Towing with a minivan

rvhippo wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
why are you recommending the extended length van? when I was in a van pool we hauled 15 people in one. they seemed to me to be exactly the same vehicle with a 4? ft section welded onto the back. what is the plus of this over a standard van.
bumpy

GM extended vans have a longer wheel base (than the regular body) which reduces rear axle to hitch distance, making them better tow vehicles.

Ford extended vans just have a body extension (on the regular body). Massive rear overhang. Not as good for towing, but livable.

The GM design is newer and has significantly more legroom for the driver and passenger. But is costs more. It's easier to find late-model Fords because most companies care more about cost than they do about driver comfort. The big GM V8 is more powerful than the big Ford V8, but the Ford is available with a V10. The GM with the 6.0L V8 has a max tow of around 10,000 pounds. You will not find the V10 on a fleet vehicle (costs too much).

The benefit of an extended van is the increased cargo capacity.

I've gone and looked at several of these vans in the Orlando area. Mullinax absolutely refuses to deal. I've left my name and number and walked away from negotiations and they don't call back - they know they're the cheapest in the area. They are all lightly used for a 1-ton van.

A 1-ton pickup or cargo van is usually beat to h*ll and back because it was a contractor's vehicle and has been overloaded and been a tow vehicle (been there, done that, got the repair bills to prove it). The 1-ton passenger vans only carry people. They never operate near max GVWR because 15 people are nowhere near the 4000 lbs payload capacity and you can't put in any other cargo with 4-5 rows of seats already in there. In my experience, when I see these vans, they have 2-3 customers inside and the rear seat is removed for luggage.

They all have cloth seats, so it's easy to see how much use these vans have gotten. Usually the 2nd row shows wear and the 3rd and 4th row are really clean and the 5th row looks like they took it out of the van new and left it in a warehouse. There are usually screw holes in the dash from the radio and communications equipment.

They don't look like they've been driven hard - a crazy driver isn't going to keep his job long if the passengers complain to management. Tires on most of them are in good shape with decent tread left. They are all optioned out for passengers - cupholders and power outlets in the back and supplementary A/C & heat fans/ducts all the way back.

A new E350 extended van is going to run close to $39,000. You can pick up a 1 or 2 year old ex-fleet lease for $20,000, still under factory warranty (regular body vans are even cheaper). They're great deals.

This is an excellent summary. Also, most fleets have good maintenance schedules on their vehicles. Many of these vans are purchased by second-tier shuttle services, put under strict maintenance schedules, and run until they hit 350,000-400,000 miles- the heavy duty chassis, engine, and tranny hold up very well.