On 10/2, Bill Urban wrote:
>I mainly want to tow a boat trailer of some kind  such as a jetski,
>canoe, paddleboat, or a small ski boat.
Bill, I towed a jet ski trailer for 4 years with an 85 Vanagon Westy.  I
climbed 4500' mountain passes with the load many times with no problems,
albeit often in second gear.  It will slow you down significantly on
uphill grades but the trailer travels along nicely due to the high
position of the hitch: very level, unlike a passenger car.  Total weight
of 2 jet skiis, equipment, and the trailer was about 1000 lbs.  Launching
the skiis into the lake was easy: you just can't bury the back end of the
van in the lake!

A caveat:  In the years following my towing adventures, I replaced both
the tranny and the clutch, as well as a water pump and many other
repairs.  I do not know for a fact that these repairs were related to the
towing, but it certainly is possible.  Most likely there were just
typical Vanagon expenses.

Melissa Mourkas
81 Westy