Given your intended tow vehicle, I'm not sure wholehearted CONGRATULATIONS are
in order.  Never forget:  You get what you PAY for and there is no such thing
as a free lunch.  That said...

That says it all right there unless there is only YOU camping and you were
given an EXTREMELY small popup camping trailer.

There's really no need to go much further:  Especially if you are a family,
using this minivan to pull a popup camping trailer will finish the van off
rather quickly.  The first to go and frequently the most (or second most)
costly item will be the transmission.

You have done much "homework" but it's really more than enough.  For those
that have BTDT, we know what works and what doesn't - or shouldn't.  For
absolute accuracy, one should tow their lashup, enroute to a real outing, to a
public scale and get real data.

By simple virtue of the fact that the minivan does NOT have the tow package,
your SAFETY, and the safety of those sharing the road with you, would be
compromised by the likely lesser-capable brakes on the minivan, at least.

In the real world, you will have beat the limit to death and gone well beyond.

That depends on whether it is a bath towel or cast iron skillet.  IOW, there's
no good answer except to use a scale.

No.

Tow packages vary widely.  In the case of the typical minivan, I suspect the
upgrade includes larger brakes and radiator and, certainly, the engine.

Auxiliary transmission cooler.

Steel?   [ducking]   :)

Hitches are rated from I to IV (I think).  The rating implies the maximum
weight rating of the hitch.

My first popup hitch was a Class I permanently attached to the station wagon.  
My second wagon got a Class II hitch which featured a removable drawbar - a
HUGE convenience for which my shins are eternally grateful.

Not much.  There may not be many (any?) worthwhile suspension upgrades for
your van short of replacing the springs which would be quite expensive.

There is no better way to "finish off" a minivan than to turn it into a
trailer-towing vehicle, particularly if the van is loaded near, at or beyond
its rating.  Just because you were GIVEN a popup doesn't mean you HAVE to use
it to the detriment of your bank account.

Mom, Dad, two kids, a couple trikes, the usual "rock and anvil collection" of
camping gear, towing a trailer with an overloaded minivan is a sobering
thought from a vehicle longevity and safety standpoint.

Good luck.  You would do well to get a "bigger horse".

OK, here is my real-life experience with my 1998 Sienna, and it does
conflict with the book-speak.  We bought it new without the towing package.
I put a class II hitch on it and have been towing our popup for much of its
175,000 miles.  I have no transmission cooler, the original style brakes,
which work fine once you realize that you now have more mass to stop and the
stopping distance is longer and my popup did not have brakes on it.  (I just
got a new popup since my old one (Coleman Rio Grande Destiny) got rear-ended
and the new one has brakes, so I just upgraded the electricals to include a
brake controller now.)  IT is my understanding from when I bought the Sienna
that the tow package included just the hitch and the transmission cooler -
no extra braking, no bigger engine (this engine has all the power that you
will need).  There is not much else you can do to boost its towing capacity.

I have found the Sienna to be a good tow vehicle for my needs.  We fill it
up with all the camping stuff, the family of 4 and go, about 5-9 times per
year.  The Sienna itself has held up very well, with only the normal stuff
replaced.  The transmission is just fine and I expect it to continue to be
just fine through the next half of its life.

A class II hitch is for loads up to 3500 pounds, 350 pounds tongue weight.
The square hole is 1 1/4 inches across.  A class III has more capacity than
you will need, but has the advantage of using the 2 inch receptacle.  You
will find that other accessories that plug into the hitch receptacle, like
bike carriers and cargo platforms and even propellers <grin> for when you
are not towing, commonly come in the 2 inch size and _much_ less frequently
come in the 1-1/4 inch size.  The class III is also more expensive.  You
will need to get the wiring done for the trailer lights too.
Tomes

Burke wrote:
<<<<I have unexpectedly been given a pop-up camper.  We don't have the
tow
package for our 2001 Sienna, so its towing capacity is 2000 lbs. >>>

I'd check in with the Sienna newsgroups and see what their experiences
are. I've posted my experience with an 03 Odyssey which seems similar.
Weigh the camping equipment on a scale . I'd guess around 350 pounds
but that could vary widely .  I'd get an after market efficient tranny
cooler, prodigy brake controller,and  airbag suspension for the rear if
available.I took out the second row seats( minus 150#?) , "family
weight " 450 lbs, installed a class 2 hitch.
I get  20+ mpg, 24mpg  without.  Tows great . No problems so far 3000
miles  See Tome's post for more experienced view.

eddie07

I know I am late to the party here, but I have lots of experience with
OVERLOADING a Dodge minivan.

The differences between your vehicle without the factory tow package
(2000 lbs) and with a tow package (3500 lbs) equate to the weight of your
newly acquired trailer; hopefully this emphasizes it should not be taken
lightly.

Those tow package differences are likely to be:
higher output alternator
higher output battery
stiffer shocks/struts
additional oil cooler
additional transmission cooler
heftier brakes/pads

You can research to find the actual differences.

As for pulling and power, the lack of additional fluid coolers with
eventually take a toll on the vehicle. Overheating on grades is more
likely as well. These coolers can be added - and many times aftermarket
items are better in many ways - but of course might void your warranty
coverage.
But the feel good answer is, yes, your 01 Sienna can "pull" this popup.

What about stopping?
Whether you have the tow package or not, you will want brakes on the
trailer. This might cost you $400 or more! But many states have varying
weight requirements for a trailer and your may not specifically require
them (and wouldn't need to if your tow vehicle was a big 1-ton truck with
a 5 liter diesel). But when you are closer to the limits of the tow
vehicle you need the electric brakes.

You already addressed the actual load and weight handling.
Many try to only load their tow vehicles to 75% of the rating; this
allows room for extra food, water, error, or maybe a souvenir boulder or
two :)
Sounds like your 1400 lb trailer will easily balloon to 1650 or so when
"wet", and your current rating of 2000 lbs minus the 700 lbs of family
people leave only 1300 lbs of max capacity --- so with or without gear as
equiped you should not pull a 1400 lb trailer.

Other things to consider are the terrain you will be traversing.
I drive hundreds of miles and go from sea level to 10,000 foot peaks - so
scrimping on the safety factor is bad.  If you are going to pull it along
a level sparsely travelled road you can get by closer to the limits.

So can your vehicle pull and safely manage such a trailer?
IMHO, not currently. It could probably be outfitted to do so in a safe
manner (although still barely as your total family/cargo weights barely
leave enough capacity for the camper).  Do I think you should go buy a
tow vehicle? Well, yes and no - and I think the justifications are above.

Good Luck!

Hi,
With 888 pounds left over for stuff you will be very close to being at
the maximum GCWR when you add in gas for the tow vehicle, propane tanks,
water, clothing, food, battery, coolers etc.  Also I believe that the
maximum tow rating weight for the Sienna is for a trailer with brakes.
You might want to find out what the maximum weight Toyota says is OK for
a trailer without brakes if the pop up you have doesn't have any.

Front wheel drive vans and vans with unibody construction are not the
best tow vehicles.  There is no frame to attach the hitch to on unibody
vehicles and you put a big strain on the transmission and drive train
when towing with front wheel drive vehicles.  Most cars and light vans
built today are not designed for towing, the reason for the low tow
ratings.  They are only good for towing a light utility trailer for
picking items up from Home Depot, hauling trash etc.

What will happen if you tow with this vehicle?   Who knows?  For one it
will depend upon where you are planning on going with the pop up.  In
the flat the 210 HP (max HP at 5800 RPM not likely you will be reving
the engine that fast all the time except going up hills) 220 ft. lb.
torque engine might be ok.  On any hills or hilly terrain it will
struggle.  In the mountains out west it will crawl, as in some places in
the east.  Same thing going down the mountains will the brakes hold up
especially if the pop up doesn't have any?

You need to get a hitch that can handle the hitch weight of the fully
loaded pop up, usually 10-12 percent of the fully loaded weight.   As
for the maximum tongue weight ratings for the tow vehicle being 200 lbs.
that's probably to make sure you don't tow to big of a trailer with a
hitch that isn't attached to the frame :)  Only thing that can lower
that is a weight distributing hitch.  I don't know if they make a weight
distributing hitch for a trailer with that low of a tongue weight, they
might.   As hitch sizes go up Class II, III, IV tongue weight limits for
the hitches increase as do their towing capacities.  Is this 200 lb.
tongue wight limit in the book based on the size of the hitch?  Or is it
a limit on the vehicle no matter the hitch size?  If I were you I would
contact Toyota and ask them about the tongue weight limits.

You can tow a pop up or travel trailer with a garden tractor.  Towing
it easily and safely and stopping it the same is another matter.  Mini
vans, especially unibody front wheel drive, were not designed as tow
vehicles, no matter what you see them pulling around or what their
owners say.

Take care and Happy Campin...