Chev Express Van 2500 vs 3500

Chevrolet only makes 2500, 2500 extended wheelbase, and 3500 vans, with gas or diesel engines. The 3500 van has a rear axle load capacity of 6084 lbs. which is 724 lbs. more than that of the 2500 van.

724 lbs. is trivial and most likely the result of different rims and tires and maybe a stiffer spring in the leaf pack. I gained 1000 lbs. of load capacity at the rear axle with my truck when I changed the factory 3195 rated tires out for ones rated at 3750@80 PSI.

You lose 831 lbs. of payload capacity with the diesel engine so you have less payload capacity with the 3500 with the diesel engine than with the 2500 with the gas engine.

For a B class motorhome I would be going with the Ford E-450 platform if I wanted slideouts and if not, then one using the Mercedes Sprinter platform with its 5 cylinder diesel engine.

woodhog wrote:


Thanks... this type of thing is what I was looking for, it would appear then that there is a real difference between the 2500 and 3500 designs in these vans, so far larger brakes on the rear and a completely different rear axle.

On our Dodge truck everything on our 3500 was the same on the 2500 except the helper/overload spring addition on the 3500 series..

I was thinking of changing a 2500 to a 3500 by just adding springs to a 2500 van but that won't work with these vans now as there appear to be major differences from 3/4 to 1 ton express vans...

GM does things differently than Chrysler does (did?). Chevy and GMC trucks can be a 2500 or a 2500HD. Only the HD gets the full floating axles. The 2500 is mostly a 1500 with heavier springs and brakes. On Dodge trucks, the 2500 is a full floating rear just like a 1 ton. My Ram 2500 pickup has the heavy axle.

If you can find a 2500HD, it would be a good candidate. While my B has the semifloating axle, I've never really liked using those for heavy loads. I've seen the axles shear under really heavy loading. The full floating, if it's properly maintained, I've never seen one fail except under severe abuse. I think the truck was being used to pull a freight train or 10 loaded rail cars and was bouncing on the track cross ties.

Hi - I have the 3500 for my RT. Recently I had the transmission checked (it ended up being a fuel pump issue, not a transmission issue). The tech was very adamant that the tranny in my 3500 was MUCH stronger than what was in a 2500 - stating the tranny I had was good for many more miles compared to the lighter version, which likely would have already have had to have been rebuilt. ST

ol' grouch wrote:
The springs, brakes and rear axle are heavier on the 3500. Look at the end of the rear axle where the wheel fits on it. A 2500, like my B, has a semi floating rear axle. The axle rides on a bearing at the end of the axle tube. A 3500 will have a full floating axle. The axle doesn't carry any weight. All the weight is carried by a huge bearing assembly and the axle just turns the wheel. It's marked by a large rough bolt together assembly sticking through the wheel. You see these on larger trucks. You can even unbolt the end of the axle and slide it out with the truck sitting on its wheels. The lighter axles you have to take apart inside. If you're going to carry a lot of weight, you want the heavy duty axle assembly.

Thanks... this type of thing is what I was looking for, it would appear then that there is a real difference between the 2500 and 3500 designs in these vans, so far larger brakes on the rear and a completely different rear axle.

On our Dodge truck everything on our 3500 was the same on the 2500 except the helper/overload spring addition on the 3500 series..

I was thinking of changing a 2500 to a 3500 by just adding springs to a 2500 van but that won't work with these vans now as there appear to be major differences from 3/4 to 1 ton express vans...

The springs, brakes and rear axle are heavier on the 3500. Look at the end of the rear axle where the wheel fits on it. A 2500, like my B, has a semi floating rear axle. The axle rides on a bearing at the end of the axle tube. A 3500 will have a full floating axle. The axle doesn't carry any weight. All the weight is carried by a huge bearing assembly and the axle just turns the wheel. It's marked by a large rough bolt together assembly sticking through the wheel. You see these on larger trucks. You can even unbolt the end of the axle and slide it out with the truck sitting on its wheels. The lighter axles you have to take apart inside. If you're going to carry a lot of weight, you want the heavy duty axle assembly.

Don;'t know if it helps, but someone once told me the basic difference is payload. According to him the 1500 is a 1/2 ton, the 2500 is a 3/4 ton, and the 3500 is a 1 ton. I'm guessing this applies to both the Chevy/GMC pickups and vans.

Of course along with payload I'm sure a lot of things are beefed up like springs, shocks, brakes, etc.

Maybe not a helper, but probably a different spring pack, maybe different coils up front. The ride height is also slightly greater.

When I was shopping passenger vans, I found no used 2500s within 500 miles over a period of six months. Passenger vans were 1500, 3500 and 3500 LWB. But a lot of 2500 cargo vans, in standard wheelbase.

What I found about the cargo vans was that most 2500s coming off lease were the 4.8 Vortec, while almost all of the 3500s had the optional 6.0, most recently with the six speed automatic.

Dunno if this still applies, but on my '01/'02 Roadtrek 190 on a LWB Chevy Express 3500, I'm pretty sure that there were no 'helper' or 'overload' springs. As I recall, the clearance was pretty minimal between spring pack and frame. The rear leaf spring pack was pretty beefy, tho'.

From later experience with my Tiger, the RT's ride probably woulda been helped by 5000 lb air bags on the rear. They would have taken some of the 'slam-bang' over things like expansion joints out of the ride. I'm not sure what's available as far as fit, tho'.

Jim, "My get-up-and-go done got up and left."

What are your plans for the van?

3500 is built to carry more payload too.