Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

[oceansbreeze]

Well, I'm sorta stumped. I'm about to order a new 2006 Four Winns 180 Horizon from my local dealer after a lot of comparison shopping, andI 'm satisfied (finally) with my choice..<br /><br />I need a good tow vehicle, I had decided on either a) Dodge Caravan b) Pontiac Montana or c) Chevy Venture.... as this vehicle will be a work vehicle mon-fri and a tow vehicle on weekends only.<br /><br />So I drove to the big city to buy a van today....and was immediately told neither of these will do the job as a tow vehicle for a 2500lb boat....<br /><br />I'm baffled... I see EVERYBODY towing their boat with a Caravn or similar.... unless I buy one with a "special tow package" from the factory, which has a special transmission?? Advised to stay away from these by 2 dealers..... tucked my tail between ly legs and drove back home to seek help here again...<br /><br />Not sure what to make of this... Either of thexse vehicles fit idelaly into my daily life. The marina is a 5 mile drive from here.... while I plan to use it locally, I would like to tow it a couple of times a year 125 miles to another lake where the family cottages are... (I guess this isn't critical, but, would be nice)<br /><br />Can somebody fill in the gaps here on these vehicles, what I should be looking for ??<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Bruce<br /><br />edit: PS: is there ANY "car" on the market that is capable of towing a boat like this?

 

[tommays]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

It sounds like they said it will tow it BUT needs the towing package which is true for any car in that class<br /><br /><br />I own a 99 Venture and a 05 Equniox and i would say that you need a towing package i cant realy say what that is in your van<br /><br />GM usally only offers 1 driveline in the minivans Chrysler offers there Van with 4 and 6 cyl motors in a wide varity <br /><br /><br />Keeep in mind that if your van has a tow rateing of 3500# you have to include the weight of your family and STUFF in that rateing <br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

The 2500 pound weight sounds about right but then you have all the gear, gas, food, and other toys to consider so its very easy to get that load well over the tow rating for your vehicle. Because you see many mini vans towing trailers doesn't mean its ok to do so. Trailer brakes would certainly be advised for that combination. The only mini van I would suggest would be a Chrysler with the 3.8L motor. Be aware that the transmissions are the same whether you have a towing package or not. The towing package may include a transmission cooler and possibly a different final drive ratio. That said, if stuck to the five mile home-to-marina trips any of the others would be ok. BUT -- once you have the boat you will be off to other places and you would be unhappy with any mini-van as a tow vehicle with one exception. A Chevy or GMC Astro (no longer made) with the 4.3V6 and all wheel drive. These are not economy champs but that's what you are dealing with. If you need power you must sacrifice economy. The other option is one of the smaller crew cab pickups. I have an Chevy S10 crew cab that gets 21 MPG empty and 17 towing my boat. Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are the current replacements for the S10. Still gives you seating for six with cargo capacity. Other than that you have the mid-size SUV's. All vehicles I mentioned are far better tow vehicles than a mini-van. Been there & done that.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

The Biggest Problem I've seen with Trying to use a Mini-van is Pulling the Boat Up the Ramp...........<br /><br />Front wheel Drive Sucks,...... Unless you happen to Like the smell of Burning Rubber........

 

[KM2]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

I have a four winns 180 horizon and the dry weight is near 2500# That doesn't include the trailer. Add fuel, gear, cooler etc That's another 1000# <br /><br />My first tow vehicle was a 4.0l jeep grand cherokee and it was fine around town but struggled to get up to highway speeds. I felt it was working that truck too hard. <br /><br />A mid size suv such as the trailerblazer, envoy, v8 explorer, v8 jeep would be the smallest vehicle I would consider.

 

[bluewater19]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Try finding a good low mile used chevy Astro van. It will pull your boat with no problems. It can also be had with AWD. Tow package was very common with these vans.

 

[DJ]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Bruce,<br /><br />Many minivans are rated to tow about 3500 pounds. Your boat may be near that limit. Don't forget about things like: fuel, gear, trailer, etc., in your weight calculations.<br /><br />The trouble with MOST minivans is that they are front wheel drive. Front drive vehicles do not do well on inclined launch ramps, which can be a disaster.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Had to pull my 19ft fish n ski with my wifes Sienna mini van when my truck broke down last year. Gets a little dicey in the curves if going faster that 55 mph Boat wants to to push the light rear end of the minivan off the road. Can be done but must go slower than normal to be safe.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Minivans just aren't good tow vehicles. Upinsmoke is right on about the smaller crewcab pickups. All the passenger room of a minivan plus better cargo area.<br /><br />Please don't fall into that "it's just 5 miles" trap. Too many folks focus on how much they can pull and not how much they can stop. It just takes one moron to cut you off and KA BAM you've had a wreck. Trailer brakes aren't the magic pill either. The brake system on a minivan is just not designed to stop that much weight in a hurry.<br /><br />Oh yeah, all the usual stuff- how much does the boat weight? How much does the trailer weigh? How much gear do you bring along? How much gas does your boat hold (multiply that by 6.5)? How fat are your wife and kids? No offense to the wife, but passengers count too. Etc, etc... a minivan won't cut it.<br /><br />Sorry <br /><br />

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Oceans - I really see the opposite, most people tow with pickups or SUV's the ones I see with mini vans are small boats or PWC.<br /><br />The minivans I see always struggle at the ramps one reason is they are low to the ground so they cannot go out into the water to float the boat. So the guys are always having launch problems because the boat is still ON the trailer and nothing is floating yet<br /><br />when they retrieve the have to crank the boat all the way up.<br /><br />Easy retrieves are where you can floate about 1/2 way up the trailer then crank it the rest of the way.<br /><br />On the car scene - almost ALL of the cars that are front wheel drive are in that 3500 pound range - you have to go to some of the rear wheel ones to get above that range<br /><br />Tomatolord

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

i say if you don't want truck, go to suv with towing package.

 

[dorelse]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

If you want a mini van, and you know you'll be under the tow rating, get one. You'll be fine. I tow our Glastron 18ft I/O with a 04 Kia Sedona. It comes from the factory with the tow package included as a standard feature.<br /><br />I have yet to slip on any ramp I've used. Plus, I'd rather have 2 front wheels dry, than RWD with both tires wet sitting in the water. I've towed up gravel, wet, slimy, dry cement...never an issue. Mine has a front traction control system so that may have a lot to do with it. <br /><br />I tow our boat 400 miles to our cabin 2x a summer in July heat, and never have any issues. <br /><br />Use common sense, don't drive 75mph, and don't take corners at high speeds. You certainly don't need a F250 diesel to tow your boat though as some like to claim.

 

[oceansbreeze]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

thanks for all that helpful info... It makes sense, and more logic to the stuff the dealers were telling me to sell a van. <br /><br />My last boat was an 87 Chriscraft (absolute lemon) and I had a Chev S10 4x4 at the time, before that, I had an 82 Glastron and owned a Chev S10 2x4 Extenda Cab... A truck doesn't fit into my current lifestyle, and those Crew Cabs are *nice* but out of my current price range.... I find it funny I have no problem shelling out $25,000 for a new boat, but won't spend $8,000 on a used vehicle... *lol* guess where my priorities lay huh?<br /><br />I think I'll have to up my vehicle budget, *or* consider leaving her lay in the marina all summer.<br /><br />It will take 5 weeks for the new boat to arrive anyways, so I have a lot of time to consider my options, thanks for the great info! I think it helped a lot more than just me too. <br /><br />I also found a great list of trailering specs on a boat dealer's website.... I don't think live links are allowed here, so just edit the hXXp to http in your browser, it lists a huge amount of vehicles and their capabilities! *very* helpful.<br /><br />hXXp://admin.pagelite.ca/ocadmin/download.php?itemID=1140

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

I'd get the van you want and pick up an older vehicle to tow the longer distances with. Even with no tow package, the van will be fine for a 5 mile trip to the lake. Used to tow a pontoon boat(2500# loaded) 300 miles round trip every other weekend with a 93 caravan 3.0 and it did fine. Sure it struggled on some of the hills, but so does my F150 here and there. May not have been the most prudent thing to tow with, but it worked fine. So I think your 5 mile journey would be OK...BTW- Still have the van with 198,000 on it now and going strong...

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

It's not just about how much weight you can pull guys. You need to be able to stop it in an emergency. You gonna chance mowing someone down just so you can enjoy your boat?

 

[dorelse]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Vehicle engineers & manufacturers also consider emergency braking when they publish a tow rating for a vehicle. If the trailer you're towing is under the vehicles tow rating, it is also rated to stop that load in emergency situations. Of course it can stop the recommended load in an emergency, that's the whole point of a Tow rating...just because it isn't called a 'Tow & Brake' rating, means nothing, one rating includes the other.<br /><br />Nothing replaces common sense and defensive driving when towing any trailer, but I absolutely do not subscribe to the 'My tow setup is the only viable tow solution.' theory. Not all of us have a triple axle trailer weighing 7000 lbs, so tow needs will vary from others on the board.

 

[BillP]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Front wheel drives don't work well at most of the ramps I launch at. You may want to hang out at the ramp you will be using and see if front wheel drives are ok there.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

Originally posted by dorelse:<br /> Vehicle engineers & manufacturers also consider emergency braking when they publish a tow rating for a vehicle. If the trailer you're towing is under the vehicles tow rating, it is also rated to stop that load in emergency situations. Of course it can stop the recommended load in an emergency, that's the whole point of a Tow rating...just because it isn't called a 'Tow & Brake' rating, means nothing, one rating includes the other.<br /><br />Nothing replaces common sense and defensive driving when towing any trailer, but I absolutely do not subscribe to the 'My tow setup is the only viable tow solution.' theory. Not all of us have a triple axle trailer weighing 7000 lbs, so tow needs will vary from others on the board.

So your theory is that a minivan exceeding its towing capacity will be ok?

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

My truck is rated for 8900 pounds.<br />My old suv was rated for 5300 pounds.<br />I pulled the same 4200 pound load behind both of them.<br />Guess which one stops better?<br />Don't give me that "manufacturer rating" is gospel routine.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mini Vans as a Tow vehicle

There are other factors to consider when hauling things or towing. Every vehicle regardless of type has maximum front and rear axle weight ratings. The combination of those two figures is the vehicles GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Without a trailer attached, it is entirely possible to overload the rear axle on most vehicles. May car for example has a "payload" or load rating of a little over 1000#. Put four 250 pounders in the car and its at its maximum payload. Trucks become even more sensitive to this issue. Put a load in the bed, attach a heavy trailer and the tongue weight may put the rear axle weight over the limit even though the trailer is well within the maximum rating for the vehicle. Over the road semi drivers get nailed for "over axle weight ratings" all the time. Those ratings are posted on the decal inside the drivers door or on the glove box lid. To complicate matters more, trucks have a GCWR rating which is the maximum combined truck-trailer weight. Again, its easy to go over those ratings so just because the trailer weight is within the limits, other ratings may be well over maximums. Visit the "Trailering" section of the Specifications sheet for any of the truck manufacturers.