Chevy & GMC Vans

with a healthy v6. My van is a little tired now, so would not want to stress it just yet. I think the auto tranny has a 4 spd with OD - i can shift it manually into 3 gears.

If it were in tip top shape, what do you think? what kind of hitch would be needed?

It'll tow it but not well. That size trailer is a bit too big for these vans. I towed one that size a couple years ago a short distance. Wasn't the most enjoyable trip of my life.

Would a full size extended van do the job?

The issue is not so much the length as the weight. The important numbers are the GVW of the trailer and the tongue weight of the trailer. At that length you will need a class 3 hitch and probably a weight distribution system as well.

I tow a 24 foot 4500lbs travel trailer with my van it isn't fast but it tows it just fine. With a 3:73 rear end and a good trans cooler you can tow a rated 6000lbs with the 3:43 the vans are rated at 5000lbs the max tounge weight is 700lbs. But use a good weight distributing hitch as it will stop the van from getting the bouncies if you hit a dip in the road.

I usually tow at around 55mph-60mph. remember tow in drive not overdrive or if your van is newer use the number three position this will stop it from going into overdrive and slipping the convertor and overheating the trans.

My set-up could handle it. Like mentioned, add a trans cooler and a class 5 hitch. You'll also need rear air bags to help level it. See my sig for specifics.

One more thing. The trailer should have good brakes because the Astro/Safari sure doesn't.

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V6 4.3L A/S towing a 21' Travel Trailer? Assume TT at 4,200-4,500 "empty" lbs...

With empty vehicle and empty Travel Trailer with "low" wind drag on flat roads, the van will pull it. She won't be the fasted vehicle on the road but under 55 mph, she will pull it. I used to pull a 4,200 lbs "empty" 19ft TT (2 x axles) for 1.5 years - before blowing a tranny in my van.

"Towing Stress" is added when:
- More passenger & cargo weight is added into the van.
- More cargo weight is added into the trailer.
- More hills - especially steep hills (even pulling in "D" gear).
- More head wind.
- High "wind wall" profile TT.
- Faster ground speed. When towing, keep under 55 mph.

For van upgrades for towing, do the following:
- Install Aux Tranny cooler - rated for 4,000 lbs trailer.
- Install Timbrens or air bags - to "firm up" van's weak factory rear suspension.
- Install 7-Pin connector with onboard brake controller. Prodigy Brake Controller is a good brand.
- Install WD system with properly sized bars (based on "loaded trailer's" scale tonque weight).
- Install Tranny temp guage - if pulling in hills and against strong head wind. A guage allows you to view rear time tranny temp heat. And if necessary, opportunity to pull over and let things cool down. Instead of using a "too late" dummy light.
- Always pull in "D" (aka: 3rd) gear. Thus, keeping engine revs higher. The OD gear is "too tall" for towing.
- Change rear axle oil often. And use Synthetic gear oil. Unknown to many, factory axles cannot take long term towing stress. Going with 3.73 rear axle ratio for towing is best.

The more "towing stress" (see above list) your van endure's while towing, the harder it will be to pull your TT. If pulling "short distances at low speed" more then 3 times, I'd install a V8 in the A/S van. Or, get a smaller / lighter weight trailer. In the long run, the A/S van with factory V6 engine cannot take long term "towing stress" abuse. Lessons learned on my 2001 AWD Safari van...

Hope this helps...

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pengyou wrote:Would a full size extended van do the job?

Yes. Full size van with standard V8 5.3L engine would nicely pull a 21ft TT - under most driving conditions and "normal" load within van and within the attached TT. As per online GM specs, max towing weight (with empty van) for Chev 1500 van is 6,300 lbs.

My one neighbor pulls a 24ft TT with his Chev Express Passenger Van. He never complains about "over stress" worries while towing. Then again, I think his passenger van is 2500 series - with Vortec 6.0L V8 engine. Which has towing power (with empty van) up to 7,800 lbs.

If towing 21 ft TT with "average" loaded TT, "average" loaded vehicle and family of 3 kids with dog, I'd go for the 2500 series van. Especially if towing on lots of hills, fast hiways and/or you plan to upgrade to large size TT in the future.

Hope this helps in your decision...

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Here is my experience towing a trailer that is 23' long and is an ultralight Jayco 232. It weighs in at just over 4100# empty and I estimate about 5000# loaded and that is not counting what we put in the van such as wood, people, coolers etc. The 2003 AWD has 3.42 gears.

Your V6 equipped van will not tow a 21' camper very well. Here is what was done to my old 2003 AWD to try and get it to tow our camper. We installed a 28,000 GVW auxiliary trans cooler. We installed a trans temp gauge. We installed a Transgo HD-2 shift kit along with Amsoil fully synthetic fluid. We installed a rear anti-sway bar made by Hellwig. We installed a set of Airlift air bags in the rear. I changed both front and rear diff oils to fully synthetic Amsoil gear oil. I also flushed the transfer case with GM Auto-Trak 2 fluid. I already had a 1000/10000 weight distribution hitch and set it up to level the van/camper combo. It was even setup correct to get the front of the van to drop the same distance as the rear.

After all this work and $$$$, the van simply could not handle the weight! ANY little breeze or say a passing tractor trailer would find the van and camper being pushed into the other lane. I could not drive above 55 mph. Trans temps always ran in the 200+ degree range and we would not use A/C which sucked on 90+ degree days. Interstate driving was limited to 55-60 mph max!

The issue is NOT the weight at all...in fact I have towed well over 5,000# behind the same Astro and it towed like it wasn't there but the load was not larger than the van. There was no extra wind resistance. The issue is the frontal area on the camper or fully enclosed trailer. This is why I use a 3/4 ton truck now and I tow at whatever speed I want and load the back of the truck with up to a full face cord of wood for a weeks worth of camping.

pengyou wrote:Would a full size extended van do the job?

full size vans are essentially full size trucks, get at 2500 or 3500 and you should have no problem, whether its extended or not plays no factor.

Post title "Can I tow a 21" travel trailer (has dual wheels)"

I don't think 21 inches will be a problem for your van to pull. In fact I'm pretty sure a bicycle could pull it too. jk

smack!!

Kidhauler wrote:I tow a 24 foot 4500lbs travel trailer with my van it isn't fast but it tows it just fine. With a 3:73 rear end and a good trans cooler you can tow a rated 6000lbs with the 3:43 the vans are rated at 5000lbs the max tounge weight is 700lbs. But use a good weight distributing hitch as it will stop the van from getting the bouncies if you hit a dip in the road.

Note sure where you're getting your figures, but reading directly from the owners manual, 3.73 is 5500lbs, 3.42 is 5000lbs, and 3.23 is not recommended for towing. AWD models are approximately 500lbs lower than this.
IMPORTANT: These ratings INCLUDE passengers, luggage, fuel, etc, INSIDE THE VAN. This rating is not just the trailer.
Tongue weight limit has nothing to do with the van itself. It's a limit of your brand of hitch.
There are usually two weight limits printed on the hitch receiver itself, one rating with a WD hitch and one rating without. Basically you can have a trailer that is within the tow weight limit, but if it's tongue weight is higher than your hitch is rated, YOUR OVERLOADED.

The tow rating is only a slight part of what's involved. The wind resistance is a huge part of this limit.....meaning a 15ft flat trailer loaded with 4500lbs of bricks will tow much better than a 24ft 4500lb high standing travel trailer. Add 6 people, a tank full of fuel and a few ice chests, luggage, and a canoe on the roof into the travel trailer scenario, and you're seriously overloaded, even though the trailer is still 4500lbs.
Terrain is also another major consideration. A 4500lb trailer will tow much better through the flat lands of the south than it would through the Rockies.
Believe it or not, altitude is another major consideration if you're regularly towing at higher altitudes.
Rule of thumb is that you loose 10% of your horsepower for every 4000ft of elevation. If you're towing through the Rockies and find yourself at 12,000ft, you're going to be in trouble.

Note: Most people think that the tow limit of a vehicle is directly related to it's power and or drivetrain. While this of course is somewhat correct, a very important item that is always overlooked is BRAKING power. You can soup up the engine, add coolers, gauges, etc, to the tranny, beef up the suspension, etc... but low and behold the brakes are never thought of... until you and your trailer end up in the middle of a field, or much worse.

In summary, ALL vehicles have a rated tow capacity. ABIDE BY IT! These can be found in numerous places on the internet, in your owners manuals, etc. READ THEM CAREFULLY!! Understand that when you hitch a trailer behind your van and don't take the time to learn what your doing, you take the lives of your family and everyone around you on the road into jeopardy.

GnarliSafari wrote:

pengyou wrote:Would a full size extended van do the job?

full size vans are essentially full size trucks, get at 2500 or 3500 and you should have no problem, whether its extended or not plays no factor.

Well, the length of the van does factor in if the extended section is beyond the rear wheels. The shorter the overhang, the more stable the towing. I don't think a modern day fullsize van will be a problem, but looking back to the long Ford and Dodge vans... YIKES!!