Found a TT! And maybe a possible TV?! Double check my #'s

[jlfought]

It looks like the 2000 Jayco Eagle 31' is the winner! We trust the dealer and he knew our circumstances and came down to a really good price to help us out. 😃 It just feels like us and we can really put our mark on it and make it ours(think cottage beach redo).

So anyhow, after checking out everyone's great suggestions for upgrading our vehicle (from my previous post about if we could tow a 39' Dutchmen http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27558912.cfm), we really would like to get a 15 passenger 3500 van.

We have been wanting a 15 passenger van for awhile( my husband's uncle has one to haul amish). They are easy to find(unlike the 2500 Burb 8.1L) and affordable for us.

So we have been crunching #'s yet again and think everything checks out weight wise but I really wanted to run it past you guys real quick.

We are getting conflicting dry weights on the Jayco. One puts it at 6450 and the other at 6936. The dealer said it was around 6000, so I tend to believe the 6450.

GVWR of Jayco with the 6936 UVW listing is 9400. Obviously it would be slightly lower if the dry weight was just 6450. But we'll play it safe and go off of the higher weight. That would put the tongue weight at 1222(at 13%).

Ok so the van has a GVWR of 9600 and a payload of 3270 for the 2006 Express 3500 Extended. The 2002 has a slightly lower GVWR of 9500 but a higher payload of 3543.

We weigh 700 lbs(a little less, but rounding up) including our driver of 190 lbs. And we added in 100 lbs into the count for the WD.

So either van is fine with the payload it seems to us.

Tow weight of van is 10,000.

Thoughts on all this? Am I missing anything that would rule the 3500 van's out as our TV for the Jayco TT?

Thanks in Advance!!

[jlfought]

spadoctor wrote:
Look for a Ford E350 van with the V10....you will love it and it will be ready and more then able to do what you want.

I'll check it out thanks:)

[jlfought]

dodge guy wrote:
Everything sounds good! what motor is in each van? sounds like you have a great time planned! and yes there should be a sticker in one of the cabinets on the door that states the dry weight when it left the factory.

We looked at the trailer in -20 temps so it was cold inside and out of the unit and we were all just ready to get back in our nice warm vehicles. So I didn't get a chance to look at the official sticker for the weights. But we will get it in a bay and all hooked up on Monday so I will definitely be checking it out giving the inconsistencies in the weights listed online. 😃

The 2002 says a 5.7L V-8 with a 4.10 axle ratio and the 2006 is a listed as a 6L V8 with a 3.73 axle ratio.

Thanks 🙂

[ExxWhy]

I think you nailed it right on the money jfought. This combo will work very well for you.

I'd be partial to the Ford vans just for the V10, but a Chevy with the 6.0 will work nicely for what you have. And I have owned several Chevy vans over the years, though it's been a few years since the last one. I had 4 kids and the van was the absolute best way to travel and keep everyone's sanity. 🙂

[Peg_Leg]

We used a big Dodge van at an auto auction. The only bad thing was the gas mileage but that's not what your buying it for. Should be fairly dependable. The high profile will throw some of the wind resistance over the top for you, built in air deflector. See if you can find a dual cam WD system. They work great.

If your in northern IN, there are a lot of surplus dealers for any parts or options that you want to add. I love walking through them and just getting ideas.

Good luck.

[dodge_guy]

Everything sounds good! what motor is in each van? sounds like you have a great time planned! and yes there should be a sticker in one of the cabinets on the door that states the dry weight when it left the factory.

[spadoctor]

Look for a Ford E350 van with the V10....you will love it and it will be ready and more then able to do what you want.

[shenandoahvalle]

Your Jayco should have a sticker someplace, in a cabinet, on a door, that gives its actual dry weight. If you can't find it you may want to weigh the unit. The literature on mine gave a dry weight of about 8100# but in reality it weighs right at 8900 dry, and about 10,300 packed but very little in the tanks. They tend to run a little heavy and we are very close to our TT GVWR.

[jlfought]

nomad297 wrote:
Is it the M 296 FBS?

Bruce

No its the 314BH 😃

[VintageRacer]

I had an Express van and while the van itself was a disaster quality-wise it was a great tow vehicle. Look for one with a 4:11 or higher differential ratio. Put high quality shock absorbers on first thing, the stock shocks are quite bad. They depreciate like crazy so you should find one quite cheap, but they are usually used commercially so maintenance can be spotty. That means shop with a sharp and critical eye. Check that the rear air conditioning works and inspect the underside for corrosion in the AC and brake lines. Both corroded on mine and the rear AC failed quite early. Replacing the lines requires lifting the body off the chassis so was very expensive, I just capped the lines off and lost the rear AC.

Brian

[S_more_campers]

I've worn out my fair share of Chevy cargo vans. My latest is a base model 2012 GMC Savanna 2500, 4.8L.

The Good. Normally, most van guys would shudder at a 4.8 - it's NOT a powerhouse; the 5.3 has much more grunt. However, The General has done something with the transmission, there are 6 SIX different ratios. This thing flat out hauls! Be prepared when you stand on the loud pedal. My weight on the road is just under 7500 Lbs, so it's not like it's running on empty - more like it's running on the bump stops and I can still chase down the Volkswagen that just cut me off.

I've run at least a few of these into the ground, with the same set of tools and varying inventory (I'm a road technician for a heavy equipment repair company), never had a transmission or 3rd member failure. 2007 and up models have excellent brakes.

The Bad. Compared to the Ford E250 the Chevy's are thin and tinny and don't seem to hold the road as well on the factory Bridgestones, having said that it may come down to tire choice alone.

Earlier models (up to 2004 at least) have weak brakes. That shouldn't be such an issue for the OP as they won't be hauling any where near the weight I do in the van.

One other beef with the Express/Savanna is soft seats. Yes, they're showroom comfortable but will leave you tired and moving slow after a long ride.



I don't know what year this trans became available, but it's a game changer. Look for a +/- button on the shifter. Also note that all 2500's since 2000 come with a selectable tow/haul button on the dash.

[nomad297]

Is it the M 296 FBS?

Bruce

[allimax]

Just be sure the van is set up for towing. By that I mean suspension, axle ratio, brakes, and it would be great if it had a factory hitch. I'm only saying this because I know of someone who bought a new van, 2500 series, and it couldn't handle his 9000 lb. Prowler. After much head scratching and haggling with the dealer, he ended up getting a Yukon XL. I wish you the best of luck with your decision and it's good to see new buyers doing their homework ahead of time. Mistakes can be expensive. Being informed is a good thing.

[jlfought]

Thanks! I'm a researcher by nature 😉

We are selling our home and getting rid of pretty much everything in it and full timing it for a year with our 5 kids. So these are super important decisions we are making and on a tight budget we can't misspend even a penny.

Think twice, buy once 😉

[TucsonJim]

Wow - Doing the weight research before you purchase? What a great idea... I don't see much of that here.

It looks like you've done your homework and it looks like a safe set up unless I missed something.