This is a subject that I have thought tons about. We have 6 kids so there is no choice but a large toad. Here are my thoughts in no particular order:
- I already own a 10 passenger Ford Transit so I don't want to buy another vehicle.
- The transit can't flat tow without a driveshaft disconnect.
- The disconnect, tow bar and brake controller are crazy expensive.
- If I did go that route it's a lot of money and specific to the one vehicle.
- I already own a nice flatbed trailer but then there is the issue of what to do with it when we get to a destination.
- Loading, unloading and securing the van on the trailer is time consuming.
After countless hours of searching for a solution and talking to several companies I found it. One search led to a company that makes equipment for the repossession industry. Like the picture shows, it is bolted under the vehicle and retracted when not in use. When needed it will lower and extend to lift my van by the rear wheels allowing the front wheels ride on the ground. A quick strap on the wheel and done. Total time to load or unload will be less than 2 minutes. The other advantage is that it will work for any vehicle. One of the manufacturers said they could customize a current model to fit my RE bus for around $3700 total shipped. A local engineering and fabrication shop I use said they could beat that price when I'm ready to do it. It would be much cheaper if I want to manually extend the frame and use a winch to lift instead of hydraulics (with a locking pin when up). This also has the advantage of a winch that can be used if the bus is stuck. So this is the route we have decided to go with.
Linear Mode
