pulling boat wiyh mini van ????

[fishingdan]

Re: pulling boat wiyh mini van ????

I have a venture and tow my 16' center console boat. My boat is light. I know the boat/motor/trailer weights 1200lbs. The tongue weight is about 70 lbs. The brakes suck on a venture without towing a boat. Put a boat on it over 1000lbs and the trailer better have brakes. <br /><br />You also need a tranny cooler. With the overall cooling problems with these vans (intake manifold and head gaskets known to fail at 60k), don't take a chance on the tranny. <br /><br />With the vehicle loaded with 7 passengers, the boat and a week's worth of vacation stuff, it does fine. It slows on ascents, but it does that without a trailer. I haven't had any problems with ramps. That said, I wouldn't pull anything heavier than my current boat. <br /><br />No question, the silverado is the better choice. The venture is rated for a max towing of 3500lbs.

 

[tr918]

Re: pulling boat wiyh mini van ????

A warning to all that tow with a minivan... Please be aware that all front wheel drive transmissions are not designed for towing anything other than people. It may be fine now but in the end it means a rebuilt or replaced transmission. Most car manufacturers will rate the vehicles for towing just to sell them. Even if they know the transmission will fail. I have seen this first hand. I worked in one of FORD's transmission plants. The trannys are not robust enough to handle frequent towing. Not trying to start a war, just giving a friendly warning. I have seen close to a hundred trannys that have failed due to light towing and heavy towing.