Towing/Transmissions?

[pikerliker]

I have a question that I posted on the open water forum but thought I might do better here. My wife and me are looking at buying our first boat this spring. The boat we are looking at is a 17ft fiberglass runabout. The owner says it weighs around 1800lbs trailer and boat. My question is this. I have a Dodge Grand Caravan mini van with a 3.0 V6 in it. There is no overdrive. Will this be OK to tow this boat? I looked up towing on the internet for this van and it says 2000lbs is maximum towing. Can anyone tell me if it will be safe for me to tow this boat and not drop my tranny? Any advise is welcome!

Thanks ~piker

[upnorth]

I would at the least make sure that you have the tranny serviced.

Better yet put in a tranny cooler.

In my opinion whenever you get that close the maximum rating for towing or hauling you need to be extra sure your maintanence is up to snuff.

[Fisher Dave]

Transmission service(filter, fluid change), a cooler is a great idea...

Not *knocking* your van, but the mopar vans for years have been known for transmission problems and head gaskets ... I would be sure to keep up on preventative maintenence.. or pick up a cheap truck or full size van for the purpose of pulling your boat.

[Ultra2004]

Fisher Dave is correct about the Mopar tranny issue. The 3.0 is far from a good towing set up !! I have had (two) Caravans withe latest a 1997 3.0 (6) of which has gone through three transmissions.
The cooler would help as well as a fluid flush, but I would not trust that motor/tranny for towing. Just my .02

[rmh2o]

It might do for short trips but anything more than that I think you are asking for trouble.Personaly I dont like towing with a font wheel drive.You might also want to check the tounge weight of the boat and trailer as it will take weight off the front of your vehicle and can effect the handling of the vehicle.It will also make it tough to pull the boat out at a landing because you have less traction.

[RonT]

I had two different dodge vans and went through 3 transmissions. Lucky for me they were still under warranty. I now drive a Suburban and have no problems pulling an 1,800 pound boat and trailer.

[Justfishing]

Towing capacities are rated with a driver and nothing else. So for everything you add to your van will take away from towing capacity. I guess that you would exceed your limits with that van.

[minnesota mac]

pikeliker I would not even think about this, you are overloading your barbie van.
One thing you have to think about is if you have any problems on the road you have your family and others out there. Another thing is when its hot out you are going to be puting such a strain on you equip. It will be redlined at best, but this is just the opion of a driver on the road.

[Chris-Neises]

I read this thread and decided to install a transmission cooler along with a transmission flush yesterday on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The mechanic said it will really help. Thanks for the heads-up