E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

[hocus de la pocus]

Will this be OK for #5500 boat? If I find one with the right engine trans rear axle would it tow ok?

Any issues?? Does anyone have one now?? If so do you like it???

I'm thinking I'll need more room than a doublecab F250 f350..

 

[KM2]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

A E350 with a 5.4 and 4.10 gear would work but a little under powered for that much wieght. The gas mileage will not be very good too. A V10 will pull better and suck a little more gas when not towing. The diesel would be best, I would guess mpg in the 13-15 range towing. The diesel will cost more too. The Ford Excursion might fit your needs and is available with the same engine/trans as the F250.

 

[tommays]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

Haveing owned and E350 EXT VAN it was nice but NOT the most stable thing on the road

My BIL had the same one in the standard lenth and it was much better in that area

Tommays

 

[romanpl]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

I have a 1996 E350 van that I have used for towing for the last 7 years with a 7.5 gas engine and a 3.55 rear end. I have towed boats from Michigan to Florida and back 5 times. One boat I towed weighed about 7500 lbs incl trailer and the other about 5600 lbs incl trailer. I usually get around 8.3 miles per gallon towing, about 13 mpg non towing. No problems with engine, or. trans . I have had some elec problems w cruise control and rear end seals. The heat guage is useless and no one has been able to fix it. However overall it is a good solid comfortable tow vehicle that handles well on the road while towing. Mine is the Club Wagon Chateau. At first my wife didn"t like it but now she thinks it the greatest on the long trips to Florida and back. I would buy another one as a tow veh.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

I would say that the diesel will be the best choice hands down, but I would be inclined to wait a while and see how this new diesel will pan out. I had a 1999 with the older 7.3L Power Stroke and I regret every getting rid of it.
A van is fine for towing, the Ford vans use a solid chassis that is very similar to the pickups. I did have to do ball joints in mine at about 70K, but the replacements went over 140k. The trans lasted 187K and wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I finally rebuilt it.
It towed like a champ and could handle anything I hung on the rear. I regularly towed a 28' eclosed tri axle trailer which weighed in at just over 9500lbs.
I have an older van that I use now to tow my boat that weighs in at about 4800lbs, that's only an E150 conversion with the 5.0L but it does fine for the short distance I have to tow these days. I rarely go more than an hour to a launch site.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

i like my surburban.

 

[Blue Water Runner]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

A V10 will do the job and get equal fuel millage to the 5.4 The V10 is reliable. I would suggest you look for a 7.3 Powerstroke diesel powered van. The 7.3 is also reliable. The 6.0 Powerstroke is too problematic. An Excursion is a good alternative also.

 

[dbric36]

Re: E350 van in gas or diesel for towing?

I have a 2003 F-250 with the 6.0L diesel. 140,000 no problems runs like new. If you get a 6.0L run an oasis to check for service issues. Pulls my 1993 Sea Ray 270 WE without problems.