Hello and question

[Shellee-XRD]

Hello to everyone



I am completely new and don't have an RV yet! We've been doing a lot of shopping around and discussions of pros and cons, and we'll probably decide on our rv sometime in the fall.



I thought this would be the best place to ask a question.... we looked at a Slingshot this weekend (GT23CK model) and we really love it. The dry weight is supposed to be about 3100 lbs. The dealer assured us this could be towed by our minivan, which has a tow capacity of 3500 lbs. He told us the Slingshots are made to be towed by minivans and the fact that they show a minivan towing one on the cover of their brochure is proof of that.



I'm really nervous about the idea of towing a vehicle that is so close to the weight maximum for our van. Does anyone have experience with this? Are these really towable by a minivan? I sure don't want to do damage to my (brand-new) van!



Thanks for any help you can offer.



Shellee

 

[jgerni]

Welcome to the forum!

Once you load the trailer with camping gear you will be over 4000lbs. With the weight of the trailer, passengers and the large frontal area of the camper I feel you will work that minivan to death plus it may be a bit hard to handle as well. IMHO...I don't believe that setup will be in your best interest. I'm sure others will chime in as well.

 

[BipeFlier]

+1



In addition, most mini-van transmissions are not known for their robustness!



You might be better off with a smaller trailer or (better yet) a larger tow vehicle.

 

[Aimless1]

Sad to say that RV dealers are not your best source of information for towing. The problem is not moving the trailer. It's the heat generated in the transmission damaging it, it's lack of stopping power and the question whether you prefer to have the tow vehicle control the trailer or have the trailer wag the tow vehicle. Easy to verify. Spend some time on rv.net in their towing forums for additional info.



Best to look for a lighter trailer such as a trailmanor or a more robust tow vehicle.

 

[martinto]

A week ago we picked up a new GT26RL Slingshot registering 3560lb dry weight with options from the factory. I have a Buick Enclave with a 4500lb tow rating package. The actual hitch is rated at 5200lbs, but I didn't use that in my safety margin factor calculation. Using the tow feature activitated, which changes the transmission shift pattern, I drove 150 or so miles from the dealer to home and she cruised nicely. I had a weight distribution hitch added as well. I'm sensistive to the weight that will be added with gear and such, so Iwill monitor it closely.



Not sure what a minivan will pull, but at a minimum, you need to consider factory tow rating and how the mini van is configured for towig. If not with a tow package from the mfg'er, have the experts look at your vehicle and get their opinion about what, if anything can be modified to haul the trailer safely, e.g. transmisson cooler, radiator mods, etc.

 

[spinella]

how about a sunset trail hybrid?

 

[martinto]

Oh, alsoto my note that preceded this...good luck with your search and decision. We will be going to the Texas Hill country in two weeks for our first outing in the Slingshot. You can find a link to the pics of ours in the Slingshot link on this forum.

 

[ralphcindy]

We purchased the Slingshot a few months ago. The weather was still chilly and we did not venture out utilizing the plumbing. My husband decided he better check it all out before we head out in a couple of weeks. Well upon running the water through the pipes he discovered several leaks; under the kitchen sink and the toilet. We are not happy. We purchased the lighter, smaller trailer because we figured the kids were getting older and would not be coming with us much longer. The dinette bed set up was not designed very well. The one cushion to cover the table does not fit properly and slides out from underneath the person sleeping! When we do have someone with us you would hope they would be able to get a decent night sleep not end up sleeping half on the cushions half on the table! When the dinette is set up the cushions do not stay affixed to the walls; cushions bow and the velcro does not hold. This we found upon opening the door after travel and the cushions were all over the floor. Oh and don't travel with the table up that will slide all over the place too! We purchased one of the first off of the assembly line. I now see that was a mistake. I have heard they are now coming off the line with a back bumper. Ours did not, only an 18" enclosed opening in the side of the body to squeeze a hose into, YUCH. We are currently waiting for the dealer to install a rear bumper. My husband is currently at the dealer hoping to resolve the leaky pipes and condensation buildup in the rear tail light causing that to malfunction. If they do not send the new models out for test runs and allow campers to use them and critique them then they should. Other than that our Dodge Ram pulls it down the road like a breeze and you don't even know it's there!

 

[ryeja]

We purchased the Slingshot a few months ago. The weather was still chilly and we did not venture out utilizing the plumbing. My husband decided he better check it all out before we head out in a couple of weeks. Well upon running the water through the pipes he discovered several leaks; under the kitchen sink and the toilet. We are not happy. We purchased the lighter, smaller trailer because we figured the kids were getting older and would not be coming with us much longer. The dinette bed set up was not designed very well. The one cushion to cover the table does not fit properly and slides out from underneath the person sleeping! When we do have someone with us you would hope they would be able to get a decent night sleep not end up sleeping half on the cushions half on the table! When the dinette is set up the cushions do not stay affixed to the walls; cushions bow and the velcro does not hold. This we found upon opening the door after travel and the cushions were all over the floor. Oh and don't travel with the table up that will slide all over the place too! We purchased one of the first off of the assembly line. I now see that was a mistake. I have heard they are now coming off the line with a back bumper. Ours did not, only an 18" enclosed opening in the side of the body to squeeze a hose into, YUCH. We are currently waiting for the dealer to install a rear bumper. My husband is currently at the dealer hoping to resolve the leaky pipes and condensation buildup in the rear tail light causing that to malfunction. If they do not send the new models out for test runs and allow campers to use them and critique them then they should. Other than that our Dodge Ram pulls it down the road like a breeze and you don't even know it's there!

With all the leaks described, did you not have a PDI done with the dealer?They definatley charged you for PDI as it'son every dealers invoice unless you are buying privately. As for the tailights they are a crap design, mine filled with water, causing the bulbs to break and not work. I realized this after travelling for about 1500 miles. I even had a local sherriff behind me and he never stopped me to let me know. Since replacing the bulbs I've run a bead of clear silicone all around thelightto keep any road splash or rain from entering in. That was over a year ago and so far so good.

 

[martinto]

Sorry to hear of such issues with the SS. We got ours a couple of months ago. 2 times out camping and a 3rd scheduled for July 4th week. We have the GT26RL and had no such issues so far. Tripped a circuit once when we tried to run the microwave when the ac was on high.



The dealer service guy reviewed his check listwith us in detail(pre delivery process) before we took possession. He also conducted about a 2 hour introduction which I recorded on a video camera...boy was that helpful the 1st time out!



Hope the dealer can help improve your experience.

 

[ralphcindy]

thanks for the feedback. Dealer did make good on the rear tail light by replacing it and corrected plumbing issue. Apparently some of the PVC pipe was smashed (his words) we have no clue how that happened as it never had a drop of water in it since we bought it. They did install a rear bumper but it was about 2-3 inches too close so the inside corner of the cover had to be cut out to enable the cover to be removed and replaced with ease. We picked up a piece of cushion to use on the dinette when set up as a bed. We still have the issue with the cushions on the dinette. Any ideas for securing them to the walls? Maybe we should have them replaced? They do bow which looks like the bottom half of the cushion may have been pulled too tight. I don't believe snaps would work since there isn't much behind the walls.

 

[dalemac]

As far as securing the cushions to the walls, you could try some velcro strips.

 

[Greenhorn-FRF]

We had a Ford Windstar and pulled our popup and it was about all it could do to pull it through hills. It pulled nice on straight roads and we were able to stop ok . Although it was only 1700 lbs empty with gear and occupantsprobably close to 2500 or better. It had a 3.8 l V6.

 

[martinto]

The key measures with the TV isHP, torque ratings, tow package and weight distribution. My TV has 280 HP with approx 275 ft lbs of torque, came with factory tow package and I had a weigth distribution hitch installed. My TV is rated at 4500lbs and my trailer is at 3600 lbs. I tow with the "tow function" on and don't have any problems. I haven't got to the mountains yet. That will bethe real test.