We are on the hunt for a vehicle that will tow our TT and be an everyday vehicle for my wife and kids. Our TT is a Jayco 27BHS with a a GVWR of 8,250. Kids ages are 7,6,5,2 and a baby. While they are small now, they are only getting bigger and fitting into our Odyssey is getting tedious. Currently we are using our pickup to tow and driving two cars to camp which is incredibly inconvenient. That aside, we are also not sitting on a huge pile of cash. We are on the hunt for something in the 20,000-$25,000 range that will haul all of us and the trailer. Our trailer is new and we are planning on hanging on to it for quite a while. Any suggestions?

Look for a E350 Ford passanger van. The right combination of engine and rear end can make for a good tow vehicle.

The heavier Nissan vans may be an option too. The trailer is going to be nice and cozy with everybody on board. We have three younger kids and I feel about spent every night at bedtime. You must be downing red bulls like water to keep up with five kids of those ages.

x2 on the full size passenger van. A large SUV like a 2500 series Suburban would handle the trailer fine, but it would be even harder to load kids in and out of than a minivan. The Chevy Express 3500 also makes a great tow vehicle in addition to the Ford E350. The Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit are nice vehicles but neither is capable of pulling your trailer with your family loaded into the van.

Another vote for a 3500 van. Have fun.

donn0128 wrote:Look for a E350 Ford passanger van. The right combination of engine and rear end can make for a good tow vehicle.Yep, that's what we have. It's a V10; it wasn't easy to find, but it's been great for us so far; tows 10,000 pounds

Family of 7...... | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

rowekmr
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
I briefly had a E350 van with the V10 (forgot which year) and it had plenty of room for my family of 5 and pulled my trailer in signature fine. Plenty of room for the kids to have their own space and I like the upright seating of the van and rear heat/ac. It had a 2.73 gear IIRC so if I was cruising legal at 60 mph it would bog in OD when trying to accelerate on hills. I either cruised faster or forced it out of OD. Only sold it because I needed 4wd and couldn't afford the Quigley conversion.
sparechange
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
There are a lot of ford excursions around with the 7.3 diesel. Probably be hard to do much better than that for that many people and cost.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Nov 12, 2016
Don't underestimate the Ford Transit 350. Payloads run around 4500 lb, tow ratings around 7000. Look for an off-lease fleet vehicle.
rjstractor
Nomad
Nov 12, 2016
IdaD wrote:
The heavier Nissan vans may be an option too.

I keep forgetting about them. They are a little odd looking, but have great towing and GVWR specs that are fairly comparable with GM and the discontinued E series Ford.
Dadoffourgirls
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
A 3500 Express Van with the 6.0 will work. You should be able to find them in your price range.
kokotg
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
donn0128 wrote:
Look for a E350 Ford passanger van. The right combination of engine and rear end can make for a good tow vehicle.

Yep, that's what we have. It's a V10; it wasn't easy to find, but it's been great for us so far; tows 10,000 pounds
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
Another vote for a 3500 van. Have fun.
rjstractor
Nomad
Nov 12, 2016
x2 on the full size passenger van. A large SUV like a 2500 series Suburban would handle the trailer fine, but it would be even harder to load kids in and out of than a minivan. The Chevy Express 3500 also makes a great tow vehicle in addition to the Ford E350. The Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit are nice vehicles but neither is capable of pulling your trailer with your family loaded into the van.
IdaD
Explorer
Nov 12, 2016
The heavier Nissan vans may be an option too. The trailer is going to be nice and cozy with everybody on board.

We have three younger kids and I feel about spent every night at bedtime. You must be downing red bulls like water to keep up with five kids of those ages.
donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 12, 2016
Look for a E350 Ford passanger van. The right combination of engine and rear end can make for a good tow vehicle.

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Family of 7......

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