I'm pulling a trailer with my van from Redding Ca to Wa for a move any tips?

[KrisQ]

I'm moving out of my native California with a fully loaded 6x12' trailer and my family! We are driving a 2000 dodge gran caravan and I've never been passed Redding. What can I expect? We drove 12 + hours yesterday and found Willaims, Ca! Lovely little town!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Where are you going? Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.

Mark

[DonnaR57]

If you're headed up I-5 while towing, you'll find a couple of mountain passes that might be a little slow going for you. One is just past the Oregon border. Stay to the right and don't let anyone try to intimidate you by honking at you. (Most are courteous and just pass you on the left like they're supposed to.)


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

I've got to say, I'd recommend a different way of moving your stuff.

Even at its best, the Caravan is only rated to tow a maximum of 2000 lbs, and a uhaul 6x12 trailer is 1900 empty! If you've got trailer fully loaded, then you're putting yourself at risk for all sorts of bad things.

At best, you could be doing some serious damage to your van. The transmission will see severe wear, and things like your engine and brakes will all suffer as well.

Throw in the mountainous terrain it appears you'll be dealing with and I'd say you'd be at a high risk for a catastrophic failure while on the road. At best, that could mean a breakdown where you have to spend a lot of time and money getting back on the road. At worst, it could impact your ability to safely stay on the road, and lead to a serious crash.

I can tell you that, unless there are some details that I'm not aware of, I would not tow with the set up you've described, especially over a long distance over mountainous terrain.