Towing with a van

[Bigplumbs]

For those that tow boats do any of you tow with a normal van. I want one that could take about a tonne of payload and tow up to say a 2000 kg boat or Caravan

What sort of tow vehicles do vans make and any recommendations for reliable ones

 

[Seastoke]

For those that tow boats do any of you tow with a normal van. I want one that could take about a tonne of payload and tow up to say a 2000 kg boat or Caravan

What sort of tow vehicles do vans make and any recommendations for reliable ones

Towed with a long wheel base merc , very good.

 

[waynes world]

Done it once with a LWB Transit, boat was only about a ton though, did it with ease. Just a pain to reverse it in smaller spaces due tot he LWB. My car and 25 foot boat on trailer was 45 long,

 

[Dodgy Diver]

I often tow my 8 meter long caravan with my transit custom. It’s easy. But I use the Range Rover for the boat

 

[stelican]

My Cousin Billy Cooper has a white transit van and tows a 4 wheel 3000kg caravan, Offroad as well.

 

[BartW]

not me, but I know in few who tow with a:
Merc Sprinter, Iveco Daily, VW transporter, Ford transit.
and a few with a Motorhome.

 

[scottie]

I Had to tow a display unit for several years using a variety of vehicles the worst over any distance was SWB Land Rover but it was best in a yard situation. And the best was a LWB petro Sherpa minibus although the Volvo T5 estate was great fun (especially without trailers)

 

[Corribee Boy]

I tow a 2-tonne 25' trailer with a 3.5 tonne LWB Transit. I'm not going to jinx it, but it's worked well so far and obviously plenty of room in the van for all the usual luggage, boat bits, spares, jacks, tool kits, etc.

 

[dj43]

For those that tow boats do any of you tow with a normal van. I want one that could take about a tonne of payload and tow up to say a 2000 kg boat or Caravan

What sort of tow vehicles do vans make and any recommendations for reliable ones

I tow various things with a 2ltr long wheelbase traffic , no problem at all, only thing to watch is when slipping boats, when hauling out ,its front wheel drive and if steep or loose base can get wheel spin, you can overcome this with extended tow bar or rope

 

[ChromeDome]

Being approved for the trailer weight is not the same as being capable. A camper on a flat road is very different to a hauling a boat up a boat slip.

The traction and torque is crucial, which explains why true 4x4´s with reduction gear range are used when the going gets rough.

If you can choose a van with high torque at low rpm and a creeping low 1st gear. Mercedes used to make them that way - starting in 2nd for normal driving.

 

[Jung at Heart]

I tow a RIB with my Hyundai i800 camper van conversion, the van version is the iload or H1.

It drives like a car and tows very well, on a dry fairly steep slipway I trust it, however , on slippery launch I would not trust it at all, it's rear wheel drive, the tyres loose traction very easily, even on very wet grass.

I'm happy to compromise and launch using a winch or rope if necessary as the van is very reliable and comfortable to drive long distances.

 

[dankilb]

As an import fanboy, what you need is a 4x4 Nissan Elgrand (3.2 or 3.0 turbo 4 pot diesel).

Shame they were only made until 20 years ago and never certified for a tow weight (not a ‘thing’ in Japan). But it’s a van on a Pathfinder chassis so it’d tow the nuts off any Euro-style panel van!

 

[chamac]

I believe that some of the larger vans have towing capacities greater than 3500 kgs.
Probably fine for towing on level surfaces but as Chrome said, might not be great on a slip.

 

[Bru]

I believe that some of the larger vans have towing capacities greater than 3500 kgs.
Probably fine for towing on level surfaces but as Chrome said, might not be great on a slip.

Indeed they do

Beware that if the gross train weight of the van and trailer is over 3500kg you may need a tachograph

That's an absolute definite if there's any commercial element involved whatsoever (which can be quite broad in definition)

It's not (or shouldn't be) an issue if the van is only insured for (and used for) social, domestic and pleasure but if the van is insured for any form of commercial use you could have fun arguing the matter with the VOSA bods

There is a hell of a grey area around non-commercial use eg in connection with voluntary work etc (a charitable body I used to be involved with eventually obtained an official statement that our vans did not need tachos but that took a lot of getting)

Also bear in mind that even when insured only for domestic use, a van is legally a commercial vehicle so cannot be driven where commercial vehicles are not permitted

The legals aside, towing something fairly light like a dinghy or RIB shouldn't be too much of a problem but a heavy tow behind a lightly loaded van can be, umm, interesting!

There's a real danger of the tail wagging the dog. Nose weight is critically important and getting some weight over the back axle really helps

Oh and another thought ... security. Vans are routinely targeted by thieves (mine quite recently, in daylight and on our drive ?)

Really, all things considered, including the good advice on loss of grip on slipways etc already given, a 4x4 would probably be a better bet.

 

[The Q]

I towed my boat of then all up about a ton, 132 miles with a Fiat Ducato. no problem, the van was fairly lightly loaded..
Generally I prefer my landrover 110 for towing.. it doesn't pitch much compared to a 90 or 88..

 

[Bigplumbs]

Well thanks for all the help. I have decided against the van as I was also going to use it to tow the caravan. New factor came into the mix which was some sites not accepting commercial vehicles on site ??

 

[ST840]

some sites not accepting commercial vehicles on site ??

They probably think you're a gypo!!

 

[stelican]

Well thanks for all the help. I have decided against the van as I was also going to use it to tow the caravan. New factor came into the mix which was some sites not accepting commercial vehicles on site ??

Transit van and a caravan you can park anywhere you like.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Transit van and a caravan you can park anywhere you like.

Quite

 

[chillee]

The dutch are the masters of vans towing Caravans. August on The French motorways have loads of them doing 80mph plus with the caravans behind.
Frequently see one or two in bits all over the motorway as well :-(