Would this E350 be a good tow Vehicle?! I need Help!

[venymae]

We are looking at the above 12 passenger van, as an option for towing our airstream (we'd like to ideally get a 31 footer). Here are the basic specs:

-2003 Ford E350 Passanger Van
-V10, 6.8L gas engine
-Max Towing 10,000lbs
-Standard Axle Ratio 3.73
-60,000 miles
-Very Clean
-They are asking $10,000 firm

We are wanting to do a bit of mountain travel(my sis is in CO). Would this vehicle work for us? Is there anything else I need to know about?

Also, do you think it's a good deal cost wise???? KBB has it listed as $7k in excellent condition with 60kmiles.

[dwightdi]

We used 250 and 350 vans for 15 years. They work. Gives good sheltered storage for stuff or use as conversion van for places the trailer will not go. Check if it has tow package. You need the extra coolers for the mountains. Vans do have more side area and the truck bow wave does push you a bit as they pass.

[ijustlee]

It should be a good TV if it's not the extended body. The shorter the distance from the axle to the hitch ball the better. General Motors vans have the rear axle farther back so personally I would lean towards a GM van. I have never towed with an extended body Ford but I'm sure people do, maybe not a problem. Hopefully somebody who has towed with both the standard and extended Fords can offer their experienced advice.

[Hittenstiehl]

You might also want to check out "the more we explore blog" They also bought a van as a TV and are very happy with it.

[Stefrobrts]

We towed with an E150 with a 351 v8 for about ten years. I second the mention that it will get pushed around by the wind a little bit because of it's boxy shape, but that was not a big deal once you are used to it. We were well under the towing capacity for our van, it handled the trailer effortlessly 99% of the time. Pulling up very steep grades taxed it a little bit, also no big deal. It was awesome to have all that cargo space in the back.

[Isuzusweet]

The van will have a GCWR number on a sticker attached to the door or door sill on the drivers side. The Gross Combined Weight Rating number is for the van, all occupants, cargo, trailer and all items in the trailer. If you have a 12 passenger van you already have the capacity to have 12 x (150 lbs average weight) = 1800 lbs of humanity, let alone cargo and trailer.

Get the trailer set up the way you would if you were travelling with say 1/2 tank of water, full propane and all clothes, food and sundries; with a full tank of gas, a driver and no cargo in the van, take both to a vehicle weigh scale and weigh the trailer and van. Take that number and hopefully subtract from the GVWR number on the van to get the amount of humanity and cargo you can put into the van.

Since you haven't bought a trailer yet you can at least get the original weight specs on a model that you're looking at purchasing; add 400+ lbs for water, food clothes and sundries.

Cheers
Tony

[PKI]

Hmmm, unless you are incorrect in your KBB value, It would seem to be over priced. While $10K is not an unreasonable price for a well maintained vehicle, it is a significant piece of change and I would have expected to be able to find a better deal. The real problem from my perspective is that one of our posters reported good experience with Chevy vans and poor experience with Ford vans when used in commercial service. Not sure this is one in the vintage range on which he commented, but additional research would be worth your while.

In general, vans should be good tow vehicles. With all the van pools out there, there should be a significant inventory to pick through. The short version with minimal rear overhang is what you want. Good Luck with the search. Pat

[westernjeep401]

Do you know which transmission it has? (4R100 is my first guess)

[venymae]

Originally Posted by PKI

Hmmm, unless you are incorrect in your KBB value, It would seem to be over priced. While $10K is not an unreasonable price for a well maintained vehicle, it is a significant piece of change and I would have expected to be able to find a better deal. The real problem from my perspective is that one of our posters reported good experience with Chevy vans and poor experience with Ford vans when used in commercial service. Not sure this is one in the vintage range on which he commented, but additional research would be worth your while.

In general, vans should be good tow vehicles. With all the van pools out there, there should be a significant inventory to pick through. The short version with minimal rear overhang is what you want. Good Luck with the search. Pat

it is the shorter version. Xlt Van, 3.73 gearing. Complete with load distributing tow hitch.

Power windows and locks. We have seen vans for around 6k but they all have 100k+ miles on them and no tow package. The fellow is very firm on his price. But I agree, the price makes me double think this...

I dont know the trans but I bet kbb could tell me.

[pappy19]

The 6.8 V-10 is the most used and most reliable truck or van engine ever made. There are more Ford V-10 engines in Class C motor homes than all other engines combined. With fresh plugs and serviced transmission, you should be good to go. The E350 probably has a 4.10 rear and that's perfect.

[mcomeaux]

The V-10 is a beast when it comes to towing no problem. As mentioned earlier post trans and oil coolers highly recommended but being a V-10 I'd guess it's equipped with appropriate coolers. I actually considered using a E series van before purchasing the truck I have now.

[jbailey01]

I have for sale, this diesel van. I have been pulling a 1996 30' Airstream Excella with it. In the last 18;months I towed the Airstream 15,000 miles. You can climb any mountain with it.
It is a 5 passenger, IE a bench seat behind the two front. This leaves plenty of room for cargo. My wife travels with a leaver Harp!

Look on Craigslist Edinburg, McAllen TX for photos and all details. All service is current; it is ready to tow today.

Call me If interested.

James Bailey
James.bailey@richmond.edu

540-761-5861

[gecko]

Agree with all postings. Vans are awesome for extra space, and the V10 is a towing monster. Transmission is important, and extra coolers for transmission and radiator as part of the rest of a towing package are critical.

If you are correct about the KBB price, that van is overpriced. The gentleman who posted here may have a better deal for you, and I'm sure there are many more used vans out there. The trick of course is finding reasonably low mileage.

I do have a friend with an E250 that did over 250,000 miles. My son has an E250 with about 150,000 that he takes off road into Baja. The only problems we've had have been with front end components--I'm sure due to overloading the van with gear and people (you should see it!!!!) and then driving it 100 miles off road in and out! Otherwise, it's been bullet-proof, and happy with just normal maintenance.

Recommendation: Look also at Chevy Express vans (only with tow packages) as well as Fords, and be patient--you'll find the right van at the right price for you.

[tjdonahoe]

Drove my friends V10 pulling a dump trailer, 12000 gross, not a prize, pulls about like my 72 ford with a 390,, sure glad I didn't have to go very far ...

[dbj216]

We pulled our 34 foot Limited with a 01 Ford E-350 for years. It made a nice tow vehicle. Ours had the trailer tow package with transmission cooler. The V-10 is smooth and powerful. Ours had a 4 speed automatic. The transmission would shift to 3 on "ordinary" hills and down to 2 on the steeper stuff. We towed at about 62 mph. I would recommend an aftermarket tachometer for it. You need it to judge engine braking speed going down hills. But I never added a tach to ours. Ours had E load range tires and I would highly recommend these truck tires, not a passenger tire.

The V-10 liked to fail ignition coils from time to time. I think we replaced 5 or 6 of them through the years. A rough idle and missing on wet mornings is a clue. Our van was a "one wheel drive" wonder, or rear drive with an open differential. This can give problems when pulling out on wet grass, up hills on gravel roads, and the like. There was one time on a steep hill where we had a red traffic light. When the light turned green, the van spun its rear tire. I couldn't get going. I had to drop the spring bars to add enough weight to pull up the hill. A bad experience. And I would get stuck with it every winter. I like 4WD a lot better. This is the main reason we traded for the F-350.

We averaged about 10 mpg towing, and about 14 in town.

David

[explore more]

We tow our 30 foot fc with a 7.3L e350 4x4. Love it.

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Our van was a "one wheel drive" wonder, or rear drive with an open differential. This can give problems when pulling out on wet grass, up hills on gravel roads, and the like.

We had to deal with this as well. We got stuck with the one wheel in the mud off the side of the pad in a campground, and got stuck trying to pull the trailer in and out of it's spot behind the house on the wet grass. That 'one wheel drive' is a pain in the rear. We are SO much happier with our AWD Flex in that respect.