I want to buy a new boat (upgrade from my I/O) but my tow vehical is a Honda Odesey Minivan. It's rated to pull 3500 lbs, but most the boats I'm looking at go from 3800-4000 lbs on the trailer. I can't buy a new boat &amp; a new tow vehical. Will it work? <BR> <BR>Please advise---- Thanks

Exceeding the maximum towing capacity of any vehicle is not a good idea.

My mini-van has the same towing capacity and I tried my boat which weights less than any boat you listed. It won't stop. Unless the lake or river is less than 5 miles and not a busy highway. <BR>Its not worth it. <BR>~S~

Eric the manufacturers put those numbers there for a reason, also many people write in to "Trailer Boats" magazine with similar questions and their reply is always alot harsher then Swass and Scotts. Just say No. Like many have stated on here before looking for a used pickup truck and getting a boat that is just a few years old is the best option if your in that situation. (or store it at a marina so you dont ever have to tow it and for those off occasions just get one of your mooch buddies who will be riding with you all the time to tow it)Good luck

Bad, Bad, Idea

bad idea, my thought is always buy a vehicle with an idea of what you going to do with it, I bought my truck two years earlier than the boat, I knew one day I was getting a boat, and I wanted to have truck to get the job done, not what you wanted to hear, but this advice will save repairs on the vehicle, frustration, and possibly a severe accident.

Eric, <BR> <BR>I work in the car business, the tranny on that van has a hard enough time just with the weight of the van. Definately do not try to tow with it. Great van, one of the best, be careful with the tranny though.

If you read the fine print on the manual for the van, it will probabely read that you need a load leveling hitch with it too. I did it with a Dodge Grand Caravan, but, I pulled less than five miles and it was flat. I also got the tranny cooler, bigger brakes and so on. I had a hard time every now and again getting up the ramp. It just was not worth it. I got a truck very soon afterwards.

or do like I plan on doing. I have a car, but would rather afford a boat before a nice boat. I'm going to be investing in an old pickup with a good towing package for one purpose only. I've been looking around and finding many around $2k.

Why don't you just find somewhere that can store your boat at the lake and whenever you wanna ride, give em a call and when you get there, your boat is in the water OR you could find someone with a truck and tell them that they can ride for free if they tow you there. I towed a boat that was SUPPOSED to be right at the max towing weight on my Mercedes ML320. It screwed it up BAD!

If you like the interior space of a minivan, take a look at a Chevy Astro or GMC Safari. Those vans were built for towing and they have a ton more interior space than a sport utility (You can slide 4'x8' sheets of plywood in them). They are also a lot more reasonably priced than a sport utility or truck. I believe the towing capacity is 5500 lbs. I own one and I often pull my Malibu to our cabin 120 miles away while the AC is cranked with no problems.

I don't know how Honda and Toyota does trailer tow testing but I can tell you how Ford does it(I'm a Powertrain Engineer for Ford). Trailer tow ratings are based on 95th percentile customer usage. So in theory your Minivan should be able to tow 3500 lbs up a 10% grade in the middle of the desert without overheating the engine/trans/axle and be able to stop in a reasonable distance. Many times Trailer tow ratings are dictated by braking performance and not engine/trans/axle cooling capabilities. So your Minivan should be able to tow over the rated capacity, you just can't expect it to be able tow it up a 10% grade in the middle of the desert without overheating something and your braking performance will be adversly expected. If you are going to tow above the rated capacity definitely make sure you have good trailer brakes.

We used a Dodge carivan for two years to pull a 2000lb I/O for two years. It seriously struggled on hills and we needed a runway to stop! The tranny finally gave up. Don't make my mistake.

so just to recap....No.

You mean you guys don't mind being seen in a Minivan?

Go out and buy a 500-2000 dollar use me and abuse me truck, should work fine if your just ganna use it to tow your boat. Most trucks from the 70's will have plenty of power to tow a 5000 lbs boat.

I have a GMC Vandura 6,2 diesel. Anyone have any idea how much it can tow? I think it's an '84 model. I will be towing a few boats now and then, and just wanted to be sure. Not so easy to find specs on old vehicles.