Fish-Hawk.Net

I'm thinking of trading in my cursed truck before the warranty expires and with the kids getting bigger by the day we're looking at maybe a van instead of another truck or SUV.
Do any of you use a van to tow on a regular basis and know which ones are reliable for this?
I'm a little worried about the tranny's. Any advice would be great!

Thanks, Steve

Hey Steve, it's not MT, it's the misses - using his computer - shshhhh

we tow with a pontiac transport montana, i know somebody else uses one as well - bobber maybe? our's is a 98, no problems with the van related to towing the boat.

the van is my daily driver and what we use for all trips and extracurricular activities (ie. fishing trips, out of town family visits, my 8 hour shopping adventures etc.)

this particular van has auto load level and traction control - both are good ideas for boat towing.

ml

Hey Steve;

I'm towing my big rig, 21' Bayliner, with a 1997 GMC Safary Van with absolutely no problems what so ever and it's a 6cyl. I also can tell you that I do a lot of towing, I'm all over the place.
This is just my experience, I hope it helps
good luck

fishchaser

may today be your best fishing ever

G.M 'S
Astro or Safari 4.3L motor, 8 people seating, 5500 lbs towing capacity.lots of power.solid van and lots of room for family.I have a 96 model,gives me 600 kms(city) and 700kms(HWY) on a full tank(90 liters)less with the boat towing(2300 lbs package)thats the only mini van GM has designed with that kind of towing in mind.and its built on a truck frame with good ground clearence like a truck for those tricky ramps.
CHRYSLER 'S I belive has the grand caravan for the same capacity,my buddy tows his 3000 lbs alumacraft package with it.no problems.but its on a uni body.
whatever you buy make sure has the transmission cooler in it or put one yourself($150 installed)worth every penny.

yep, Trainy cooler,got one, forgot about that one, It's a must, money well spent

fishchaser

may today be your best fishing ever

Thanks for the reply's guys. On the tranny cooler thing, if you buy new don't, I repeat don't install one yourself or have anyone else do it for you. Make sure it comes with one from the factory. I'm in a battle right now with two different Dodge dealers and the collision company that did repairs after I had an accident this summer on my 2002 Dacota. The cooler was replaced after the accident and now a few months later I need a tranny job done. 58000km's and one dealer tells me my warrantee is no good because I have an aftermarket cooler installed and its defective causing all the problems. Funny thing is the collision company bought all the parts for the repair from a Dodge dealer . Now there all playing the blame game as to who's at fault. Trucks had a curse from day one. Once its fixed I think its time to move on.
Thanks again for the help, Steve

haha, sure sounds familier of what happened to me. I rear ended another
Vehicle,$7000.00 damages with my almost new Van, it went to a body shop, they somehow hooked up the cooling systen wrong and sure enough a short time later the engine blew up. Brought it to the Dealership
and of course once they found out that it was in accident claimed everyone else for the misshap except their own. What that Manager didn't know was that their own Bodyshop did the work. Had quiet a battle on my hand who was going to pay for the replacement engine. At that time I didn't care who was to pay what since I had a rental from them for almost two months.

fishchaser

just word of advice if the minivan is front wheel. be careful on steep ramps. weight tranfer. as for crashing. i just got my ram diesel back. rear end tore right out plus box. hope i dont have any proplems you guys have had

steve i have a 97 safari (4.3l) with a tranny cooler and agree with fisher and fishchaser i have had no problems with mine 179,000km later great for pulling.I have a tandem utility trailer 6 tons cap and have pulled it many of times loaded with firewood that,s besides the numerous camping trips with a 19' camping trailer and 15'boat behind(the boat some times on top of the van) (a feat in i'tself) and the van loaded with a week of supplies.ONLY SUGGESTION SEE ABOUT AN ALL WHEEL DRIVE VERSION i would like one for my next vehicle P.S. If anybody is interested in my rooftop carrying system I can tell you what i did later allan

Only one choice, Safari or Astro! They are a solid reliable van, lots of pulling power, not too bad on fuel and have very few mechanical breakdowns. They are proven vehicles with many of them hitting 300 000 kms and still going strong and from what I have noticed, the bodies hold up reasonably well.
I would definitely not even consider the Dodge or Plymouth Caravans. Many reasons as to why, but the biggest is the costly transmission repairs that as accompany those vehicles, almost all have some type of tranny trouble, usually right after the warranty expires. Just my 2cents!

depneds on what you tow.My Chev venture van easily tows our 15' aluminum.although towing anything bigger would be a concern.

Bought this van used and had new tranny installed less thana year later , never towed anything prior.Just bad luck i guess.
Astro or Safari good bets for heavier towing.

tinbanger

just to follow up on the type of vehicle to buy for towing. The only downside to the Astro or Safary is the Legroom for the Passenger.
For a long trip a little bit uncomfortable.

fishchaser

may today be your best fishing ever

I have a 1995 Safari now. Used to have a 1987 Astro. These vans have the best towing capacity in their class. 5000Lbs. You wouldn't have any problem towing with these. The big Vortec V6 4.3 L does a great job. You don't really need a trany cooling rad but wouldn't hurt especially on long hauls. Good Luck!

I totally agree with Fishchaser, the leg room is bad for both the driver and front passenger. I find the driver's seat doesn't go back far enough. But lots of cargo space and headroom.

Passenger leg room...haha! Most of my passengers sit in the back either playing PS2 or watching Dvd's, I will agree the front passenger area is a little cramped though.