.
Pickups are great for moving your furniture. And when it rains . . . a van is better.
I hauled a two horse no tack area trailer with my chevy astro van for years - horses 16-17h. Mostly less then 2hr hauls, flat midwest. No problems. Definitely not as powerful as my 2500HD, but perfectly fine for the job it was doing.
[QUOTE=Mango20;8730663]
You used to see trailers towed with vans back in the 1980s, when you would also see a lot towed with giant station wagons. I would think that if the wheelbase was long enough, it had a tow package and the transmission and suspension to handle it, it would probably work.[/QUOTE]
Remember seeing those as well.
And riding in a couple! Stiff as a board! They were no fun over ruts!!
Ive seen a couple vans at the shows over the years. Ine uses her husbands work van to pull her two horse. Another uses a camper van to pull her trailer.
van
[QUOTE=CVPeg;8732478]
Remember seeing those as well.
And riding in a couple! Stiff as a board! They were no fun over ruts!![/QUOTE]
No fun over ruts is an understatement. I loved my big cargo van for packing and camping in overnight for a show but it was horrible for traction. It was a constant worry; would I be able to pull in or out of the field in which we were parked. Best thing I ever did was switch to a 4 wheel drive vehicle to use at the shows.
[QUOTE=airhorse;8731210]
Would love to see a dually sprinter van conversion with a tow bed and small LQ.[/QUOTE]
Like a small “toterhome?”
G.
The short answer to this question is performance per dollar is better on the trucks. Vans often have high payloads but low tow capacities. The 2016 Ram ProMaster has a max tow of 5100 pounds because it’s equipped with a v6. Ford Transit, even on the 350 platform, has a max tow of around 7000lbs. A lot of the 350s actually have substantially lower conventional tow ratings in the 3000lb range.
They just aren’t made to tow. They’re made to move stuff that’s held inside them. Could you do it? sure. But it would basically be the equivalent of towing with a 1/2 ton pickup.
Vans are expensive, basically. Otherwise everyone would use them 
We used to tow with a small RV, it was freaking fantastic: heat, a/c, fans, lights, tables, chairs, a fridge. A microwave. At the show. God I miss that thing.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8732598]
Like a small “toterhome?”
G.[/QUOTE]
Exactly.
[QUOTE=airhorse;8733443]
Exactly.[/QUOTE]
I guess that could be done. How much money you got???
The trouble with the Sprinter platform is that it doesn’t look like it was designed to be modified like that. I’ve never driven to really examined one but have never seen any mod closely related to the “toterhome” design. They are ubiquitous enough that somebody, somewhere, is likely to have done it…if it can be done.
If you really want a van with hauling and LQ capability you might be better off with one of these: http://www.mylittlesalesman.com/1998-freightliner-fl70-expeditor-hot-shot-truck-8598950 or this http://www.mylittlesalesman.com/2000-freightliner-fl70-expeditor-hot-shot-truck-8310525 or even this http://www.mylittlesalesman.com/2005-freightliner-business-class-m2-106-expeditor-hot-shot-truck-8632497
There are more built on 350/3500 chassis and above http://ltlhotshot.myfreeforum.org/archive/hot-shot-rig-dream__o_t__t_4181.html You could modify something like this http://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2016-Ford-E350--111110179 Or start with something like this and build it out as you like http://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/listing/2016-Ford-E350--111110179
If you Google “hot shot trucks” or “expediter trucks” you’ll find literally hundreds of different variations on the theme. This class of truck is usually a medium duty vehicle designed for over the road use (vice intra-city use). They are used to deliver medium sized, high value, time critical goods. They show up on the used market from big companies with around 300,000 miles on them. That is the point where the truck has a 50% chance of a major engine or drive train malfunction. Considering their use, that level of risk of a problem is unacceptable to most companies and they get replaced. For an individual that would likely not be an issue.
One of the larger ones would make an interesting conversion to a horse van with an LQ. You could tow a small car behind it and you’d be golden for lots of uses.
All you need is money!!!
G.
I was at a group trail ride once, several years ago, where another participant had a Sprinter RV hauling a lightweight 2H BP trailer. I spoke with her very briefly about it; she told me she loved it.
Previous generation “full size” vans were built on the same platform as the pickups. That’s not the case now with the current generation, so one has to consider the ramifications and capacities. And that includes not forgetting that tongue weight is counted as part of the “cargo” capacity of the tow vehicle, so balancing needs is necessary.
I had a van conversion that I hauled with for a few years. It was great- I was able to change, eat, sleep, ect inside while at a show and not have to have an expensive living quarters trailer. It was on the Chevy Express 3500 chassis and was very easy to drive, never felt like the trailer was behind you! Needless to say it was a sad day when we traded it in!
I have always towed with a van, and so did my parents (going back 50 years).
The current one is a 1997 (bought used in 2001) Ford E350 Econoline 12 passenger van (previously used as a Kindergarten School Bus). It currently has 85k miles on it and has been virtually problem free. I tow a Hawk 2 horse with a substantial dressing room. I live in VA, and I have towed to/from upstate NY, and southern NC without difficulty, sometimes with two horses.
I love having a place to store everything where it stays DRY. I have a place to nap. I have never had any problems with visibility and blind spots.
The only weakness is that I am a little bit more likely to get stuck if it is wet or muddy. But usually I can get someone else to hold the horse(s) and get it out empty, then reload on solid ground.
They do not make the Econoline any more, so I do not know what will do when this one dies. I hope there is a Transit van with a similar configuration.
I have NO desire for a pickup.
Because kids won’t take candy if you’re in a van…
Well good to know, thanks everyone! I think we’re going to stick with a truck just because of the potential of getting stuck in a field somewhere :lol:
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8738277]
Because kids won’t take candy if you’re in a van…[/QUOTE]
LOL!!!
I haul my euro-trailer (Brenderup) with a eurovan (Ram Promaster, AKA Ducato, Boxer etc.) Inside, it is over 6 feet tall, so I can stand up straight.
This works well. I have back up cameras for blind spots. My carriage is hauled inside the van, then rolled out for horse shows or camping. Thus I have a dressing room, nap room, and all the amenities of a camper. Since the above picture was taken, I have added insulation, solar panels, an awning, a refrigerator, a fan, a bed etc. etc.
The van is front wheel drive - so better than rear wheel drive in slick spots, getting stuck is not much of an issue - except for Louisiana mud. Everything gets stuck in that.
I lived and travelled with this rig across the country for about 5 months with the Caravan. (http://www.thecaravanfilm.ca) and have travelled from Florida to British Columbia as well.
I used to haul with a pickup truck but this works out so much better.
Messy things like hay and feed can go in the horse trailer. My carriage doesn’t get damaged as much as in a pu truck. The van itself is way fun to drive once you get used to it and it fits in a regular parking spot at the Kroger. I get stopped all the time by people who want to check it out. And though this is the predominant van in Europe for 30 years, they have only been sold, somewhat modified for the US market since 2014.
[QUOTE=DHCarrotfeeder;8730762]
Because SUVs have a thoroughly marketed image.
A 3/4-ton van is a great towing machine for 2h trailers.[/QUOTE]
I have one that I love! It gets 8 mpg, but it is strong enough and heavy enough to pull pretty much what I put behind it. I had a 91 model that we pulled with and you never felt it back there. That particular trailer was one my daddy had built for a bull, and it was made from 1 inch angle iron. HEAVY did not begin to describe it.
LOL. I used to covet the old man’s van where I used to pasture my horse. It was a green Dodge Ram one ton. I wanted to take it eventing. Would have been a great tow vehicle, plus camper!
