Transit cargo vans for flat towing?

[GypsyDon]

We are musicians who haul our gear in a Minivan which we tow on a dolly. We will need to replace that vehicle with another soon. I am looking for information and advice about light cargo vans (transit, etc) that can be flat towed without too much trouble. I's really like to stay away from driveshaft disconnects, lube pumps, etc. Mostly that is because our budget is very low. I will be looking for a van in the 2004 - 2009 range due to price. Anyone know of a vehicle that would work?

[aether_one]

Nope, I see no vans in the 2009 Dinghy Towing Guide.

But it seems to me that a Chevy 1500 van has the same drivetrain as a 1500 Silverado so why wouldn't vans be just as towable as pickup trucks of the same make/vintage?

Bottom line is: gotta check the manual.

[just_cruisin]

For best results you need a vehicle with a transfer case that can be placed in neutral.

This usually means a 4 wheel drive truck or SUV. From some research I did a few years ago the Ford Transit line does NOT have this capability.

You might look at the Chevy vans, there were a few aftermarket companies that installed Chevy truck 4x4 components for offroad camping conversions.

[PanJH]

I've just started looking into towing a van. I currently tow a F150 and have my motorcycle and bicycles in the back. They get pretty nasty back there in the rain. I'm thinking a van will work for me. Looks like a drive shaft disconnect is going to be needed if I go with an automatic and in looking a base plates, they seem to be pretty limited, so I"ll probably make my own.

[Gregers]

I may be possible to tow vans idling in nuetral. Using a odb2 scan gage to monitor it. The average car uses 0.15 gallons per hour at idle. So you could tow it 6 or 7 hours on a gallon of gas. At some point I will will ask my transmission guy and see what he thinks.