Towing with a Van

[Anmacc2]

My tow vehicle is a Chevy Express Van and I pull a Keystone Passport Elite. I am close to capacity but still have wiggle room. Have a w/d hitch with anti sway and it pulls straight and tight. Anywhere I go I am the only one using a van as a tow vehicle. My question is why am I the only one? What am I missing? Lots of pick ups and SUVs but no vans???

[Passport2250RB]

As long as you are within lb limits on tow and hitch weights, you can tow with anything. Vans can be about the same price as pick ups but a box limits load dimensions and often have noisier interiors due to the thin metal walls. Passenger vans, well all those seat can get in the way.

It's worth stating that in Europe (where I grew up), people pull TT's with sedans or station wagons all the time. See few doing that here in USA.

[LarryJM]

oughtsix wrote:
I had a van some years ago and would never go back to one. I loved the massive room for people and cargo. I hated the lack of leg room in the driver seat and the passenger seat was even worse. What really turned me off of vans was the misery of trying to do even basic maintenance or repairs on the engine. I much prefer my pickup with plenty of leg room and easy access to the engine through the large hood.

My GF has a class C and it has the same issues that my van had. It is not comfortable for me and my long legs... and the thought of having to do anything related to the engine reminds me of the nightmare of working on the van engine.

Like almost everything it's all about tradeoffs. I don't find the leg room issue that big of a deal, but you are right the engine accessibility can be a BEAR and if you think a regular Van is bad try one like mine or even worse the 6.0L PSD Ford Vans. However investing in a proper set of tools like stuby wrenches, wobble extensions, etc. can really make the job bearable.

What I see when I open my hood ... now where is that engine?????:E



Larry

[oughtsix]

I had a van some years ago and would never go back to one. I loved the massive room for people and cargo. I hated the lack of leg room in the driver seat and the passenger seat was even worse. What really turned me off of vans was the misery of trying to do even basic maintenance or repairs on the engine. I much prefer my pickup with plenty of leg room and easy access to the engine through the large hood.

My GF has a class C and it has the same issues that my van had. It is not comfortable for me and my long legs... and the thought of having to do anything related to the engine reminds me of the nightmare of working on the van engine.

[Grit_dog]

Because vans aren't popular.

[Bill___Kate]

Quigley had a 4x4 conversion Ford Transit at the Philadelphia Auto Show. It was a nice looking conversion - this one had the Ecoboost V-6 in it. Tow rating was 6600 pounds with the 4x4. Hopefully, Ford will offer models better suited for towing as time goes on - I agree it would be nice to see 10,000 pound tow rating - there is plenty of cargo carrying capacity. I understand that factory 4x4 is offered in Europe - maybe that option will come across the pond someday too .....

[jerem0621]

colliehauler wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
I would like to see a max tow package in the Ford Transit...give it about 10,000 lbs towing and a GCVWR around 18k..should do great with that EcoBoost.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Isn't the Ford Transit a uni-body?

Yep...it's pleanty strong enough. I think you can option the Passenger Transit wagon with close to 3000 lbs of payload. More than enough for a 1300 lbs of tongue weight and four or five people. The EB will have no issue with the trailer weight. They simply need to give a lower gear and ensure a Cooling system that can handle the weight. It would be a great tow vehicle.

I tow with a Unibody on a weekly basis and am looking for a 17ft Boston Whaler Montauk to go in my stable. I will tow it with my unibody as well.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[colliehauler]

jerem0621 wrote:
I would like to see a max tow package in the Ford Transit...give it about 10,000 lbs towing and a GCVWR around 18k..should do great with that EcoBoost.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Isn't the Ford Transit a uni-body?

[jerem0621]

I would like to see a max tow package in the Ford Transit...give it about 10,000 lbs towing and a GCVWR around 18k..should do great with that EcoBoost.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Bill___Kate]

I have always loved vans. Back in my boating days (1980's) when the kids were young (they were never very small!) we always had conversion vans to handle the boys and their friends and all the boating gear. More recently, we have been RV'ers and surf fishermen, and the kids are gone, but we have dogs and 12' surf fishing rods we like to store inside without taking apart. We have two Quigley 4x4 vans, a 1995 Chevy G20 with 5.7L gasser that has be retired to local beach work, and a 2005 Ford E350 6.0L which is our current tow vehicle.

I love the seating position, the view of the road ahead, and the fact that the front wheels are in the corners make parking and close quarter maneuvering easy. The vans may not be as fancy as the comparable trucks, but they are usually cheaper - even though 4x4 is an expensive 3rd party option.

Chevy/GMC still offers the Duramax diesel van, but Ford only has the Transit which has limited towing capacity. Sadly, our next TV will probably be a pick up .....

[jerem0621]

ktosv wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
It's 92 inches long and 47 inches wide.

My Express is 53" between the wheel wells. A golf cart would fit with all of the rear seats pulled out.

You would be able to fit a golf cart behind the first row bench in a long wheelbase GM van allowing five passengers.

Excellent, thank you very much for the info! Opens up some options for me. I am not really looking to upgrade from the PUP but I do want to bring along my golf cart and the bicycles.

May be looking for a 5.4 E350 or a 3500 6.0 Express!

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[ktosv]

jerem0621 wrote:
It's 92 inches long and 47 inches wide.

My Express is 53" between the wheel wells. A golf cart would fit with all of the rear seats pulled out.

You would be able to fit a golf cart behind the first row bench in a long wheelbase GM van allowing five passengers.

[jerem0621]

Anmacc2 wrote:
I don't think a golf cart would fit through the wheal wells... Easy to measure though. If you need me to I can measure the distance between the wheal wells and you can measure the golf cart. 😉

Thanks!

It's 92 inches long and 47 inches wide.

Appreciate that!

Jeremiah

[rowekmr]

I started towing my boat with an 79 Ford E350 Extended conversion van with the good ole 460 and I loved it until it started rusting out. Years later I also towed my TT with a E350 passenger van with the V10 and loved the capacity to haul my family and mucho stuff. The only issue for me is the lack of 4x4 which you can get but not as cheap as in a truck or SUV. To me they are the most capable when not towing 5th wheel or GN because they have a lot of capacity both in area and weight carrying. I actually like the way they look compared to trucks but hey that's just my opinion. I say if it works for you stick with it. Embrace your uniqueness and at least it will be easy to spot your vehicle compared to a white or silver truck.

[ls1mike]

I saw like 4 or 5 this weekend. They make and excellent tow vehicle.