A 24 ft TowLite weights well over 4,000 lbs. My 21 ft 95 weights 3,400 lbs dry weight no water ect. had it weighed. My 22ft 2209 weights 3860 Dry weight. With 30 gals of water at 8.3 lbs per gal add another 249 lbs. plus full propane tanks, food, bedding, clothes, etc. it weights well over 4,000 lbs.
The weights marked on some of the older trailers was wrong, my 21ft 95 TowLite was listed at 2400 lbs also.
There is no way a 24 ft Hi-Lo can only weigh 2400. Get it weighted and you will see.
There is no way your mini van should pull that trailer.

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Rich
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(215TL) - 1995 21' TowLite
(2209T) - 2009 22' TowLite
99 Ford Explorer 4DR 4X4

Welcome to the Forum! I'm afraid that this trailer is just too much for your mini-van. You should ideally tow about 80-85% of your tow vehicles rated towing capacity. If you had a vehicle that was rated at 5000 lbs, that would be sufficient.
The ammonia smell indicates a leak in your refrigerator somewhere. RV refrigerators use ammonia as the refrigerant instead of Freon or the Freon replacements used in automobiles, etc.
Hope this helps!

Jeff

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2007 22T
2005 Explorer

Hi Mary Kay,
Ditto the above entries.
Regarding salty roads... You can do it, just get under there and clean as soon as possible. Leaving the exposed portion of the hydraulic ram, cable, pullies, and other related hardware coated with salt residue and corroding would be very bad. The above components should be inspected and lubricated periodically even if not pulling through winter salt.
Jim

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1967 17' Hi-Lo Bon Voyage (1967-1969)
1969 19' Hi-Lo Bon Voyage (1969-2011)
2004 27' Hi-Lo TowLite (2010-present)
2007 Chevy Suburban

With an ammonia leak you should not turn the fridge on, this will cause it to leak more and ammonia gas is very harm full. I would say that you should not stay or sleep inside the trailer until the leak is fixed or the fridge is removed.

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Rich
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(215TL) - 1995 21' TowLite
(2209T) - 2009 22' TowLite
99 Ford Explorer 4DR 4X4

charliek,your comments about automatic transmission coolers and changing the fluid are very truye advice. Our 97 Ford F250 came with everything Heavy Duty and set up for towing. We baby our truck and get the tranny fluid changed every two years,depends on miles. Get your rear end differential fluid changed also.as per your operators manual.Don't forget if your truck is 4x4 to have your transfer case fluid changed. At the price of a new truck these small investments of $ pay big dividends in the long run. Take care of your truck and it will take care of you!!!!

Automatic transmission is usually the best choice for towing service . A manual is okay but only for experienced, careful shifters. With automatic, just remember a few precautions: make sure your vehicle has a transmission cooler, keep a gently throttle foot when possible, and remember to always disable overdrive to prevent excessive wear.

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And remember, it is no embarrassment to slow down and shift down on those steep hills. Shifting to a lower gear helps to keep the engine and transmission cooler by them not having to work as hard.

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Great Wife, Joyce
2010 2310H Hi-Lo
2012 F150 4X4 SuperCrew EcoBoost w/Leer Cap
Reese WD Strait-Line Hitch
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