Agreed. many people believe in changing the engine oil, religiously,
but never once think about changing the trans. fluid and filter. Nor,
do they ever inspect the diferential (rear end)grease!


JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

timW wrote:
Hi there,
My wife and I are looking to purchase a small cruiser in
the near future, and one of the things we're considering when it comes
down to the size of the boat is the ability of our vehicle to
succesfully tow it and put it in the water.

I've read that with bigger boats you need a pickup, but would a large
conversion van do? We own a big Chevy conversion with the larger of the
two 8 cylinder engines in it, so for power and weight I don't think we
have a problem. The only difference perhaps might be in the automatic
gear box and drive train - would it be less sturdy than that of a
truck?

If anyone could give us a bit of advice it would be much appreciated,
as it may help determine our limits as to what we can get size-wise.
Half-the reason we're thinking all this is that the van is nearly paid
off and we can put the same money towards a 23' - 25' day cruiser or
weekender, but it's going to be a little self-defeating if we have to
get another vehicle just to tow the boat the 30 miles or so to the
nearest luach facility at Sanford, here in Central Florida. Permanently
berthing the boat at a marina is of course a possibility, but I'd like
the flexibility of being able to tow it directly to either the east or
west coasts at need.

Thanks........Tim


your van should do the job nicely. After all, it is the same drive
train, brakes, and frame weight as a Chevy half ton pickup. The
transmission should be ok too, though I wouldn't recommend pulling in
overdrive. Too much strain ont he transmission, and will lug your
engine a lot. Another thing, you should have an additional
transmission cooler added. its like a mini-radiatior that fits in front
of the radiator, and helps to keep the trans. oil a bit cooler.


I'll add this: My mechanic says that when he reminds customers about
changing the tranny fluid and filter according to the maintenance schedule,
half his customers give him a blank look. They've never heard of it. If the
OP hasn't done this stuff on schedule, things could get interesting.