Does the trailer have brakes? Your vehicle has cheazy little
brakes, and without trailer brakes you may get into trouble.
The tow vehicle has alot of surface area, as does your load,
and poor power to drag ratio for the combination. Combine
that with low mass and rear traction of the tow vehicle and
some high side winds, and some serious sway instability can
be expected, which you may not be able to drive out of.
Better to ditch the mini van, which really isn't intended to
tow *anything* and will probably blow up anyway, and rent a
heavy pickup for the trip.
My .02
JR

Don White wrote:

This May I plan to drive to Quebec/Ontario to find a particular model of
sailboat and tow it back home.
Trouble is...the boat + outboard + trailer will weigh about 1800 lbs. which
is 90% of what my '95 Plymouth Voyager mini-van is rated to tow. Adding to
the problem...Chrysler vehicles are known for weak transmissions.
Luckily I have the 3 speed automatic which was more reliable than the 4
speed in this model year.
To get ready for the trip, I plan to have the transmission serviced & change
fluid/clean filter plus add a cooler.
Hopefully this will keep me moving on the 1200 mile drive home.

Questions...am I pushing the envelope? I'd hate to breakdown in the middle
of nowhere at the mercy of a local 'mechanic'
waiting for a $1500.00 repair job while cooling my heels in a flea bitten
motel.
What about next winter when I'm not towing?
In your engine cooling system, you have a thermostat to hold the coolant in
the block until the temperature gets up to 195 F.
I assume the transmission fluid would never get warm as it is probably
always circulating.......when engine is on.
Would this promote premature wear?

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