towing decisions

[SGT76]

I recently purchased a 2004 XLE and completed DIY Curt 13256 install thanks to the information on this forum. Now I'm on to the next part of preparing to tow our '97 Jayco tent trailer. We used to tow it with a Mazda Tribute with a regular hitch - no problems. But, as I have read and now seen - the height from the ground to the receiver on the Sienna is less than the Tribute.

So what is the best solution - using a WDH or an Air Lift 60732 Kit.

To make it more complicated, I also want to carry our bikes with a Swagman towing bike rack.

Which way to go: WDH and another method to carry the bikes or Swagman towing bike rack and an Air Lift Kit?

I would really appreciate any advise you might have!

[brian_bp]

I assume that idea would be to use something like the Swagman Original 4 Folding Towing Rack. Unless the trailer is exceptionally light I think this would be very undesirable, and likely to exceed the Sienna's hitch capacity. The extended ball mount (which Swagman calls a "tow bar") used to provide space for the rack moves the ball far away from the Sienna, giving the trailer tongue's weight lots of leverage which

• shifts load from the Sienna's front axle to its rear axle,
• allows the trailer to adversely affect the Sienna's control, and
• causes excessive load on the hitch receiver's rear mounting points.

The Sienna is rated for up to 350 lb of hitch load in weight-carrying mode, but that assumes that the load is on a ball close to the bumper. Extend it out, and you have much less capacity. A weight-distribution (WD) system can address that problem, but the rack can't be used with a WD system.

Air assist for the Sienna's rear springs can be an effective way to maintain normal rear suspension ride height, ensuring adequate hitch clearance; however, it does not increase capacity of the hitch, structure, or suspension.

Can the bikes go on the Sienna's roof, or on the top of the trailer? Even a bike rack over the trailer's tongue (it would need to fold or remove to allow the trailer to be set up) would be a much safer configuration.

[SGT76]

That is the Swagman product that we wanted to use, but I was never comfortable with the idea of towing with it. Your comments affirm my doubts. As for the the bike rack, I don't really want to drill holes into the roof, but I am leaning toward this bike carrier from ProRac: www.prorac.com/tenttrailerpro.php.

The air lift kit costs about $130 all fees factored in, and a WDH costs in the $300 range. If the air lift kit keeps the clearance at an acceptable level - then I will probably go with that set up.

The third decision is to whether or not to install a brake controller - I have read that some Sienna owners do and others don't depending on what there towing. Is there a weight point at which you must have a brake controller?

[LiDAR4U]

The third decision is to whether or not to install a brake controller - I have read that some Sienna owners do and others don't depending on what there towing. Is there a weight point at which you must have a brake controller?

Toyota recommends that any towing of a trailer over 1000lbs you must use a trailer with brakes and with a brake controller.

[brian_bp]

As for the the bike rack, I don't really want to drill holes into the roof, but I am leaning toward this bike carrier from ProRac: www.prorac.com/tenttrailerpro.php.

That looks like a great setup to me.

[brian_bp]

The third decision is to whether or not to install a brake controller - I have read that some Sienna owners do and others don't depending on what there towing. Is there a weight point at which you must have a brake controller?

Toyota recommends that any towing of a trailer over 1000lbs you must use a trailer with brakes and with a brake controller.

I would say that Toyota requires trailer brakes at that 1000 lb level, and personally I strongly recommend heeding that requirement.

Trailer brakes can be electric with a controller, which is by far the most common system for recreational trailers (other than for boats), but there are other options. Unless the Jayco is exceptionally small it should already have brakes, and if it does they will almost certainly be electric so to use them means wiring in a controller in the Sienna, or using something like Tekonsha's interesting (although expensive) remote-mounted Prodigy RF.

[SGT76]

Uncommonly, the tent trailer has surge brakes that we removed when we bought the unit (rusted and inoperable). My idea is too either repair the surge brakes - in this case there is no need for a controller - or to convert the axle to electric brakes. Cost wise - I think repairing the surge brakes will be the cheaper option.

As a side thought, if I had a electric brakes, then I would need the 6 or 7 prong plug for the wiring harness. However, when I installed the Curt Hitch, it comes with only the 4 flat wiring harness. If the Curt hitch and wiring harness were truly custom fit for a Sienna, shouldn't they include a wiring harness that supports using a brake controller? Perhaps I've missed something - is there an adapter that I need to buy, or do I need to replace the whole wiring harness?

[brian_bp]

Uncommonly, the tent trailer has surge brakes that we removed when we bought the unit (rusted and inoperable).

It's a good thing I said they would "almost certainly" be electric!

My guess is that this trailer was part of a rental fleet.

My idea is too either repair the surge brakes - in this case there is no need for a controller - or to convert the axle to electric brakes. Cost wise - I think repairing the surge brakes will be the cheaper option.

Assuming that the surge brakes are hydraulic drums, I suggest that you make sure that the replacements are "free-backing", meaning that they do not engage when the trailer is pushed backwards, even though that is compressing the coupler just like braking when moving forward. If the brakes are not free-backing, then you need to manually lock them out whenever you back up (not a recommended plan), or you need to wire up a reverse connection to run a lockout solenoid valve... and although you don't need a controller you're still custom wiring.

As a side thought, if I had a electric brakes, then I would need the 6 or 7 prong plug for the wiring harness. However, when I installed the Curt Hitch, it comes with only the 4 flat wiring harness. If the Curt hitch and wiring harness were truly custom fit for a Sienna, shouldn't they include a wiring harness that supports using a brake controller? Perhaps I've missed something - is there an adapter that I need to buy, or do I need to replace the whole wiring harness?

All of the commercially available wiring harnesses for the Sienna handle only the lighting. For trailer brakes, battery charging, and whatever you might put on the 7th auxiliary connection, the lighting harness is supplemented with custom wiring. Options are:

• cut off the 4-pin connector and connect the wires into the 7-socket and add the other wiring; or,
• plug the 4-pin connector into an adapter sold for this purpose, which is a 7-pin socket with 4-pin input connector plus three more wires... which still need to be connected to custom wiring.

6-pin connections are pretty rare now; the 7-pin flat-blade "RV" or "Bargman" style of connector is almost universally used for recreational trailers, with the 7-pin round-pin connector as standard practice for lighting of air-braked commercial trailers.

[p220sigman]

I added the Airlift 1000 to ours along with the onboard compressor and have been very happy with the results. I actually added it prior to getting our popup. With our bike rack loaded with the 4 bikes, the hitch would hit on even slight dips. The Airlift solved this problem completely.

We have a larger popup so I really had no option but to add a 7 pin connector and brake controller. It really wasn't that much of a chore. I ordered the connector, wiring and controller from e-trailer.com. I have Prodigy P2 controller. It was on sale at the time and I didn't see any features of the P3 that were worth the price difference. The connector I chose has the 7 pin connecter and beside it, the 4 pin connector. It had a short plug to plug the existing 4 pin connector into and then I had to run the other wires. Running the wires was probably the hardest part of the whole job.

I personally, don't like to tow with surge brakes. It just generally isn't a pleasant driving experience, especially if you are in any kind of traffic that requires you to brake often. It wasn't an issue for me because my popup was already equiped with electric brakes.

[wegngis]

Toyota recommends that any towing of a trailer over 1000lbs you must use a trailer with brakes and with a brake controller.

Is this in the owner's manual?

[brian_bp]

Toyota recommends that any towing of a trailer over 1000lbs you must use a trailer with brakes and with a brake controller.

Is this in the owner's manual?

Yes.

Hmmm... I suppose you wanted a more specific reference. I'll try to remember to look that up later.

[brian_bp]

From the 2004 Sienna Owners Manual, Section 3 - Starting and Driving, subsection Trailer towing, page 386:

If the total trailer weight exceeds 453 kg (1000 lb.), trailer brakes are required.

From the 201 Sienna Owners Manual, Section 2-5. Driving information, page 339:

When towing a trailer
If the gross trailer weight exceeds 1000 lb. (453 kg), trailer brakes are required. Toyota recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all applicable federal and state/provincial regulations.

The format of the owners manual changed at some point between 2004 and 2011, but this requirement statement seems to have survived intact, so it seems reasonable to assume that it was always there. The section number and title will depend on whether the year of interest uses the older or newer manual format.