TM 3023 and Chevy Astro Van

Just got back to Houston from Durango and Woodland Park Colorado. I was very pleased with the performance of the Astro. I have the Equa-lizer hitch and never felt a sway the whole trip. I was able to maintain 60-65 mph on the 6% slope over Raton pass and 35mph in 2nd gear over the 8+% slope over Wolf Creek. The temp gage never got over 210' even on the 6 to 8 mile climbs over the passes. I got 15 mph from Houston to Colorado (uphill) and 15.8 mpg coming back to Houston. The TM weighs about 3800#. While the Astro Van is rated to tow 5500# I dont think I would want that much weight pulling up the passes or pushing me down the other side.

Cardsfan,
Looks like we have the same tv. Mine is a 96 Astro cargo van. The cargo van is great for just us two. No rear seats to hassle with and loads of room to haul bikes and camping gear. We get our tandem and 2 mt. bikes inside with room left over for camping chairs, extra food, clothes, etc.
A mini van is far superior to the ubiquitous suv in my opinion. The lower floor height yields much more interior space and a safer, more stable ride. 4wd is an over rated gimmick that is unnecessary for the vast majority of driving conditions and the extra weight cuts back on the overall towing capacity.
I towed our fully stocked (4800 lbs gross weight) 3124 out west, all the way up to the the Olympic Peninsula, down the Pacific coast and back to Fl, crossing many mountain passes, all with the stock 3.23 axle ratio! I eventually changed out the gears for a more tow friendly 3.73 but that little 4.3 Vortec can really haul the bacon!
Not having to purchase a huge, gas guzzling tow vehicle was the main reason we bought a TrailManor and the Astro van/TrailManor combo filled the bill quite nicely. Too bad GM decided to quit making the Astro. I guess they make more profit on their highly marked up suv's. ???

Bruce

I agree with you both the Astro/Safari vans are execellent tow vehicles for the TM. We tow our 3023 TM with a 98 Safari AWD. I have towed the TM from Florida to Ohio and never had a problem. The only problems I have ever had where with bikes loaded on the rear bumper. However, I purchased the Equal-i-zer hitch and have not had another problem. I am sorry to hear GM has decided to stop making the Astro/Safari. They are great family vehicles and haul the five of us around very comfortably.

[Sinclue]

We agree that this is a good combination. We have a Safari (the GMC version of the Astro) and the 2720SL. We've towed all over the West across the Rockies and the Sierras. We have three dogs so we generally leave only the bench seat in (take out the Capt. chairs in the back) and have plenty of room for all our gear and the beasties. Less weight to put into the trailer too.
I too am sorry to see them discontinue this model. I see lots of them around so I wonder what sparked the change. We've thought about getting one of the '03 (last model year), but then the price for them new is still pretty staggering for somebody who bought his first house in Seattle(four bedrooms) for less than $20k a mere 30 years ago. The idea of paying over $25k for a car/van is hard to adjust to. But, of course, it'll only get worse. Hope there are lots of spare parts out there for us!

Hi...

What kind of engines do the Asto/Safari vans have in them? If they are not all the same...is there a desirable Astro/Safari van engine for towing either a 2720 or 3023 TM?

Thanks!

[Sinclue]

As far as I know they all have a 6 cyl. No other engine size was offered (2003 is the last model year for this, unfortunately). I seem to recall that there may have been a HP boost in the engines starting around 2000, but I am not sure of that.