Ford E150 Cargo Van

[rvsue]

You're right, Steve, they don't drive like a car. Many years ago I drove similar vans to what I'm looking at. They were the kind with seats and windows used to transport handicapped students to a special school. I also owned one briefly and used it for van camping.

Then a relative had a painting business and I sometimes used his van for in town, as well as an interstate trip. Not a cushy ride. They can be noisy if you don't pack carefully. (Need the floor mat) But like you said, ease of storage and access to stuff is great.

Another yes vote on a V8 van, thanks.

Sue

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Wandering Sue

Wow, Mike, that sure does help. I've read explanations before that left me more confused than ever. You made it so easy to understand. It sounds like 2WD or AWD would be best for me.

I never considered using a minivan.

I'm feeling much better about the E150 V8 with 2WD. I know the V8 will guzzle the gas but I want power and cargo space, and I won't be driving that much once I get to the Southwest. Not like now with my daily work commute!

Thanks so much for the info, Mike. You cleared up a lot of questions I had.

Sue

You're welcome. Maybe it's a bit of the teacher in me? I could've been a teacher, if my father hadn't told me that he would help me go to college to be anything except a teacher. It was the mid '70s and there were too many teachers, not enough openings. Had it not been for that I might be a teacher today. Instead I went into business, and eventually I became a Books Are Fun rep. Do you have Books Are Fun displays at your school?

About the solar panel question you had, I have no direct experience but I know of no reason not to put solar panels on the van's roof. The big thing you would want to avoid is a long wiring run (leading to current loss from wire's electrical resistance) between the panel and the controller/battery area, but I don't think it would be an excessive distance at all. Some people make their panels portable to set on the ground a ways from the trailer, which probably means even longer wires than what you would need.

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by Radar1

A van is a fine choice, but the full sized ones do tend to be thirsty when it comes to fuel. The full size vans are a better match for a fully loaded 17' Casita, the minivans usually top out about 3500 lbs on tow capacity and sometimes have low hitches/drawbars that bottom out on dips.
They are great for carrying large items like bikes and solve the problem of how to carry them and secure them.
We had a Ford Econoline cargo van we customized to our taste years ago and loved it. The Dodge full size van is now imported from Mercedes Benz and is called a Sprinter van, with a diesel engine that gives good range but costs more than a Chevy or Ford van.

John

I really like my Sprinter so far as a Tow Rig.
Handling seems mostly unaffected towing as does fuel economy.
Huge inside and mine is the shortest and smallest model.
Used they can be had for a reasonable price,maybe higher than a Ford but also hold value much better.

Ed

[honda03842]

Ed
What kind of mileage do you get?

Norm

[Vickie B.]

Sue, I think it's a fantastic idea and Ed's set up looks really nice!

[rvsue]

Vickie, I agree. Ed's set-up looks great. I notice the back windows are tinted. Nice.

[Darrell O]

Originally Posted by Wandering Sue

This post has multi-topics. Forgive me if I put it in the wrong place.

Call me crazy, but I'm considering a cargo van for my tow vehicle.

What appeals to me is the storage space a cargo van would give a fulltimer like me. I could keep my dogs' crates in there, out of season clothes, tools, ladder, my inflatable boat and paddles, a screen room if I decide to get one, etc.

And what about putting the solar panels on the van's roof instead of drilling holes in my precious egg? Then the egg can be in the shade while the panels are in the sun.

The E150s I've seen are V8 with 2WD. I've driven cargo vans so I know they are not luxury vehicles. Also a van is more vulnerable to wind.

But gee, all that storage space will help me keep my Casita uncluttered.

Any thoughts on getting a cargo van for towing, specifically the E150?

Sue,

We're towing a 13' trailer (Ventura) with an 2005 E150 5.4 Liter Triton engine with a 3.55 rear axle.

The towing capacity of the E150 is 6,500 lbs, or so, which is about 5-6 of these trailers - in case you want to pull a train of them.

As for gas mileage, I think we're about equal to what it would be if we towed with our 3.0 liter Ford Taurus. Anecdotal accounts leads me to believe that towing with smaller engines nearly halves the mileage in many cases.

As for the van, I think that the trailer only reduces mileage by ten percent, or a couple of miles per gallon. Furthermore, the frontal area and fullheight back end creates more of a draft for the towed vehicle to slipstream in.

[rvsue]

Mike, I'm not sure if it's Books Are Fun. We have a rep who brings special books and related items to the media center, high quality. It may be BAF. I'm a math teacher so I didn't notice the company name. You seemed wistful about teaching. So was I once, but the profession has changed in tune with our culture. But that's not a topic for here!

[rvsue]

Darrell, Thanks for explaining towing capacity with a visual I can understand (a chain of trailers... cute)! I hadn't thought about slipstream effect. Looking at the boxiness of a full size van you assume it will contribute to bad gas mileage. Your reasoning about the smaller engine reducing mileage makes sense.

What really gets me is that I got the idea about the E150, clicked on Carmax and there flashed a pic of a beauty with 27,000 miles, shiny white, but I didn't know all that you guys have taught me in this forum so.... I hesitated. She's gone, of course. Eerrgh.

[Ed Harris]

I tend to get around 27 mpg around town and that is with the Sprinter loaded with tools and materials.
I really only drive it local but plan to go some distance soon as it is so handy to have the space.
I have yet to go on anything but a local trip (under 100 miles) so far with the Sprinter but noticed no difference and I did fill it up before and after towing to try to discern one.

The Sprinter has a 2.7L Turbo Diesel and mine is not as long as my Honda Odyssey which gets around 20 mpg with the 3.5L V6.

A good friend of mine has a Sprinter too and his is taller and longer than mine. He drives around the country Repping Pro Audio gear out of his and gets just under 25ish usually. He is LOADED down most of the time!

We also built a bed in his that sits across the window sills and he has a normal twin mattress on it and sleeps there often while on the road.

Most Sprinters do not have windows but I was determined to find one that did as did my friend.

The Sprinter is also a commercial duty truck and they are known to go 1/2 million miles with proper care.

A few others here also have them and seem to like them for towing too.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Darrell O

Sue,


As for gas mileage, I think we're about equal to what it would be if we towed with our 3.0 liter Ford Taurus. Anecdotal accounts leads me to believe that towing with smaller engines nearly halves the mileage in many cases.

For informational purposes, our Honda's gas mileage with a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine drops from 28 to 23 mpg when towing, an 18% drop.

Norm

[mcbrew]

Just to clarify... especially for our European members: The Ford Transit is not availably in the US. The model that people are talking about is the Ford Transit Connect, which is the Transit's little brother. The Transit is more like the Sprinter van. The Transit Connect comes to the US with a 2.0 liter gasoline engine. In Europe, it is usually sold with a 1.8 liter turbodiesel engine that produces either 75, 90, or 110 horsepower.

[CallDon]

Found a Dodge Sprinter 118" wheel base locally. It was a cargo van with around 118,000 miles and a pretty good price, around $15,000. There was a divider behind the driver/passenger seats and a totally flat wood floor in the back. It also had rails on the side for tying things down. You could tow your trailer and haul lots of important stuff you can't live without in the rear of that Sprinter.

i think they used the 5-cylinder diesel engine through 2006, then moved up to the 6-cylinder diesel. The Sprinter certainly opens up more TV options.

D*

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by CallDon

Found a Dodge Sprinter 118" wheel base locally. It was a cargo van with around 118,000 miles and a pretty good price, around $15,000. There was a divider behind the driver/passenger seats and a totally flat wood floor in the back. It also had rails on the side for tying things down. You could tow your trailer and haul lots of important stuff you can't live without in the rear of that Sprinter.

i think they used the 5-cylinder diesel engine through 2006, then moved up to the 6-cylinder diesel. The Sprinter certainly opens up more TV options.

D*

You are correct Sir!
The 118" was also discontinued in '07 and that is what I have too.
A great resource is : Sprinter-Source.com and feel free to PM me for a number if you want to talk about it at all.

The model I have only has 13 computers controlling it where the new ones triple that I understand and they do not seem as reliable in general but are much more car like.
They are also offered with Gas engines now but even the Diesel models do not get the mileage the T1N's do

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by Wandering Sue

Any thoughts on getting a cargo van for towing, specifically the E150?

Hi Wandering Sue,

I used a Ford Econoline E150 for many years as my primary vehicle. The gas mileage was fairly poor, but my vintage was the late 80’s and perhaps they have improved. I used to get around 14 mpg on average, and that was with the 20% larger Canadian gallon. The rear drive should get you a decent tow rating, maybe 5,000 lbs, and the cargo van option may be relatively noisy. I loved the space in it, as we had it designed for camping with the kids. The kids affectionately called it the “Ord”, as the “F” was missing from the rear name plate, and we had many years of fun in it until it died at about 350,000 miles. A good solid vehicle.

More recently, last year I installed a solar panel on the roof of my Ford Aerostar minivan, which also had more than 5000 lb. tow rating but got somewhat better gas mileage, about 22 mpg without the trailer and 18 with it. After much discussion on this forum (thread found here: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f55/solar-controller-mounting-for-boler-40869.html ) , I mounted the solar panel to the van roof rack and ran the wires down the rear door seal so that it was mostly hidden, to the 7 pin van-trailer connector. I used the 12V charge terminal and the unused terminal on the trailer connector for the two wires from the solar panel. These connected on the trailer side to the positive and negative 12V inputs on the solar charge controller. The solar controller was mounted in the battery box with the battery. As a result, no wiring or panels had to be mounted on the trailer. I made up an extension cord of about 20 feet from a standard outdoor extension cord with 7 pin trailer connectors on each end which were wired only for the two wires from the solar panel. That way, when we were camping I could move the tow vehicle away from the trailer but still connect up the solar panel. Of course, the same pin arrangement could be used to connect up a portable solar panel while camping, as some people prefer.

This worked very well. The one time I could not charge my battery was when I was camping with friends and all the cars were parked away from the group camp area where all the trailers were mashed together. Other than that I was very happy with it.

Now we have a “new” trailer (Trillium 4500) and a new tow vehicle, a 2007 Chevy Uplander minivan, and so I have to make the decision again. I am still undecided whether to mount the solar panel on the trailer or the van, we will see when the weather gets better and I can work on the trailer again. Either way has advantages and drawbacks.

Rick G.

[rvsue]

Rick, Thank you for taking the time to write your very informative post. I will use it as a resource when the time comes to mount the solar panel. It is so helpful to hear other people's experiences and opinions.

There's no way I could do the wiring (the daughter of an electrician, I am, I am, but being a girl I guess he didn't think to teach me about wiring, bless his soul).

I enjoyed your tale about the Ord. 350,000. You got your money's worth.

Yes, a cargo van will be noisy. The floor mat is a must, plus packing very carefully to avoid metal against metal.

I'm convinced to put the solar panel on the van. I can't bear the thought of drilling any holes in my Casita. Ouchy!

[CallDon]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

You are correct Sir!
The 118" was also discontinued in '07 and that is what I have too.
A great resource is : Sprinter-Source.com and feel free to PM me for a number if you want to talk about it at all.

The model I have only has 13 computers controlling it where the new ones triple that I understand and they do not seem as reliable in general but are much more car like.
They are also offered with Gas engines now but even the Diesel models do not get the mileage the T1N's do

i need to move things, musical and electronic things occasionally. if I had the extra $$ sitting around, I might consider buying this little Sprinter I found locally today. It is a 2005 Sprinter with a 118 WB and 138,000 miles. They are asking $15,000. The engine is the diesel 2.7L I5. This is a work truck with a divider behind seats, manual windows. But a wood floor in the back. But it would certainly pull a 3500 pound fibreglass trailer. And i could haul plenty of stuff in it when i wanted to or needed to!

I did join Sprinter-Source to look around. Thanks for that link. My original plan was to modify a 2005-2007 Lincoln Town Car as a TV for a Casita 17'. But this Sprinter idea has more uses and evidently gets better gas mileage, or at least as good when towing.

Don

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by CallDon

i need to move things, musical and electronic things occasionally. if I had the extra $$ sitting around, I might consider buying this little Sprinter I found locally today. It is a 2005 Sprinter with a 118 WB and 138,000 miles. They are asking $15,000. The engine is the diesel 2.7L I5. This is a work truck with a divider behind seats, manual windows. But a wood floor in the back. But it would certainly pull a 3500 pound fibreglass trailer. And i could haul plenty of stuff in it when i wanted to or needed to!

I did join Sprinter-Source to look around. Thanks for that link. My original plan was to modify a 2005-2007 Lincoln Town Car as a TV for a Casita 17'. But this Sprinter idea has more uses and evidently gets better gas mileage, or at least as good when towing.

Don

The other day a friend needed my help moving some stuff(liability of owning a giant van) and I had a refrigerator and a couch in there together! With my normal load of crap!!

The next day my cousin caught me and we loaded a 14' rug in there,up to the windshield but with the back doors closed.
I carry 10' Strut all the time on the floor and have had 5 50" Plasma TV's in there at the same time.

On Saturday I am supplying A/V for a Final 4 party at a Country Club and will have a huge Sound System in there with 2 50" Plasmas and stands and all other stuff needed. Before the Sprinter it took 2 or more trips,not any more.

Mine is the "Baby" Sprinter and holds so much it is amazing,again it is not as long as an Odyssey but MUCH wider and taller.

I love mine

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Ford Transit's are way too expensive. I would like to try a Chevy Astro cargo van, Not too big but not too small, v6 power and economy and rear wheel drive.

I was sorry to see GM quite making the Astro. We had an 87 that went over 250,000 miles when gave it to a son; I don't know how many more miles he got out of it in the three years he had it. (We did have to repair the transmission once in that time.) Our Astro was rated to tow 5600 lbs. and we pulled our 22' sailboat that weighed 2200 lbs with no problem with just a class II hitch. It only got 18mpg with that big 4.3L engine, but it was a real workhorse, the same engine they put in the full-size Chevy trucks and S-10s.

[rvsue]

Since I started this thread asking about the Ford E150, here's an update. I purchased a 2005 Chevy Express van. I'm happy with it so far. It rides very comfortably and there is a huge amount of storage space behind the 2nd row bench seat.

You can read about it at rvsueandcrew.wordpress.com

Thanks to everyone for input on fullsize vans as tow vehicles.