toad-able mini van?

[JohnLori]

Is there a mini van that is towable w/ 4 wheels down, with after-market modifications if necessary?

Thanks, J&L

[DonnaB]

We towed a 1999 Chrysler Town & Country. Had a Remco transmission pump, BlueOx baseplate, towbar & acc's. My husband did the install of all of that. I think he would tell you it was a "__itch" to install, but it was the first time he ever attempted something like that. He did a good job though.

Now we have a 4 door jeep, no mods needed. Although I sometimes miss features of the mini-van, the jeep is MUCH easier to hookup and take off with. You must always be checking that the pump is running and even with it, it is good to run the car a bit after a long day of towing. I have heard others tell tales of bad experiences with the Remco pump failing (and if it does and you don't know, it is expensive), but we never had any problems in 1 1/2 years of towing that setup.

[Submustang]

My Son-in-law tows a Ford Windstar. He and I installed a Remco axle disconnect on it. It works well and is pretty easy to engange and disengage.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Most minivans are front wheel drive and need a transmission lube pump. The Chrysler/Dodge minivans are towable that way.

You might consider a cross-over SUV instead of a minvan. There are some that are similar in size and capacity, e.g. the GMC Acadia and the Saturn Outlook. These are towable without mods.

[Jim Stewart]

How about the new Ford Flex, 4 flat towable with no mods. They are currently being discounted pretty heavily. It is the modern day minivan, seats 7/8, has 5 doors and it's cool. Well at least we think so, we just got one to tow behind the MH.

Just turn key to 1st accessory position, put in neutral and that's it.

[RVThere]

We towed our 2008 Town and Country minivan with a Remco pump for a year and just gave up on it. When it's hot out, the Remco did not seem able to keep up and we would get a chirping on the dash pump monitor indicating loss of pump pressure. We drive long days and I was afraid the pump was not working well enough to cool the fluid and would eventually burn the trans.

So I just bought a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel. It was a brand new leftover and was HEAVILY discounted. Pulled it this past week form NJ to Williamsburg VA in the heat with NO PROBLEMS!

IMHO, ditch the minivan idea and get a Grand Cherokee or Liberty that can be towed with no pump.

[bsinmich]

With the Remco pump you will get a loud buzzing in the MH if the pump fails. When I start out on a cold morning and the car not driven it takes about 30 seconds for the fluid to get flowing good. Once we get going there are no problems. We have towed our PT for 7 years with no problem. I wish our T&C weighed a little less because that would be my first choice to tow.

[George Miklas]

The first generation Dodge / Plymouth minivans had an optional 5-speed transmission. I owned two 1993 Plymouths that I towed behind our MH. No modification to the transmission, just added the Demco towbar, Blue Ox baseplate and US Gear Unified Tow Brake.

[paz]

Most mini-vans are front wheel drive. Another easy to tow a front wheel drive vehicle is on a tow dolly. Used dollies are reasonably priced, but the drawback is you have to find someplace to store it both at home and when you get to the campground.

An alternate to a mini-van might be an SUV. Many SUVs are available that are towable without modification and that also have 3-row seating if you need to haul passengers. The seats can be folded or removed if it's cargo space you need. Most SUVs are available with front wheel drive if you don't want the weight and expense of all-wheel or 4-wheel drive. The only thing missing in the SUV is the sliding side doors.