 4 forward speeds will do it, just not fast. Beware of hills [emoji846]. For added safety, I do recommend that people add the mods I’ve done (front brakes, rear springs) even if towing below the weight limits.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
So basically I should look for campers that are 1,000lbs or less?
 
#4 ·
Without adding eBrake to your car, yes the limit is 1000 lbs.
Read the manual, is in there. Also you will find the recommendation not to use the highest transmission gear when towing and limiting the speed.
Especially when going uphill - imagine how hard is for you run uphill, versus strolling. That is because, in that moment you are lifting the whole body (or vehicle) against Earth's gravity. Adds potential energy and that requires work/effort.
 
#5 ·
Tara_Roseee said:
So basically I should look for campers that are 1,000lbs or less?
Click to expand...
Remember it’s GROSS trailer weight rating - you’ll add belongings and gear to go camping. So on the trailer label, GVWR =
Toyota did go conservative on their limits, but for braking it’s with good reason.


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#6 ·
We tow a '69 Sears soft top tent trailer, its a tiny bit wider than the car, weighs about 500lbs empty and we jam another 200 lbs of stuff in it. Our 4 cyl does ok with it, no modifications, (the modifications explained above are great ideas) I use D3 until I get up to highway speeds or hilly terrain. I'll even use D2 in slow city traffic. Our camping trips are generally less than two hour drive one way. I have noticed seemingly minor changes to my set up alters the way the vehicle performs: If I put our mountain bikes on the roof of the car, the transmission shifts out of OD repeatedly on the highway to maintain speed. Put them on a rack behind the trailer, no problem. I rarely drive faster than 105 km hr as the vehicle really feels like it's working hard faster than that and the trailer only has 8" tires so they really spin. I believe the length of the trailer does affect wind resistance, I lengthened the tongue on ours to accommodate a storage box and tongue jack, moving the trailer box further away from the car; pretty sure that increased the drag on the highway. I checked out the A-Liner Ascape, it's empty weight is 1630 lbs plus it has a high profile compared to a tent trailer, IMHO it would not be enjoyable to tow with a 4 cyl Rav4.
 
#7 ·
Lucas123 said:
We tow a '69 Sears soft top tent trailer, its a tiny bit wider than the car, weighs about 500lbs empty and we jam another 200 lbs of stuff in it. Our 4 cyl does ok with it, no modifications, (the modifications explained above are great ideas) I use D3 until I get up to highway speeds or hilly terrain. I'll even use D2 in slow city traffic. Our camping trips are generally less than two hour drive one way. I have noticed seemingly minor changes to my set up alters the way the vehicle performs: If I put our mountain bikes on the roof of the car, the transmission shifts out of OD repeatedly on the highway to maintain speed. Put them on a rack behind the trailer, no problem. I rarely drive faster than 105 km hr as the vehicle really feels like it's working hard faster than that and the trailer only has 8" tires so they really spin. I believe the length of the trailer does affect wind resistance, I lengthened the tongue on ours to accommodate a storage box and tongue jack, moving the trailer box further away from the car; pretty sure that increased the drag on the highway. I checked out the A-Liner Ascape, it's empty weight is 1630 lbs plus it has a high profile compared to a tent trailer, IMHO it would not be enjoyable to tow with a 4 cyl Rav4.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that Lucas! Towing a heavier trailer with a 2.5 would be OK, as long as it’s loaded well (tongue weight rule) but yes braking and highway running would be a challenge.

RE your tongue extension: if your camper is a similar width to mine, I think the airflow along the sides and top if the RAV is able to bridge across to the sides of the camper if it’s a “normal” distance from the rear. But going longer, the air has a chance to get into the vacuum area behind the hatch, which then disturbs the airflow and creates more drag. I’ve had similar drag when I run with the bikes on top of the trailer, to the point that I’m considering adding a faring/shield to my rear roof rack when I have the bikes on top…


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#8 ·
I remember reading an article about wind resistance and pickup trucks; the conclusion was driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag and used more fuel. The logic is that there is little turbulence behind the cab as air swirls around inside the box and creates a faring effect. The main area of turbulence is behind the tailgate which has less surface area than the cab. Opening the tailgate moves the area of turbulence behind the cab. The tester used reading from the maps sensor to determine engine load at different speeds. Years ago we had a hardtop tent trailer that we pulled with a big v8 Pontiac. The drag was noticeable at highway speeds. One trip we brought a tandem bike with us; I put is across the open trunk with foam and strapped the lid partially closed on top of it. Nearly all the drag from the trailer went away as the partially open trunk lid sent the air over the trailer.
I was wondering if the larger front brake set up you installed would work with 16 inch wheels?
 
#9 · (Edited)
Lucas123 said:
I remember reading an article about wind resistance and pickup trucks; the conclusion was driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag and used more fuel. The logic is that there is little turbulence behind the cab as air swirls around inside the box and creates a faring effect. The main area of turbulence is behind the tailgate which has less surface area than the cab. Opening the tailgate moves the area of turbulence behind the cab. The tester used reading from the maps sensor to determine engine load at different speeds. Years ago we had a hardtop tent trailer that we pulled with a big v8 Pontiac. The drag was noticeable at highway speeds. One trip we brought a tandem bike with us; I put is across the open trunk with foam and strapped the lid partially closed on top of it. Nearly all the drag from the trailer went away as the partially open trunk lid sent the air over the trailer.
I was wondering if the larger front brake set up you installed would work with 16 inch wheels?
Click to expand...
I remember that test being run - although in my case I think it was MythBusters. Either way, same conclusion. I notice wind roiling off of transport trucks causing sideways instability when following in their wake, but tailgating way too close, for hypermiling, takes away the roiling.

As for the brakes, IIRC, DL175 has run these large brakes with 15” steel wheels. We do have weird calipers on these RAVs which means the wheels need a funny offset - a test fit is always necessary in our case. I got away with 17” Mustang wheels on mine even with the large brakes, but I have about 1mm clearance from the inner face of the wheel spokes to the brake caliper bracket.

Back to towing for OP: if you’re looking at that trailer, there’s a couple of points I’d like to strongly suggest:
1. Add the front brake upgrade - you won’t be sorry. Strongly consider the rear springs from the 3-row model too. And definitely consider an external transmission fluid cooler, with a flush.
2. Trailer brakes with electronic controller
3. Temper your expectations when towing, and get familiar with your gearshift - and on the freeway unless the trailer is lower than your roof, forget about using D - you’ll be in 3 most of the time. Like me, you won’t be setting any land speed records, and may not be keeping up with freeway traffic.
4. If something happens and you have a crash while towing, being over the tow rating you may not have adequate (or any) insurance coverage because in legal terms you’ll have overloaded your vehicle. Not likely to come up, if ever, but it’s good to be aware.

Hope you find a workable solution!


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#10 ·
I don't know about 15's but my stock V6 brakes fit over my 16" BBS set-up. I can't say about a factory 16" wheel.

I say that because I do know Subaru "big" OEM brakes from a Legacy GT won't fit under OEM Subaru 16" wheels but will fit under most aftermarket 16" wheels. YMMV
 
#11 ·
I felt around the calipers when I put my summer 16" tires on, not a lot of clearance even with the small brake calipers. I bought used snow tires on 17" rims but still running 16" for the summer. I was considering putting the larger brakes on when the time came, after reading Foryota's info about the upgrade, I'm always towing something around. I have just replaced the rear calipers (pins seized up solid) with Raybestos from Rock Auto, you don't have to return the core and the price was reasonable.
I also would suggest a transmission cooler too as the torque converter doesn't lock up in D3, creating even more heat.
I miss my old Pontiac for towing! Not an amazing tow vehicle but replacement parts like used transmissions were dirt cheap, now it's all vintage and expensive again.
 
#12 · (Edited)
The wheels are turning freely. About the meaning of how many people, so many opinions. There is always a "confrontation" between campers and caravans. In my case, an American motorhome with sliding slides - in terms of the volume of internal space and comfort, it gives 100 ..., no 200 points handicap to the caravan. Then the camper is more adapted to a dynamic route. On caravans, people go purposefully there (to the sea, for example, for 2-3 weeks) and back (in most cases). When traveling with a large family, there is always a question of local mobility, usually bicycles and scooters. Well, in my case, the motorhome is like a basic aircraft carrier. Those who disagree with me most likely prefer trains dbfahrplan.com or planes.
 
#13 ·
brucegeno said:
The wheels are turning freely. About the meaning of how many people, so many opinions.
Click to expand...
I'm not making any sense of your comment. What are you trying to say?
 
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