Towing with Express 3500 15 pass

[NCMODELA]

Hi everyone. We have been looking for a new tow vehicle. With 4 young kids we were looking at a suburban 2500 but recently drove a 15 passenger express 3500 and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The nice thing about the van is we can remove the rear seat or two and still have enough room for kids and plenty of cargo room. They come pretty inexpensive too compared to sub 2500's.

The only thing that is bothering me is the previous reports of van rollover rates when fully loaded or towing a trailer. I noticed that the express has an exteneded wheelbase with the same overhang as the 12 passenger model. Unlike the fords or dodges which tack the extra back behind the axle. Does this make a difference? Has anyone towed with one of these?

Thanks

[NCMODELA]

Thank you so much for the info. I picked up a 2011 e350 v10 12 pass van. I love it towing but around town mileage kills me. 10 mpg. Luckily she only uses it for about 600 miles per month. Would have really wanted to go with 350 express bit the prices were 8 to 10k more.

[deltabravo]

NCMODELA wrote:
I noticed that the express has an extended wheelbase with the same overhang as the 12 passenger model... Does this make a difference? Has anyone towed with one of these?

Yes, it makes a huge difference.

The GM van is much more stable during "holy c,r,a,p" maneuvers

[kevperro]

We have a 2010 Express 15 with the 6.0L & 6-speed. We have eight kids (ages - 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 17 & 22) so we really needed the space. We got a killer deal on a unit coming out of a government lease two years ago. Bought it in 2013 with 108,000 miles on it for $13,500 which looking around now is a smoking deal. I changed plugs/wires, coolant, tires, front window and tranny service so there went another $1200.

It tows like a beast but I'm limited by the total combined gross weight of 14,000 lbs. To be honest it feels like it could tow much more. The van is 6760 lbs. with me in it and a full tank of gas. With the family... add another 800 lbs and we have only 6500 lbs available for towing.

I bought a skinny travel trailer (ultra-lite) with bunkhouses and we all fit.... barely. The van gets about 12-13 mpg in town when used just to run around. On the highway it does spectacular. I get about 20-21 mpg on the highway doing the speed limit (60-70 mph). I get pretty close to that going up over Stevens Pass with a loaded van. By my calculations it is more efficient per person (highway) when loaded than a Prius.

[Jarlaxle]

NCMODELA wrote:
Hey guys thanks for the replys...there were a few reasons I was interesting on the 15 pass. One, we have four kids with the possibility of adopting 1 or 2 more in the next 5-8yrs. But the major reason was space for stuff..right now our sub is packed bottom to top for a five day trip without camper. As the kids grow that is more stuff. If I remove the rear seat out of a 12 passenger van that leave me with almost exactly with what my sub has. 8 seats and a large back area. Although I could look at a hitch carrier or top carrier for the v an when I'm not towing.

For those that had or have one...with 4 kids do you have enough room for stuff or does it get cramped? Wish you had more space?

Burbman..I was asking about maneuverability because that is more important to me than the extra space. If this combo is a nightmare to work with then I will go 12 pass. This Wil be my wife's dd. We have driven 15 pass vans before but for mission trips and never really had a problem with them. But that only has been a few times.

I was really looking at a 09 with stabilotrac and the 6.0 6 spd combo....I don't need low miles but around 100,000 would be fine.

Having driven livery vans, I can say that a 15-pax Dodge with the last seat removed (leaving seats for 10 plus driver) will swallow three couples and their luggage for a 2-week Carribbean cruise, with enough room to put most of their luggage in again, and nobody crowded. (Two people in each row, nobody in the front passenger seat, all luggage except briefcases in the back, nothing above the bottom of the windows.)

[Jarlaxle]

NCMODELA wrote:
Are you saying your 1500 burb got less than 18 hwy? That the 6.0 6spd does better than the 5.3 3.73 4spd.

It could. I can vouch from personal experience that a 2500 with the 4.8/6L90 uses less gas than a 1500 with the 4.3 V6 and 4L65E! That double overdrive is NICE. (Note: the 2500 would also suck the doors off the 4.3 van, empty or loaded, from any speed.)

[ktosv]

NCMODELA wrote:
For those that had or have one...with 4 kids do you have enough room for stuff or does it get cramped? Wish you had more space?

I have 5 kids and the regular wheelbase 12 passenger van. My kids are currently 13, 11, 8, 7 and 11 months. Honestly, there hasn't been a trip we have gone on that I really needed more room. That includes spring break to Florida last year when the youngest was 2 months. Now that we have an infant again, when we go places we are taking a pack-n-play, an exersaucer and several other things. We also have two dogs that often go with us and typically travel in a crate/kennel.

About the only time that a 15 passenger would have been a benefit for me is when we take our bikes somewhere. With the 12 passenger there isn't enough room behind the third row to put a bike in length-wise with both tires still on. Therefore, I have to take the front tires off and I put them in sideways. If I had the 15 passenger, there would be enough room behind the third row with the fourth and fifth rows out to just throw the bikes in.

The one thing to consider, is that a 12 passenger van has about 50 more cubic feet of cargo space (92.1 cuft) behind the third row as you do behind the third row of your Suburban (38.9 cuft). So, you will still have room for 8 and gain cargo space. The other thing is that the fourth row is a split bench. So, you can take out one side and gain some cargo space and have seating for 10.

The turning circle of the regular wheelbase is about 6' larger (49.2') and a long wheelbase is 11.5' larger (54.5') than your Suburban (43' for half ton).

NCMODELA wrote:
I was really looking at a 09 with stabilotrac and the 6.0 6 spd combo

If that is one that someone/somebody has advertised, you will want to double check that. I thought the 6 speed wasn't available until 2010. I really like the 6L/6 speed vs the 6L/4 speed combo I had in a 3/4 ton Suburban and would encourage looking for one unless the 4 speed is a really great deal.

[rjstractor]

I wouldn't worry about the maneuverability of a 15 passenger van too much, the wheelbase is longer than your Suburban but not that bad-about the same as a HD crew cab pickup with a short box.

[NCMODELA]

Hey guys thanks for the replys...there were a few reasons I was interesting on the 15 pass. One, we have four kids with the possibility of adopting 1 or 2 more in the next 5-8yrs. But the major reason was space for stuff..right now our sub is packed bottom to top for a five day trip without camper. As the kids grow that is more stuff. If I remove the rear seat out of a 12 passenger van that leave me with almost exactly with what my sub has. 8 seats and a large back area. Although I could look at a hitch carrier or top carrier for the v an when I'm not towing.

For those that had or have one...with 4 kids do you have enough room for stuff or does it get cramped? Wish you had more space?

Burbman..I was asking about maneuverability because that is more important to me than the extra space. If this combo is a nightmare to work with then I will go 12 pass. This Wil be my wife's dd. We have driven 15 pass vans before but for mission trips and never really had a problem with them. But that only has been a few times.

I was really looking at a 09 with stabilotrac and the 6.0 6 spd combo....I don't need low miles but around 100,000 would be fine.

[BurbMan]

NC, if you are concerned about wheelbase, length and maneuverability, why go for the 15 passenger version? Sounds like you would have plenty of room with the std 12 passenger version.

[jerem0621]

FYI..

I have some experience with full size vans... if the fam could get on board that would be my choice... I may end up going full size van anyway. My preference would be a E350 12 passenger Van with the V10 and 4.30 gears.

I had the opportunity to drive a E350 12 passenger for about 1300 miles on a vacation. This model had the 5.4V8 and average highway was 16.5 hand calculated.

My FIL had a 2001 3500 Express Van with a 5.7l v8- 15 passenger. While this discussion centers on newer vans someone reading this may be considering an older one. The 2001 5.7 got 13 MPG hand calculated on the same trip on the highway.

Something to note on the LWB express is that the rear axle is moved back with the extension so there is not near the overhang on the 15 passenger Express as there is with a E350 15 passenger.

Good Luck in your search. A Van is an awesome TV and a great DD.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[JBinOR]

NCMODELA wrote:
I know this is a bit of an older topic but has anyone that has driven anything like this had maneurvability (sp) issues at campgrounds, our tt is 26ft not including tounge and may go a bit longer in the future. We like to do state camprounds alot..we dont have any issues now with our Yukon xl. but this is almost 2ft longer of a wheel base.

We have a Chevy 15 passenger and 26' trailer. We have not had any problems in any state parks or campgrounds we have gone too, and I would not say that we are anything near experts in tight spaces. We do look at the campground map before reserving to make sure it looks reasonable, but I presume that if the site is listed as being long enough that we'll be able to get back there easier than a class A of similar size. Where we have run into problems is gas stations, and now we plan ahead there mainly by going to Flying J's with the RV lane.
A couple pieces of advice for these: take out a front row for storage rather than the back row (you'll feel like you're about to get run over loading groceries) and if you're going to be doing any mountains, upgrade to the new higher temp transmission fluid. We've done many mountains just fine with a 5.7L gas with 4 speed transmission and 3.73 back end.

[carringb]

The long wheelbase Express van is hard to maneuver trailer or not. It has the same turning radius as a crew cab long bed pickup.

[NCMODELA]

I know this is a bit of an older topic but has anyone that has driven anything like this had maneurvability (sp) issues at campgrounds, our tt is 26ft not including tounge and may go a bit longer in the future. We like to do state camprounds alot..we dont have any issues now with our Yukon xl. but this is almost 2ft longer of a wheel base.

[DrewE]

Roger10378 wrote:
Check with your DMV on licensing requirements. In some states a 15 passenger is considered a bus and requires the appropriate license.

By all means check with your state's DMV. That said, there is no federal CDL requirement for 15 passenger (or fewer, including the driver) vans. Vehicles for carrying more than fifteen passengers (including the driver) are busses, and need a CDL with a passenger endorsement (or a school bus endorsement if a school bus). Most, if not all, states will allow personal, non-commercial 15 passenger van use with a normal driver's license.