Chevy Astro for Tow

[Gary Little]

Has anyone every used a Chevy Astro for a tow vehicle? I have been researching them and it appears that a 2000 and new is equipped with a "Tow/Haul " mode for the transmission. I would like to tow a 2900lb. X-Treme lite with 430lb tongue weight. Do you think it would work? These are exact weighs since I the scaled the camper myself. I was blown away with the tongue weigh but it is correct.

Thanks,
Gary Little

[Gina D.]

There are folks here towing with Astros. They can chime in on thier experiences.

Meanwhile, check your owners manual. That will have the best answers. If you have no manual, I am sure the answer can be found online. There is a group for everything!

Try a Google Groups search.

[Yves Pelchat]

Has anyone every used a Chevy Astro for a tow vehicle? I have been researching them and it appears that a 2000 and new is equipped with a "Tow/Haul " mode for the transmission. I would like to tow a 2900lb. X-Treme lite with 430lb tongue weight. Do you think it would work? These are exact weighs since I the scaled the camper myself. I was blown away with the tongue weigh but it is correct.

Thanks,
Gary Little

As far as the weight of the trailer, you'll be OK. But as for the 430lbs tongue weight, i'm not sure. I have a AWD Chevy Astro with a 3.42. According to the GM owners manual, I can tow up to 4500lbs with my vehicle. If you have a AWD Chevy Astro, with a 3.73, you can tow up to 5000lbs. If you have a two wheel drive Astro with a 3.42, you can tow 5000lbs, and if you have a two wheel drive Astro, with the 3.73, you can tow up to 5500lbs with your vehicle. My Bigfoot weighs 2618lbs, with two full propane tanks, but no water in the tanks. When I tow my Bigfoot with the Astro, it's like it's not there.

I always tow on 3rd speed(not on "D" overdrive), with the tow/haul function engaged.

I think your only concern is with the 430lbs tongue weight. You should check with GM, as they're the only one who could give you the proper answer to this question. But if you to tow this trailer, I think you should at least install a weight distributing hitch, like the Reese weight distribution hitch.

Hope this helps.

Yves.

[Benny K]

Howdy, a few years ago I looked at an Astro to use all the time and not for towing purposes and one thing that turned me off was the minimal foot room on the floor on the passenger side......there isn`t much room for the passenger's feet, especially in the winter when we wear snow boots, between the dog house and the door hinge area.....for this reason I didn`t buy one and then considered front drive vans with a flat floor but instead bought a pick up truck.....not suggesting a truck for you but just relating why I didn`t get an Astro van.......Benny

[Kent]

I always thought that the Dodge Sprinter Van (Mercedes in Europe) either passenger or panel van would make a great tow vehicle. Comes with 5 cylinder turbo diesel that gets 22mpg. The new Winnebago View uses the dual wheel chassis and gets 16 to 18mpg.

To get that kind of mpg and all the storage room you need would be very tempting for me to switch to diesel.

[Bob Cupp]

I also tow with an Astro. My Love Bug weighs in at a whopping 1000 pounds so that is not much of a comparison. However, I heat my house wtih wood and frequently tow 3500 pounds of wood without a problem. The Astro has great brakes and mine came with tranny cooler, oil cooler, power steering fluid cooler, & 15qt radiator. The van has never heated up even when pulling 3500 lbs in steep, long hills. For those of you wondering about the PS cooler, the Astro does not use vacuum boost for the brakes, it uses the power steering pump for hydraulic boost.

The Astro will tow anything you want, but Yves is right about the tongue weight. I added air shocks to mine and it really helped with the tail end sag.

Benny is right about the foot room also. I have put on many 700 mile days and the foot room leaves something to be desired.

All in all, I like my AWD Astro for all-around comfort and the family likes it for long trip. It is the best tow vehicle I have used to date.

[Fred Bell]

I used to have a '99 Astro until the oil pump went out about 50 miles east of Boise, ID last Christmas. It only had 108K and was well cared for, but hey, breakdowns happen.

It towed okay, but the tranny was always fishing for the right gear on upgrades even while in 3rd.

What surprised me most was the tow hitch. Shortly after I bought it in '99, I had a hitch installed by a reputable installer. I wasn't towing anything at the time, so I never gave it much of an inspection. Years later I got my 13' Scamp and after the 5th trip I saw the next morning that the hitch was pointing towards the ground. I discovered that the hitch was only bolted to luggs welded to the uni-body extension which is made with thin sheet metal. The trailer was ripping the hitch right off the van. The dealer said that it looked like the hitch was installed correctly, but could only scratch their head about what was happening. About 8" further in there is solid frame with two pre-tapped luggs for a hitch. If you recall, the original Astro was a short body van but some were made with an extended body. Later the short bodies were discontinued.

I took the van to a different hitch shop and they repaired the tearing metal and shored up the hitch with some 1/8" plate steel welded in several places all for $100. The dealer wanted $800 just to repair the damage and not add any reinforcements.

Maybe there's a different hitch made that now extends all the up to the second set of luggs. Anyway, if you're driving an Astro look at the hitch installation and make sure it's solid.

Fred

[randyl]

Has anyone every used a Chevy Astro for a tow vehicle? I have been researching them and it appears that a 2000 and new is equipped with a "Tow/Haul " mode for the transmission. I would like to tow a 2900lb. X-Treme lite with 430lb tongue weight. Do you think it would work? These are exact weighs since I the scaled the camper myself. I was blown away with the tongue weigh but it is correct.

Thanks,
Gary Little

[randyl]

Has anyone every used a Chevy Astro for a tow vehicle? I have been researching them and it appears that a 2000 and new is equipped with a "Tow/Haul " mode for the transmission. I would like to tow a 2900lb. X-Treme lite with 430lb tongue weight. Do you think it would work? These are exact weighs since I the scaled the camper myself. I was blown away with the tongue weigh but it is correct.

Thanks,
Gary Little

We tow a 2800# dry weight (3800 # loaded with everything) hard wall trailer with our Safari which is a sister to the Astro. The weight has never been a problem . I think the biggest problem to trailer owners is wind resistance and long slow hills . I have pulled our trailer from Alerta to the Island twice through the mountains and (while hills are tough) the weight is not the issue if you are within the towing limit. While towing in Saskatchewan last year I found the 8" wide front on our hardwall the biggest issue. Milage and passing were both problems. I think that with my Boler 13", both wind and hills would have been a lot easier on the Safari. The tongue weight on my hardwall trailer is 300# dry.The way I load it I'm sure I'm at the 500# weight. I have an equalizer hitch by the way .
Good luck with the Astro .I'm sure you'll be fine. Remember, there is still weight back there and electric brakes are a must.
Randy

[Bill MacDermod]

I think I mentioned this on one of the forums but, on our way through Oregon this summer we ran into 2 canadian family's towing Airstreams coming from a rally at twin sisters. one had a 36 footer pulled by a big chevy suburban which seems normal, but the other dude was pulling a 28'er with a GMC Safari , I almost croaked, I got talking to them and he said he'd towed it that way for 4 or 5 years @ about 27,000 miles with no real problems, go figure. I guess if he can pull that hoss you have a pretty good chance

[james kent]

I used to tow with a Safarri van. It had a 4.3 engine rated at 190 hp. The truck was rated as a 3.4 ton, and we had no problems taking the trailer and a load of furniture 3000 miles.to Edmonton Got 20 plus miles per gal. when towing and being a van means that there is little wind against the front of your trailer.

[Dee Hill]

[quote]
Attachment 4863


I have a 2001 Chevy Astro Van and i am considering buying a 16 1/2 ' fiberglass camper..weighs in at 1750 dry weight and 250 for the tongue.. my astro is fairly loaded at the moment..i am a bit nervous because i will be driving this from AZ to Oregon this week and i have never pulled a travel trailer before.

I have the receiving hitch.. it has a hitch and ball with the trailer. I will need to hook up a 6 prong light connector. Does anyone know what else i will need to pull this safely.. will i need the sway bar right away??..

thanks for all the tips posted. So i will try towing in 3rd speed..not overdrive and with the tow/haul function engaged.

Should i keep it a certain speed..such as 50-55? do i need extended mirrors? I am trying to just get what i need to get back to Oregon and then can I take it in and get the extras if need be. thanks

[Donna D.]

i am considering buying a 16 1/2 ' fiberglass camper..weighs in at 1750 dry weight and 250 for the tongue

What is it? It's easier for us to give specific answers when we know more details

[Dee Hill]

What is it? It's easier for us to give specific answers when we know more details

It is an 82 Fiber Stream thanks

[Benita]

I towed my Fiber Stream with a GMC Safari, twin to the Chevy Astro. It was a good combination. One of the early members of this group, Charles Watts, highly recommended the combo. At the moment I have a V8 Chevy Silverado which IMO is overkill. If I find the right one and the money is right, I'm probably going back to the Astro/Safari as a tow vehicle. My passenger was canine so the passenger footwell being small wasn't an issue for me.

I had the 4.3L Safari. I think the manufacturer recommended a weight distribution hitch. I never had one. Or a sway bar either for that matter. If I were to do it again, I'd add both. That's because I'd get the new-to-me (Astro's and Safari's have been discontinued) vehicle with the intention of keeping it. Check your manual and a dealer for what's recommended for your vehicle's configuration. For your getting it home trip I don't think you absolutely have to have that equipment. BUT, now that it has been mentioned, I think you will feel safer if you did. Go slow until you build up your confidence and then obey the speed limits and you should be okay. I would get a bit of a sway if I went over 65. My preferred high speed for towing was about 50-60 mph. One of the biggest newbie fears is backing up. If you sight far enough ahead you'd be amazed how long you can get by without having to do that. (My record was three years.) There is always a turnaround down the road. I would suggest that ultimately you get something for rear end lift. My van had airbags that lifted the rear end. You don't need extended mirrors. The Astro and the Fiber Stream are perfectly aligned in that way. You may want to add a fisheye circle to your mirrors to extend your viewing area.

Let us know when you get your trailer. We like pictures. Are you getting the trailer from someone on this board?

[Dee Hill]

I towed my Fiber Stream with a GMC Safari, twin to the Chevy Astro. It was a good combination. One of the early members of this group, Charles Watts, highly recommended the combo. At the moment I have a V8 Chevy Silverado which IMO is overkill. If I find the right one and the money is right, I'm probably going back to the Astro/Safari as a tow vehicle. My passenger was canine so the passenger footwell being small wasn't an issue for me.

I had the 4.3L Safari. I think the manufacturer recommended a weight distribution hitch. I never had one. Or a sway bar either for that matter. If I were to do it again, I'd add both. That's because I'd get the new-to-me (Astro's and Safari's have been discontinued) vehicle with the intention of keeping it. Check your manual and a dealer for what's recommended for your vehicle's configuration. For your getting it home trip I don't think you absolutely have to have that equipment. BUT, now that it has been mentioned, I think you will feel safer if you did. Go slow until you build up your confidence and then obey the speed limits and you should be okay. I would get a bit of a sway if I went over 65. My preferred high speed for towing was about 50-60 mph. One of the biggest newbie fears is backing up. If you sight far enough ahead you'd be amazed how long you can get by without having to do that. (My record was three years.) There is always a turnaround down the road. I would suggest that ultimately you get something for rear end lift. My van had airbags that lifted the rear end. You don't need extended mirrors. The Astro and the Fiber Stream are perfectly aligned in that way. You may want to add a fisheye circle to your mirrors to extend your viewing area.

Let us know when you get your trailer. We like pictures. Are you getting the trailer from someone on this board?

you don't know how much more courage i have now after seeing your photo!!! thanks so much for the information. Today when i was eyeing up to see what i thought about mirrors i couldn't imagine needing them but i needed anothers opinion!!! Thanks..

i am a bit cautious about giving out information until the title is in hand, if you know what i mean!!! but i will put photos on as soon as i get back to Eugene in about a week!!!

i LOL when i read about you not backing up for three years.. i plan on practicing a bit when i get home but i might be trying for a new record!!!!!

I can hardly wait to get it!!! it is all very exciting!!! thanks again for all the helpful info... Dee

[Brian B-P]

First, welcome to fiberglass travel trailer ownership, Dee! I have yet to see a Fiber Stream "in person", but they are an interesting design with some great features, and there are some very helpful Fiber Stream owners here in FiberglassRV.

... I have the receiving hitch.. it has a hitch and ball with the trailer. I will need to hook up a 6 prong light connector. Does anyone know what else i will need to pull this safely.. will i need the sway bar right away??..

I assume by "sway bar" you mean a friction-type sway control, such as the Reese part 26660

Originally posted by Reese Sway Control web page
[b]Friction Sway Control uses friction to resist pivotal movement and thereby works against the effects of induced sway. It operates on the principle of "stiffening" the coupling between the tow vehicle and trailer. The degree of "stiffening" or friction is adjusted to suit various trailer weights and towing conditions. Its operation is simple and uncomplicated. It doesn't prevent the generation of sway; it simply works to resist the forces once they have started.

I think it's better to call something like this a "[b]friction-type sway control", because "sway bar" is used to mean some very different things (including this type of sway control), and there are various kinds of sway controls.

I know this could start a heated debate, but I don't think there should be any reason to use a friction-type sway control with a trailer, and especially not with a tandem-axle design such as the Fiber Stream. I don't use one with my Boler 1700, which is longer, wider, and heavier than the Fiber Stream, and has only a single axle. I tow with a Toyota Sienna, so unless the Astro is a significantly inferior tow vehicle, I would not expect a problem.

If you do use a friction-type sway control, please note that while the operation may be simple, the adjustment is full of potential problems... education is called for.

[pjanits]

I have a 2002 Astro and an 81' Burro 13 ft.
I have towed the Burro on the flats and in the mountains of Montana/Wyoming. And all over the midwest.

You sometimes forget the trailer is there. I wouldn't worry about towing with the Astro.
I use the tow/haul mode and when on hills shift to 3rd gear. Overdrive on flat land works fine. If the car starts to slow down in overdrive ,shift down to 3rd.

The wind from passing trucks push the van more than they bother the trailer.

[Dee Hill]

First, welcome to fiberglass travel trailer ownership, Dee! I have yet to see a Fiber Stream "in person", but they are an interesting design with some great features, and there are some very helpful Fiber Stream owners here in FiberglassRV.
I assume by "sway bar" you mean a friction-type sway control, such as the Reese part 26660
I think it's better to call something like this a "[b]friction-type sway control", because "sway bar" is used to mean some very different things (including this type of sway control), and there are various kinds of sway controls.

I know this could start a heated debate, but I don't think there should be any reason to use a friction-type sway control with a trailer, and especially not with a tandem-axle design such as the Fiber Stream. I don't use one with my Boler 1700, which is longer, wider, and heavier than the Fiber Stream, and has only a single axle. I tow with a Toyota Sienna, so unless the Astro is a significantly inferior tow vehicle, I would not expect a problem.

If you do use a friction-type sway control, please note that while the operation may be simple, the adjustment is full of potential problems... education is called for.

Hi Brian, thanks alot for the information. I am taking notes here and am feeling more confident!! will see the FS on tuesday but i am 98% sure i am buying it!!!

Will give everyone an update after the purchase!!! thanks again dee

[Dee Hill]

I have a 2002 Astro and an 81' Burro 13 ft.
I have towed the Burro on the flats and in the mountains of Montana/Wyoming. And all over the midwest.

You sometimes forget the trailer is there. I wouldn't worry about towing with the Astro.
I use the tow/haul mode and when on hills shift to 3rd gear. Overdrive on flat land works fine. If the car starts to slow down in overdrive ,shift down to 3rd.

The wind from passing trucks push the van more than they bother the trailer.

I will try what you are recommending with the overdrive and the shifting to 3rd if it slows down..thanks

i am excited to see the combination of my 2001 and the FS together..should make a handsome pair!!! dee