Considering getting rid of my 2500 pickup (gas) and getting a used van for utility purposes. I really don’t use my truck other then to tow my toyhauler which is right around 6500 pounds give or take fully loaded and for bad weather since I have a job I need to get to and from work regardless of the weather. For what I’m paying for my truck now I could buy a fairly nice used sprinter/transit/ promaster etc and still be able to lease a nice daily driver. Anyone that has a van like above use one for towing a big trailer and how does it do?
We tow a 6x12 enclosed with a Ford diesel e350 extended. It works but you need to watch engine temp when going up long hills. You also need to watch the tongue weight or you can get some serious trailer wagging. We carry two bikes in the trailer and two bikes in the back of the van plus gear. I couldn't imagine towing anything larger than that and I don't know of any vans that have a larger tow capacity.
I pull a 6X12 with a E150 4.6. Which is a dog. If your E350 can't handle more than a 6X12 there is something wrong. That thing should pull a 24 footer easy. As far as the wagging, is it the extended version?
I used to pull a 7x14 enclosed with 4-5 bikes generator and 4-5 peoples gear with a 2000 chevy 1500 savanna conversion van , 350 engine, 70 mph plus and got 11 mpg, it was the best way to travel
Andre Ochs dad towed a 30 foot toy hauler with a nice Ford diesel passeger van. His wife drove it accross country mltiple times. I think he had a 7.3 and a 6.0 but I'm not 100% sure. We were on Luke Huff's RotoBox AMA/WERA team in 2012 with Bryce Prince. Luke Huff raced some and there were guest risers most AMA weekends. Luke bought a new sprinter longest cab and had 4 bikes in the van, wheels, gear bags, generators, tool boxes, spares, spare motors, frames, etc. pulling a small toy box behind to all the AMA rounds that year. I can't remember how much stuff was also in the toy box. I remember one time loading 2 or 3 graves containers with motors into the hauler, because Graves semis were going to the next round and our setup was going back to California. I'm sure it was overworked, but when I saw how large that van was and how.much we put in it, I wanted to buy one some day.
Yup it's the extended version. We upgraded the rear with airbags to keep it level and assist with wagging Most of the time towing isn't an issue but I remember going to VIR through some back country roads that had some seriously steep inclines and the van was in low gear almost the entire time. Granted that was towing a 7x14 loaded with three bikes (so 5 bikes total) plus a large tool box, I wouldn't feel comfortable towing larger but that's just me and I don't do a lot of towing.
I used a sprinter Diesel 1 ton axle with a 14foot Featherlite, no issues except a bit of a dog in the mountains. Got 14mpg elsewhere. Now I pull the same trailer with a Thor Palazzo RV - Cummins Diesel - don’t even know it’s back there. Get 11MPG on that.
All the same rules apply when towing with a van/SUV/truck.....it doesn't matter. You have to consider your available payload, GVWR, FAWR, RAWR, GCVWR, Tire load capacity, tongue weight on the tow vehicle. Many times vans will have rear end ratios that are more suited for travel than towing, so another thing to think about. Do people tow with them overloaded? Of course they do! Do people tow with trucks that are overloaded? OF COURSE they do. I'm not a fan of either. Ideally, NONE of the weight ratings listed above should be over the posted ratings. You don't get to pick and choose......over on one of the rating but the rest are OK. Research it thoroughly before you make a decision that you will later regret.
I would give a friction bar a try. It's a game change especially on the extended version. I towed a 24 foot toyhauler with mine, granted it was only for 50 miles or so. It was really sketchy until I hooked up the sway bar, then it pretty much pulled dead straight.
My e350 gas hauls 2 bikes + grom + race gear inside, then a 30ft camper behind it is probably about a 7k lbs trailer. These things are pretty stout, just always make sure to turn od off. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
AOD Pulled a pretty big trailer with an E350 throughout their endurance career. I think they even did a write up on it in one the RRW issues.
E350 diesel should shrug off a 6x12. My guess is it's due for some maintenance. They do have a rather fragile cooling system and the newest 6.0 would be 8 years old at this point. I work with contractors who haul equipment trailers with them all the time. They can get a little wonky with weight distribution, but are pretty beastly otherwise . Values seem to be going up for clean ones as the off road crowd likes to convert them and the latest unibody vans arent as tough for that kind of thing.