Considering the MPG 183, but now concerned...

Hello,

My long term goal is to live and travel in an RV, back and forth from FL to Ohio. That's a ways off though. I'm a single mom and I have a 5 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. I have dreamed of RVing my whole life, so it's time to stop dreaming and get started, even with something smaller. I have researched many travel trailers, but this is my dilemma. I saw the MGP and loved it. I like the 183 for the bunk bed for the kids. Just going through some of the posts, I saw someone with a Honda Odyssey, and they said they were pushing the limits with the Odyssey. That's so disappointing, after seeing people online pulling it with their smaller cross-overs, I thought for sure I would be able to pull it. I'm sure we would travel light, and the kids are small, so it's really less than 2 adults in the van. Anyone have any luck with an Odyssey with a lesser load? I can't really trade in the the van, it's the kid car and paid for. Can't go for a new vehicle and a camper when I'm trying to shoot for cash purchase. Thanks!

Shellie in FL
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Shellie,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure you will get some opinions from some of our other members soon. The main thing is to be safe when towing, whether large or small.

Enjoy the forum and join our family.

Jim M
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Hello,

My long term goal is to live and travel in an RV, back and forth from FL to Ohio. That's a ways off though. I'm a single mom and I have a 5 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. I have dreamed of RVing my whole life, so it's time to stop dreaming and get started, even with something smaller. I have researched many travel trailers, but this is my dilemma. I saw the MGP and loved it. I like the 183 for the bunk bed for the kids. Just going through some of the posts, I saw someone with a Honda Odyssey, and they said they were pushing the limits with the Odyssey. That's so disappointing, after seeing people online pulling it with their smaller cross-overs, I thought for sure I would be able to pull it. I'm sure we would travel light, and the kids are small, so it's really less than 2 adults in the van. Anyone have any luck with an Odyssey with a lesser load? I can't really trade in the the van, it's the kid car and paid for. Can't go for a new vehicle and a camper when I'm trying to shoot for cash purchase. Thanks!

Shellie in FL

I've been doing a little Googling on the Honda Odyssey and the MPG 183.

The Honda's tow capacity is 3500 pounds . . . and the MPG 183 shipping weight is 3800 pounds . . . GVWR is 3500 pounds.

You'll need a bigger vehicle to tow your family safely, I'm sorry to say.

Heartland is installing a new website and the MPG section is not up yet, so found one at a local dealer's website for the specs.

Here is a link: http://www.rvamericainc.com/rv/aurora+co/heartland+traveltrailer/3787/heartland+mpg+183
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
John - thanks for helping Shellie out.

For reference, MPG production was discontinued a couple years back - so the specs may no longer be on the Heartland site.

I wish I had better news for her as far as the towing capacity . . . if only she could get a larger SUV!

As for MPG being discontinued . . . I didn't realize this!

They are pretty cool little trailers . . . I've looked at them at several different dealers.
 
I've been doing a little Googling on the Honda Odyssey and the MPG 183.

The Honda's tow capacity is 3500 pounds . . . and the MPG 183 shipping weight is 3800 pounds . . . GVWR is 3500 pounds.

You'll need a bigger vehicle to tow your family safely, I'm sorry to say.

Heartland is installing a new website and the MPG section is not up yet, so found one at a local dealer's website for the specs.

Here is a link: http://www.rvamericainc.com/rv/aurora+co/heartland+traveltrailer/3787/heartland+mpg+183


John, thanks for looking at that for me. Bummer! :( I'm just not happy with any of the smaller 15' range trailers I have seen. And at this stage in my life, a larger vehicle isn't really practical for every day hauling kids and friends everywhere/gas prices. I am still going to follow this site - I love one of the Heartland 5th wheel models that has the bedroom and the bonus room at the other end. I may some day have an RV and a condo, but instead of a condo I might go for one of these! Thanks for the help.
 

Jimmyd

Member
"The Honda's tow capacity is 3500 pounds . . . and the MPG 183 shipping weight is 3800 pounds . . . GVWR is 3500 pounds.

You'll need a bigger vehicle to tow your family safely, I'm sorry to say."

Probably too late to make a difference....FWIW, I towed our MPG with a 2008 Chevy Uplander minivan - (3.9L V6, added airbags, trans cooler and used a WDH) for two years. Also, this is out west in the mountains and the desert....higher speed limits, etc. Up as high as 10,000 feet, interstate, some desert tracks and sometimes on logging roads. Also up and down Cajon pass, Arizona strip (I-15), The sisters on I-80 in Wyoming, etc. Not the same as going back and forth to Florida. Just saying it can be done. I had zero, repeat zero problems. Obviously, we weren't rolling at 75 mph up anything, but that's a poor idea no matter what your setup. This was with our MPG 185. I kept the load sane....just sayin' Two kids, two adults, and on one trip, add one each gramma. Again, maybe it's because I don't know any better, but seemed fine to me.
 
Seeming to be fine and actually being fine are often very different. You can tow all manner of RV's with about any TV with a decent engine. However, towing does not mean the same as towing safely. How good would that Honda stop in a crisis situation? Why risk injury and death when it can easily be avoided?
 

Jimmyd

Member
Scare tactics. I towed the same trailer with a similar vehicle, personally, and had zero problems or concerns. I assume that that Honda would stop approximately as well as my Chevrolet, which was pretty darn good. Internet experts are always willing to tell you what cannot be done that they have never tried. There is another thread here where another internet expert is advising against towing an MPG with a 4.0L Explorer! Perhaps we all need super duties to tow our little teardrops about....
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Scare tactics. I towed the same trailer with a similar vehicle, personally, and had zero problems or concerns. I assume that that Honda would stop approximately as well as my Chevrolet, which was pretty darn good. Internet experts are always willing to tell you what cannot be done that they have never tried. There is another thread here where another internet expert is advising against towing an MPG with a 4.0L Explorer! Perhaps we all need super duties to tow our little teardrops about....

yja5uvep.jpg

Click to enlarge
 

Fachi28

Member
Hello,
I have a similar question, we have a 2011 Nissan Xterra and we're considering purchasing an MPG. What are my chances?


Thank you,
 

Shortest Straw

Caught In A Mosh
Hello,

My long term goal is to live and travel in an RV, back and forth from FL to Ohio. That's a ways off though. I'm a single mom and I have a 5 year old son and a 10 year old daughter. I have dreamed of RVing my whole life, so it's time to stop dreaming and get started, even with something smaller. I have researched many travel trailers, but this is my dilemma. I saw the MGP and loved it. I like the 183 for the bunk bed for the kids. Just going through some of the posts, I saw someone with a Honda Odyssey, and they said they were pushing the limits with the Odyssey. That's so disappointing, after seeing people online pulling it with their smaller cross-overs, I thought for sure I would be able to pull it. I'm sure we would travel light, and the kids are small, so it's really less than 2 adults in the van. Anyone have any luck with an Odyssey with a lesser load? I can't really trade in the the van, it's the kid car and paid for. Can't go for a new vehicle and a camper when I'm trying to shoot for cash purchase. Thanks!

Shellie in FL



The MPG 183 has a GVWR @ 3800 pounds and a dry weight of 3272 pounds according to the Heartland flyer. So in theory your Honda could tow it but you wouldn't be able to load much before exceeding your tow capacity.

http://www.mcdowellsouthrv.com/cmsAdmin/brochures/HeartlandMPG.pdf
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Shellie, trailer towing specs are somewhat of a shell game with smoke and mirrors, dealerships will tell you anything to get you to buy. DO NOT believe a salesman.

There are multiple factors involved to determine if you can safely tow a trailer.

1. Your vehicle's weight, loaded for travel with people, pets, stuff, fuel, hitch.

2. The towing capacity of your specific year, make, model, and options.

3. The hitch weight of the towed trailer, loaded

4. The loaded weight of the trailer

5. The maximum weight of the trailer. (GVWR)

6. The combined maximum weight of the towed trailer plus the vehicle. (GCWR)


All these numbers play a part in the safe towing equation, and as you can see as a buyer, you are missing some of these because you don't know how much things "might" weigh.

A great website to help you get educated is here:

Www.Fifthwheelst.com

They have info for conventional towing as well as 5th wheel towing.

Good luck in your search!


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Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Scare tactics....HUMMM. Well then I should be able to pull a 19K Cyclone with a 150/1500 with a gas motor. Just because you can do it does not make it right or safe. Just let us know where you will be when you do it.

At the CG I'm in.... a couple was pulling an Airstream that had a GVW of near 9K with a Versa. Is that safe JimmyD???? You scoff at us....but I am not willing the be injured or killed by someone who thinks anything goes when towing. Nuff said.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Scare tactics....HUMMM. Well then I should be able to pull a 19K Cyclone with a 150/1500 with a gas motor. Just because you can do it does not make it right or safe. Just let us know where you will be when you do it.

At the CG I'm in.... a couple was pulling an Airstream that had a GVW of near 9K with a Versa. Is that safe JimmyD???? You scoff at us....but I am not willing the be injured or killed by someone who thinks anything goes when towing. Nuff said.

You got that right, Bob . . .

Scare tactics they are not!

While our old Dodge Ram 1500 was more than capable to 'pull' our previous 2013 Heartland Trail Runner . . .

All it took for me was one scare where I almost couldn't stop it to decide to upgrade my truck.

This shot was taken about 30 minutes before the incident that made this the last time my most beloved vehicle of all time (1996 Dodge Ram 1500) out of all of the vehicles I've ever owned in my life, ever towed our RV:

EstesPark-IMG_2845.jpg

Coming down the mountain from Estes Park, CO, a trailer being towed in front of me made an emergency stop . . . and as I came around a blind curve on the mountain the road, I very barely stopped inches from the back of the stopped trailer!

I almost $#!+ my shorts!

NewTruckTrailerLevel-IMG_20140918_130913251.jpg RifleCO2014-IMG_2931.jpg ProwlerMonarchPass-P1010480.jpg

Doesn't matter what your tow vehicle can pull . . .

It is what your tow vehicle can STOP is the most important consideration.

By the by . . . can't wait to meet up with youz guyz in Vegas!

And don't worry . . . the HELMET will be there!
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
John, that was my point. Most anything can pull it....BUT WILL IT STOP IT. Most and I said most, trailers will out weigh the TV. If for some reason you loose the trailer brakes, they get very hot or what ever. You are SOL if you are on a down grade. Smaller TV's do not have the brake size to stop both vehicles. Very hot...smoking drum brakes are useless and now the TV is on it's own to stop the whole mess. On a 5 or 6 mile 6% + downgrade I'm sure there would be a tragic ending.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Add to the fact the sway issue. When your trailer is out of the weight guidelines, there's more chance of bad things happening (think uncontrollable fish-tailing) when a semi passes or a sudden gust of a crosswind.


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