Equipping 2008 Chrysler Town and Country for Towing 2200 lb Pop-Up Camper  

Question:

Helpful Expert Reply:

As a first step, I'd recommend definitively finding out the tow capacity of your Town and Country. The 1800 lb capacity sounds about right. The owners manual states that vehicles equipped with the 'trailer tow package' can handle up to 3800 lbs (with only two people in the vehicle). The trailer tow package almost certainly includes a transmission cooler, but there might very well be other upgrades like different gearing or suspension modifications that provide the increased towing capacity. I'd recommend you contact your Chrysler Dealer to determine exactly what the 'tow package' on the Town and Country constitutes.

If your dealer tells you that adding the relavent equipment will increase your towing capacity, you should be good to go. Otherwise, you'll need to abide by that 1800 lb capacity which wouldn't be enough to tow your pop-up.

For a transmission cooler, unless you live in an extremely cold climate, we recommend getting the largest transmission cooler that would fit in the space available. The ideal location to install the cooler is directly behind the grille, in front of the radiator and a/c condenser. The # D13502 cooler should work well, but you'll want to measure the available space to be sure there's enough room for the # 11 x 7-1/4 x 7/8 size of the cooler.

The Mini 350 has been discontinued, but Reese offers the # 66557 system for trailers with total tongue weights ranging from 250-400 lbs. The first step in choosing a weight distribution system is determining the tongue weight of the trailer when it's fully loaded and ready to tow. To that figure, you'd add the weight of anything (people, cargo, etc) stored behind the rear axle in the cargo area of the van. The combined total of these two weights represents the total tongue weight (TTW) of your trailer. Your TTW should be somewhere in the effective range of the system you choose. A weight distribution system will eliminate the sag caused by the trailer tongue weight compressing the rear van suspension by using leverage provided by the spring bars to transfer a portion of that tongue weight to the front axle of the vehicle. I'll link you to a help article that further explains how weight distribution works. The system I mentioned includes the weight distributing shank, but the trailer ball is sold separately as # 63847 for a 2 inch ball or # 19260 for a 1-7/8 inch ball.

If your van doesn't already have a trailer wiring harness, you'll need to install # 118552. If your pop-up has a 4-pole, you'd be good to go at that point. However, if your pop-up has a 7-pole connector and trailer brakes, you'll need to install a brake controller using our Brake Controller Install Kit, part # ETBC7. For a brake controller, I highly recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy P2, # 90885.

I've linked you to the parts I recommended, and also to some install videos and help articles you might find useful.

expert reply by: Mike L

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