Got a Curt Class III hitch... & should I get an aux. cooler?

[justsomeguy]

I might be needing to tow an enclosed cargo trailer if I move out west in a few months, so I decided to get a trailer hitch installed now, just in case. The place I went to sells only Curt hitches and convinced me that they are the best because they're made in America (apparently all the others are made with cheaper steel in China, or so they say). And not only that, Curt is in the rust belt (Wisconsin perhaps?) so they know the value of making a hitch that will resist salt corrosion.

The only downfall I can see is that my hitch is rated for a gross trailer weight of 4000 pounds, whereas all of the other Class 3 hitches seem to be rated for 5000 pounds. The electronic brake controller would have been an extra $650 so I skipped it, which will probably limit me to smaller single axle trailer that do not have brakes. But if I really need it, it can be added later.

Do you think I made the right choice with the Curt hitch? And do you think I should get an auxiliary transmission cooler? My van is a 2005 Astro 2WD with the tow/haul button, and I believe that means it also has some sort of transmission cooler built into the radiator. I'm about to get my transmission fluid and filter changed in the next few weeks, so this would be a good time to add an auxiliary cooler if it's not overkill.

I'm not sure if this is average, but a 6'x10' enclosed trailer I was looking at online shows that the GVWR of the trailer is almost 3000 pounds with a maximum payload of 2000 pounds. I'm not sure if that means the empty trailer weighs 1000 pounds (and can take 2000 pounds of payload) or does the empty trailer weight 3000 pounds? And it can be ordered with a V shaped front to make it more aerodynamic, not sure if that has a big effect on those ratings.

With the weight of the van, me, cargo in the van and cargo in the trailer, I don't want to overload it, especially if I'll be driving though the Rocky Mountains. I don't want to find the brakes are inadequate or to burn out the transmission. My van used to be a police van, and has Goodyear Triple Tred SUV/Van tires and the suspension seems to be good (still sits high and rides nice and tight, maybe police vans had heavy duty springs)? See pics. Since my van is a 2005 it has 4 wheel disc brakes and I got new bearings now so the ABS works properly.

[Leeann_93]

All the vans come with a tranny cooler in the radiator.

Get an aux tranny cooler. Period. If you want your tranny to make it, you need the cooler along with using the tow/haul button.

If you can, get a brake controller. You can find and install them yourself for a heckuva lot less than $650 and, if you're headed into the mountains, you will need the extra braking.

[Shad0wXCalibur]

I went with the Hidden Hitch rated at 5,000 pounds. No, I will not try to tow that much but its nice to have the reserve. And YES! I definitely agree on an auxiliary cooler. Mine gets hot to the touch in summer just driving around with no load. So I bet the life of the transmission is being reduced every time you tow without a cooler unless you tow in winter or change fluid every time you tow.

[justsomeguy]

Thanks for the replies! Sounds like it's a good idea to get the auxiliary transmission cooler then. Anything that can help prolong the life of the transmission is a good thing, but I'm not even going to try installing it myself. Maybe a transmission shop would be a good place to go for both the fluid and filter change as well as the auxiliary cooler. Maybe Aamco? Or even my local jack of all trades mechanic?

If I've got the tow/haul button, should I still select "3" instead of "Drive" when going through the Rocky Mountains, or just any stretch of road with lots of hilly terrain? I tried the tow/haul mode once just for fun... it seems to delay shifting, and it shifts with a bit more of a noticeable "jump" between gears. Does it do anything else?

About the Curt hitch... I was under the impression it was rated for 5000 pounds and was a bit disappointed to find out it was rated for just 4000 pounds (found this out AFTER it was installed). I don't know if I'll actually need this extra capacity, but it would have been nice to have in reserve, or at least as a safety buffer. Oh well...

For the brake controller, it may be easy to install, but I'm not very mechanically inclined. Looks like I can get a Curt brake controller for $53 from JC Whitney. If that's all it costs, then those trailer shops have a HUGE markup on parts and labor! One shop told me it takes about 4 hours to install in an Astro.

[Leeann_93]

Have your local mechanic do it if there isn't a local tranny shop around. Whatever you do, avoid AAMCO at all costs.

No. Put it in Drive and select Tow/Haul. It does the rest.

Ask the local mechanic/tranny shop to give you a quote on installing a brake controller you already own.

[justsomeguy]

OK, thanks for tips Leeann! I'll avoid Aamco. I thought since they were transmission specialists it might be a good place to go. But I'll stay away from them. There are a few small independent transmission shops in my area, so I'll check them out. Or maybe even the mechanic who did my brakes and bearings. I just want to make sure it's someone who knows what they're doing, that's why I'm thinking a transmission shop. They've probably installed transmission coolers on lots of Astros, and will do a good job on a transmission fluid flush & fill and filter.

And I'm sure I can find someone to install a brake controller that I supply. The mechanic who did my brakes and bearings might be up for it and will probably give me a good cash deal. But if he's never installed one before, I might be better off looking for someone who has.

[Philly758]

I can relate to a lot of this so I'll give my

- I also have a Curt hitch. I don't remember it being rated any less, but after the engineering safety factor and the fact that I wouldn't tow something that is pushing the limits of my van more than 100 ft or so, I should be good. I actually like how the hitch installs too, its easy to do by yourself since it comes in 3 parts instead of 1 big heavy hitch.

- A 6x10 enclosed cargo trailer should not be a big deal for the Astro. Definitely get a aux trans cooler, they are cheap and are relatively easy to install yourself if you are handy. I would read up on transmission flushes, they are kind of controversial and I believe that they can cause more harm than good. I would suggest just dropping the transmission pan yourself (can be a little messy, but if you take your time its not bad), replace the filter, get yourself a new pan with a drain plug in it (since you saved yourself the money on the flush and they can be had for under $50), reinstall and put new fluid in. You should be able to install an aux cooler yourself for under $100. Say $20 for filter, $20 for fluid and $50 for the pan... You can do all of this work for about $200.

- In 2010 I drove 4 guys and a fully loaded 6x10 enclosed trailer from CT to CO in the middle of the summer. We drove straight from Denver to Breckenridge, out the Vail, back down to Breck, up to Winter Park/Granby, then back down through Denver on the way back. I have a 2000 with front discs and rear drums, the braking wasn't GREAT, but it got the job done, didn't warp the rotors and I'm still on the same pads/rotors 25k later. I think a brake booster might be overkill, unless you are planning to drive up and down the mountains all of the time. If you are that concerned I would just do a brake job on all four corners and call it a day. I mean it will need that eventually anyways and brakes aren't a bad thing to keep working like new.

So in summary. I don't think you made a terrible decision on the hitch. Install a trans cooler and do the fluid/filter change yourself. I think you are fine with your brakes, but if you are that worried I'd just do a normal brake job. E

ither way, good luck!

Here is my build thread where I talk about a few of these things: viewtopic.php?f=127&t=13150&start=20

[Lumpy]

GVW is the total (gross) weight of the vehicle, in this case the trailer, including cargo. If your trailer is 3000 GVW with 2000 lb cargo, that means the trailer itself weighs 1000 lbs, you can add up to 2000 lbs of cargo. My 89 Astro 2WD shortie GVWR is 5600 lbs. Yours is similar. Adding just 1000 to that (empty trailer) is an almost 20% increase in weight. Add 3000 is over 50% increase.

Reread whatever LeAnn says above and do that. Aamco is not really a transmission specialist. They're a KFC of auto repair. Cheap labor, cheap parts, move customers in and out, always try and upsell to keep the franchise afloat. They're only "transmission specialists" because their corporate advertising people are telling you they are.

A cooler costs about $100. It's incredibly simple to install. There's more than one how-to write up here on this forum. Even if you're not inclined to do it yourself, if you read through those how-to's you'll get an idea of what's involved when you pay someone else to do it. It's about an hours worth of labor for a shade tree mechanic. Should never take more for a professional. Doing it at the same time as a fluid/filter replacement is a very good idea. Also while you're having that done, install or have them install a transmission pan drain plug. The plug itself costs $4. Installing it involves nothing more than drilling one hole and bolting the thing into place. It makes your NEXT fluid change roughly eleven gazillion percent easier.

I would put elec brakes on even a small utility trailer if it was an option. Without them, every slow and stop feels like there's someone up your butt. Adding 3000 lbs load to your Astro is a heavy load. That's like putting ~20 people in your van. Your front brakes especially are going to take a severe beating, get monsterously hot and need replacing much sooner. If they're going to fail, it's surely going to be at the worst possible time, like when you're heading downhill, accellerating, and you suddenly see a construction zone coming up. Brakes never fail overnight while parked in the driveway.

WITH elec brakes, and once you get them set, you can pull a really large and heavy trailer and barely even know it's there. They're sometimes a little fickle to get set correctly. Try and get a controller that is NOT dependent on the angle of where it is mounted in your cabin. Older, and current less expensive controllers have mercury tilt switches that sense slowing and stopping. As you go up or down hill, those mercury switches are affected and goof up the braking. Newer controllers have velocitometers that aren't tilt dependent.


Lump

[justsomeguy]

Thanks guys! I definitely want to add an auxiliary transmission cooler, and not from Aamco! Either a trusted mechanic or a local transmission shop. I've changed transmission fluid in a car once, and do not look forward to doing it again, so I will time it with the new trans cooler and get it all done at once. Maybe even a drain plug to make things easier on whoever changes the trans fluid next time.

Good point on those brake controllers. This is something I knew nothing about until just recently, so that extra information will help me choose a good one. I have not bought or rented a trailer yet, but I like the idea of trailer brakes - especially if I end up driving through the Rocky Mountains (and that aux trans cooler will be good for that trip, as well as extend the life of the transmission through daily use).

Since my van is a 2005, it has 4 wheel disc brakes, and I just got new pads and rotors for the front and back, as well as new rear calipers. So I should be all set with brakes for a while now. As for the Curt hitch, it's going to stay. It's good quality, and brand new. In retrospect, I might have chosen another one, but now that it's installed, it's staying. If it will be OK for a 6x10 trailer with 2000 pounds of cargo, then that should be fine. Thanks for the explanation, Lumpy. And Philly, I remember reading your build thread a while ago, but it was good to read it again. Knowing more now than I did then, I got a bit more out of reading this time.

[Leeann_93]

Use a local tranny shop, if at all possible. Many shops say they can do tranny work but don't have the knowledge these things require. It is a specialty.

Ask them how much they'd charge to install a brake controller, too....and order one online somewhere.

[Lumpy]

Here's the brake controller I installed on our big Ford tow vehicle, and the place we bought it. Several install videos listed on that same page for various kinds of vehicles.
http://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controlle ... 90195.html


Lump

[justsomeguy]

Good point Leeann, I definitely want to have someone who works on transmissions on a regular basis, and there's a small transmission and brake shop in my area that's been there for years. I know transmissions aren't the only thing they do, but it's one of their specialties, so they would probably be a good place to go to. You're right, a lot of places will say they can do the work just to get the business, but I don't want them learning how to do something, or practicing on my van. I'd rather have someone who's done it a 100 or 1000 times, even if it costs a bit more. I've found it's worth it in the end. That can apply to so many things - automotive or not.

Lumpy, that looks like a pretty good brake controller. I'm staring to know a bit more about how they work now. The videos on that page weren't working when I checked, but I've bookmarked it and will check back later. In any case, I'd rather pay a pro to install it for me, but good to know what's involved anyways.