Just purchased a new Jayco 32tsbh. It's bigger than our old trailer by a stretch, and it will be over 9000 lbs loaded. We're towing with a 2002 e350 extended length 12 passenger van with the 7.3 l power stroke diesel. As we speak my transmission is being rebuilt and beefed up with a cooler and a banks billet torque converter. Should this tow vehicle be alright? I am limited due to having 8 kids. Hence the need for the big trailer. Thanks I value your opinions.Blessings,Ed

with 8 people in the van, how much carrying capacity do you have left? What is the tow rating on the van?what is the hitch capacity on the van?if you are under the tow rating, under the hitch capacity, and under the vehicle GVWR, then your okMy $.02, after adding 8 people, you could very well be over GVWR with the trailer tongue weight (will be on the order of 1200lbs in my estimation). But the only way to know is to load everyone into the van and run it over the scales and see what you have left.

The thing that scares me most about those E350s ext vans is the amount of overhang, which has been documented to make the vehicle unstable. That is why, if I was in the market for an EXT van, would get a Chevy/GMC. I would be VERY careful, and maybe consider a DRW kit for it and maybe a Pull-rite Hitch

8 kids - that would be 10 people in the van unless mom and dad are driving separately. .. I think the base weight of the E-350 is around 6,300 pounds and GVWR 9,600. The 7.3L is about 500 pounds more than a 460" engine, so your curb weight might be as much as 7,000 pounds. With a hitch weight of around 1,000 pounds - see where I am going? You really need to check the curb weight of the E-350 van. If it is over 7,000 pounds, you really need to check it with all the kids on board, and see what weight capacity you will have left. If less than 1,000 pounds with all the kids on board, you really have been overloading the van - even with a small 5,000 pound travel trailer and 750 pounds of hitch weight. Now you are talking about 1,000 pounds of hitch weight?Anyway I would take the van and trailer without any kids in it to a CAT scale, or moving company that has a scale, and check the weight. Front and rear axles of the van, plus the trailer axles. Make sure it is not overloaded left to right either. Some trailers have as much as 500 pounds more on the drivers side due to the slide outs, overloading only two of the tires, while the passenger side is escaping being overloaded. When I checked my motorhome weight at a moving company, I went first in my car, to see where I would enter, cost, and how to move the 30' RV through the crowded area without getting stuck in a place where backing out would be time consuming. You will either have a GCVWR of 16,000 or 20,000 pounds, depending on the 3.55:1 rear axle ratio or the 4.10:1 rear axle ratio. If you have 4.10 it will either be 22 or 32, 52, 56 for open diff, or limited slip might be B2 or C2 in the axle location on the plackard on your drivers side weight sticker (bottom line, midway right to left). Hopefully your van is lighter than I think it is. My 2002 E-450 van is 9,600 pounds with 6 kids and me onboard, including a 400 pound wheelchair. I have a 14,050 GVWR and GCVWR of 20,000 pounds with a 4.63:1 rear axle ratio and V10 engine. I an considering a toy hauler that will have a ramp for the electric wheelchair, and that would be around 10,000 pounds, with 1,000 of that on the hitch. No problem for my E-450 based shuttle bus. Good luck,Fred.

ChooChooMan74 wrote:The thing that scares me most about those E350s ext vans is the amount of overhang, which has been documented to make the vehicle unstable. I've often thought the Ford vans has a long overhang. I was not aware of the stability issue.Interesting. Thanks.

Too much trailer? | Good Sam Community

Tvov
Explorer II
Dec 19, 2015
ednjenn wrote:
Thanks everyone, I'll be doing as advised when I get my hands on it.

Regards,

I like the DRW conversion concept. Just need to find a place around here that can do it, as I lack the skill.

Ed

Those dually "kits" are literally just bolt on. Buy the parts and put them together. If you want someone else to do it, any local garage can easily do the wheel part for you, and if you want the fender flares to look nice any body shop can put them on for you.
jmtandem
Explorer II
Dec 19, 2015
Wow.... my Chevy Express 3500 (15-passenger) is limited to GCVWR of 14,000 lbs. so I'm envious. I have a gaggle of kids (eight) and tow a Keystone Bullet 272BH (about 5500 lbs.) and once we are loaded for the trip I'm right at the 14K limit.

I went shopping for my trailer with known capacities in hand. It fits us just fine but we spend most of our camping time outside the trailer. It is mainly used for sleeping and watching the tube.

The OP's challenge will not be that his E350 cannot tow up to 10,000 pounds, it will be the payload of the van. He has a fairly large family and will have a tongue weight with hitch of a little less than 1500 pounds. That does not leave a lot of payload capacity for other stuff.
kevperro
Explorer
Dec 19, 2015
Wow.... my Chevy Express 3500 (15-passenger) is limited to GCVWR of 14,000 lbs. so I'm envious. I have a gaggle of kids (eight) and tow a Keystone Bullet 272BH (about 5500 lbs.) and once we are loaded for the trip I'm right at the 14K limit.

I went shopping for my trailer with known capacities in hand. It fits us just fine but we spend most of our camping time outside the trailer. It is mainly used for sleeping and watching the tube.
jmtandem
Explorer II
Dec 19, 2015
What about keeping the current trailer and putting the oldest kids in tents?

"Just purchased a new Jayco...."

It appears they already purchased the new trailer.
IndyCamp
Explorer
Dec 19, 2015
Ivylog wrote:
I doubt anyone is going to make a 180 turn at speed like in the video with a trailer on the back.

Of course not, but it speaks to the stability and integrity of the TV, and when you get out in some of the windy western states, TV stability is paramount.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Dec 19, 2015
I doubt anyone is going to make a 180 turn at speed like in the video with a trailer on the back. It was not until the end of the 180 before it went over... not a real world situation. Sure a wider track will increase stability, but unless you are selling that, I'll pass.

OP spend your money on individual air shocks and better/wider tires on the back... even wider rims.
LarryJM
Explorer II
Dec 18, 2015
I've got the same van as the OP only it's a regular box and has the 4.10s and is a 2001. It's GVWR is 9500, GCWR 20,000 and max tow of 10,000 and it was purchased as a Cargo Van which I customized. I've now got just over 95K total miles with close to 60K of that towing with a GCW of between 16.5 and 17.5K. I get between 10 and 11.5 interstate towing and I run a mild 60HP tuner. It's a fantastic TV with plenty of power with the only limitation is with even a mild tuner you are EGT limited because of the lack of an intercooler and the crammed engine compartment. The 7.3L vans were rated at 20K with the 4.10 and 16K IIRC with the 3.55 which were the only two rears normally found.

Larry
noteven
Explorer III
Dec 18, 2015
Ivylog wrote:
I was told to get the back seat of one at a defensive driving school... making the above staged video a joke. Unbelievable what a trained driver could do with 12 adults on board. We even got pretty good at scaring those in the back BUT these were not stock SRW E350s.
I would do it but only after upgrading your chassis and weighing loaded up. You do not need 1500 lbs of tongue weight so how/where you load the trailer will help.

Not sure the point you are making?

So at driving school you were taught increasing the track width by a dual wheel set does not increase the roll stability of a passenger van with 2400lbs of people and some baggage on board in an emergency avoidance or sharp turn?

What about "untrained" drivers?
icanon
Explorer
Dec 18, 2015
Campfire Time wrote:
What about keeping the current trailer and putting the oldest kids in tents?

Or get a Hybrid TT.
Campfire_Time
Explorer
Dec 18, 2015
What about keeping the current trailer and putting the oldest kids in tents?

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