I can attest to the following!  The person who came to put my vanagon on a
flat bed ripped out the sheet metal where he hooked his winch!  They've
agreed to weld it and seal it for me.

Brad

NO! NO! NO!  This is the same mentality that most "mechanics" employ when
they go to inspect my cars.  They have no concept or knowledge of moments of
force, tensile strength, vector algebra, plastic deformation, etc., etc.,
etc., yet they seem to think that any sizable hunk of metal beneath a
vehicle
is a suitable purchase for their floor jacks.  Now, just visualize the
powertrain of a Vanagon.  Is the chassis hung from the engine/transaxle or
is
the powertrain hung from the chassis by rubber isolator mounts?  You're
right!  So, in lifting the van by the transaxle, the least damage that can
be
done is that a rubber mount or two may be torn and it could escalate from
there.