What about using a Ford Transit connect to pull a tear?

[MtnDon]

It's annoying how they downrate towing capacity in the US, presumably to get people to buy bigger towing vehicles.

I think it is due to the surfeit of American lawyers who will litigate over anything. More lawyers = fewer pounds

[Vedette]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2008/02/the-great-american-anti-towing-conspiracy/
II've had no issues with the towing I've done to this point besides not being able to maintain 70 MPH up an interstate hill while towing a mattress, boxspring, and shelf, and the mattress was bent way out catching a lot of air and adding a lot of drag. Other then that, I never noticed a lack of power, a major decreased ability to stop, or a lack of stability.

I expect negative comments regarding the ability of my car to tow to increase exponentially when I finish my teardrop and start towing it places.

You didn't happen to be Westbound on I-90 East of Spokane on Dec.6/13 did you?
Mattress was almost straight up and the bungee cord holding it was stretched to the max.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[be_a_jayhawk]

My wife had a fit when I started this project saying mini vans can't tow...of course it can tow even by US ratings and now I point out every minivan and suv I see with a trailer!

[jseyfert3]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2008/02/the-great-american-anti-towing-conspiracy/
II've had no issues with the towing I've done to this point besides not being able to maintain 70 MPH up an interstate hill while towing a mattress, boxspring, and shelf, and the mattress was bent way out catching a lot of air and adding a lot of drag. Other then that, I never noticed a lack of power, a major decreased ability to stop, or a lack of stability.

I expect negative comments regarding the ability of my car to tow to increase exponentially when I finish my teardrop and start towing it places.

You didn't happen to be Westbound on I-90 East of Spokane on Dec.6/13 did you?
Mattress was almost straight up and the bungee cord holding it was stretched to the max.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

Nope, long way from there, different time.

However, this mattress wasn't going anywhere, it was secured with a ratchet strap. I even pulled over to check and make sure it wasn't shifting. I would have strapped the front down with another one, but I was out of straps, late, and it was my third load that night with my car and trailer so I was ready to be done.

I wouldn't secure a mattress with a bungee cord, that's just asking for it to fly away.

[tony.latham]

Ford Transit? Studebaker? You guys need to GIT with the program.


C'MON HOMEY'S PULLLL!!!

Tony (that beast came through my 'hood last month)

[be_a_jayhawk]

What is that?

[tony.latham]

What is that?

A million pound hunk of steel headed to the Alberta tar-sands oil fields. Wheel to wheel it touched both white lines of a two lane. Two pusher tractors in the rear.

TL

[be_a_jayhawk]

Oh well anything for oil. Lol

[SmokeyBear12]

I didn't read every word in all these posts but I didn't see what seems to be obvious: It depends on the weight of your teardrop & accessories. If it is significantly heavy (not all teardrops are lightweights) and you tend to carry a lot of accessories, then the Ford Transit may not work out. It's isn't just a horsepower thing overcome with a turbo, it also has to do with torque and suspension. These things are basically econo-boxes with lightweight suspension.

I tow a Little Guy Joey with a Mazda MX-5. I can do this because it's very light weight (450 lbs dry) and I don't accessorize.

[grantstew8]

I didn't read every word in all these posts but I didn't see what seems to be obvious: It depends on the weight of your teardrop & accessories. If it is significantly heavy (not all teardrops are lightweights) and you tend to carry a lot of accessories, then the Ford Transit may not work out. It's isn't just a horsepower thing overcome with a turbo, it also has to do with torque and suspension. These things are basically econo-boxes with lightweight suspension.

I tow a Little Guy Joey with a Mazda MX-5. I can do this because it's very light weight (450 lbs dry) and I don't accessorize.

This is on the numbers. It's also worth checking the hitch load /nose weight http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/6678669/noseweights-mo.pdf

[webbaldo]

The guy I sold my teardrop 8x4 to uses one, they put the dogs and general crap in the van.

[WizardOfOdds]

An interesting article on the Transit Connect. I understand there have been some updates in the last year.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 ... 0638429655

Vijay: Thanks for the link to the story .. it is very interesting. As I understand it:

1- the transit comes to the USA as a passenger van with rear seats, seat belts, and windows,
2- all of which are removed at the cost of several hundred dollars (to avoid the commercial vehicle tax, to say nothing of the waste) and
3- then sold as a cargo van, but
4- a few are spared the the surgery and sold directly as passenger vans.

Interestingly, the price I see for the passenger van is about $2500 more than that of the cargo van, so it must be you actually pay about $3000 more to avoid the operation !! Now why do you suppose it costs so much more to do nothing? I wonder if that is to protect the sales of big SUVs ???

[GuitarPhotog]

Interestingly, the price I see for the passenger van is about $2500 more than that of the cargo van, so it must be you actually pay about $3000 more to avoid the operation !! Now why do you suppose it costs so much more to do nothing? I wonder if that is to protect the sales of big SUVs ???

That's the "chicken tax" mentioned in the article.

<Chas>

[eggsalad]

Interestingly, the price I see for the passenger van is about $2500 more than that of the cargo van, so it must be you actually pay about $3000 more to avoid the operation !! Now why do you suppose it costs so much more to do nothing? I wonder if that is to protect the sales of big SUVs ???

Apples and oranges. When the "cargo vans" arrive, they have a rear seat and windows which are removed, it's true. But the rear seat which is removed is most rudimentary, and the walls and floor of the van are painted steel.

The "wagon" version comes in with an actual, usable seat, full carpeting, a headliner, and plastic panels covering the painted steel walls.

[grantstew8]

It took a while to find but I knew I'd seen this photo somewhere before. There can't be too much traction on the front wheels; concerning when cornering.