The Odyssey is a great towing vehicle, mainly because its such a good all-around useful car. We upgraded to the Ody from the Element for the 3,500# towing limit, which allowed us to upgrade our trailer from a 13" Scamp to a 17' Casita, both being fiberglass and "low" weight.

The minor downside is the outrageous amount Honda charges for their hitch, transmission cooler, and power steering cooler package. Dealers seem to charge about $1,200 for this - I got it for $750 as part of my purchase negotiation - basically what I would pay for the parts from a discount dealer, like HandA. Of course, you can also go the after market route and save more money.

Some pictures:

Have you considered a supplemental airbag suspension such as the Airlift 1000 in the rear suspension? I've read people that have them swear by them.

http://www.airliftcompany.com/al1000.html

Honda requires the use of a Weight Distributing Hitch for all trailers over 1,800# (as I recall), so I have one of those and that mitigates the usefulness of an airbag system. Airbags don't solve the problem of shifting the hitch weight to the front axle to stay within the Honda specs for hitch capacity.

Have you considered a supplemental airbag suspension such as the Airlift 1000 in the rear suspension? I've read people that have them swear by them.

http://www.airliftcompany.com/al1000.html

That's not a bad idea. The only thing I don't like about loading down, or towing a vehicle equipped with independent rear suspension, is the fact that the rear tires will do this when the vehicle is weighed down: /---\. This wears the heck out of the inside edge of the rear tires.

Joel

i will be towing a vw bug from san jose,ca to sacramento,ca. i installed a class 2 hidden hitch. will this do the job? any advice?thanks!

i will be towing a vw bug from san jose,ca to sacramento,ca. i installed a class 2 hidden hitch. will this do the job? any advice?thanks!I've towed a couple of cars across the country with less than a Class 2, so you will have it easy. Just be sure to get the towed vehicle's tail lights tied in, or use stick-on lights.

Are the Airlifts hard to install. I've been considering installing them for a while. I don't tow anything with our 2nd gen ODY, however when fully loaded with our 3 kids and all the periphenilia.....it certianly gets a little soggy in the rear end.

How long to install and is there anything real special about the mod?

I plan to tow a 17' Casita Liberty Deluxe with my 2000 Odyssey. Rather than a WDH, I will have air bags installed in the rear coil springs.

But I am undecided about the need and desirability of a sway bar. Reports are they are noisy in rainy weather and make parking more difficult. Any experience and comments about a sway bar for my rig? Thanks. h

Air bags don't provide the same function as a WHD, and you should reconsider that plan.

As for a sway bar, they are generally recommended, although with my WDH I'm not sure it's needed but I continue to use it. It doesn't make any noise.

I've used WHD on a Ford LTD and it really makes it easier
to brake and handling of the steering greatly improved. I kept the hitch set up.

I hauled a cargo trailer with 3 full size BMW motorcyles in it. The WHD worked flawlessly. I think the bushings can wear in the WHD but they are replacable. I'm going to get new ones for my set up once I'm set up on my (new to me) Oddy.

Plan on installing a Class III hitch on my Odyssey (which I'm in process of purchasing.).

We are thinking of purchasing a small trailer to tow behind our 2010 Odyssey and are looking for any advice or information that may be helpful in our decision.

Stay well below the 3,500# limit, as the "stuff" inside the trailer and car will add up on a trip and soon you'll be at 3,500 anyway!
Get a trailer with electric brakes so it can do its share of braking.
Travel at 60-65 and enjoy the trip and save on gasoline.
Consider the need for a weight distributing hitch if the tongue weight of the trailer is excessive (mine was 550#)
Put an auto-resetting breaker on the charge line to the trailer to avoid having a blown fuse and an uncharged trailer battery.
Visit the small trailer sites on the web and search on Odyssey for more personal stories.