I'm beginning to think I need a conversion van as my next daily. I'd like to have something for long drives with my two young daughters but I'd also like something with some towing capacity. I'm thinking a motorcycle trailer primarily, but it sure would be nice to have something strong enough to put a car on a dolly. Any suggestions on what that would require? E250? Bigger? V8 vs V6? Tow package (hd differential and transmission cooler, etc.)?
I did a lot of towing with a E150 conversion. Pay close attention to the brakes. They are a little under sized for heavy towing. Put quality pads and rotors on it.
In my experience the way vans tear through front end parts I'd want a 3/4 or one ton just for the beefier components. I would also shy away from towing with one that was the extended portion behind the rear wheels just because of the leverage the hitch would have on the rest of the truck.
I'd say going with the heavier chassis and transmission of the 3/4 ton would be a good idea.
The 1/2 ton will already be close to maxed out by adding all the weight of the conversion package.
I've towed quite a bit with my E150 with the 5.4. The braking is better with the Motorcraft Super Duty brake pads and quality rotors, but ball joints tend to be a weak spot for me.
Hooking up to the trailer is more difficult due to visibility and you'll want a nice raise on your hitch ball tongue since the van is much lower than a pickup.
Putting on some Gabriel air shocks on the rear has heled quite a bit with ride both laden and unladen.
It isn't as good at towing as a truck, and a truck isn't as good at doing things like road trips and soccer tournaments. With the removable seats and the folding bed in the back, a van makes a decent tent, but it's not as good as an RV. You can't (or at least you shouldn't) put a scoop of mulch inside a van. Basically, it is something of a giant compromise vehicle, but I don't find that a bad thing. Once I have my RV set up to tow, I will probably look to unload the van and go to a pickup and then always have some sort of three-row vehicle for my wife so we can tote kids.
On Ford vans I read that the late model E150's got an upgraded suspension that was similar to the E250's making them a good choice for towing. Look at the number of wheel studs, if only 5 then light duty.
If your trailer has brakes then the brakes on the tow vehicle are not as much an issue. I tow with an old E250 and it has very good brakes but with a loaded trailer it's not fun if the trailer brakes don't work, as them did for all of last year. I finally checked them out and found they were all out of adjustment and now WOW! Instance brakes. It stops almost as fast as the van without a trailer!
My friend had a F150 (I think) conversion van. He burned up 3 302 motors towing a travel trailer with it before giving up on it and buying a 1 ton Diesel.
oldopelguy wrote: In my experience the way vans tear through front end parts I'd want a 3/4 or one ton just for the beefier components. I would also shy away from towing with one that was the extended portion behind the rear wheels just because of the leverage the hitch would have on the rest of the truck.
If you want to get an extended length version.. go with the Chevy, the extended length is in the middle of those, not just tacked onto the end
I have an 87 E-150 that we used for travel trailer towing, a 27 footer for a while. For suspension all it needed was an air bag system thing for the rear, and a load distributing anti-sway hitch.
It was a 302 which couldn't do the job. I'm not surprised people burned them up with all the flooring that would be required. Mine was modified a reasonable amount for the extra power (mainly breathing, ignition and computer stuff) and cooling, after which had no engine troubles, though it does now run premium to prevent pinging.
The transmission, then, couldn't handle WOT in first. The fix was to not floor it in 1st and it got an external oil cooler. Decades later it's still the original engine and tranny.
Then, in stop and go traffic once, the brakes overheated. Upgraded front brakes later and it stopped having trouble.
What I'm saying is, you can use a 1/2 ton if your ok with changing a bunch of stuff, but easy button would be a 3/4 or 1 ton with a towing package or something.
Also don't start with a 30 year old truck, that might help.
There is one other wrinkle to this. I'm generally not happy with the driver's seating position in the vans I've driven. The center console crowds my right foot too much. I'd much prefer the seating position of a pickup and I'm wondering if maybe a Suburban or something like that would be a better choice at the sacrifice of the plush aspects of a conversion van. The cargo space would obviously be a bit smaller. Is there some kind of van with a driver's seating more like a pickup? Would 4x4 help with any towing? I have a 4x4 Sidekick now and I've only seriously needed the four wheel drive a handful of times in the last nine years I've owned it. Thoughts?
I've towed with a 2500 BB V8 Suburban, another older one and the problem with the HD versions of these vehicles is that the rear is sprung to stiff and the front feels soft. The front bobs up & down when ever the trailer moves over bumps since the rear springs are to stiff and resist the forces and transfer them to the front. A load equalizing hitch may help but I was towing less them 5K and didn't see the need for one.
I've spent a lot of time in a newer econoline, an older econoline, and a newer (current) express. None of them have a spacious right foot area like in some trucks. I'm not sure if a dajiban would be better, but the engine goes under there so I doubt it. I got accustomed to the seating position pretty quick, so I'm used to it.
You do get used to being crowded in the footwell.. but the upside is you sit -very- upright, so it's not like you need both feet down there at the same time
stroker wrote: There is one other wrinkle to this. I'm generally not happy with the driver's seating position in the vans I've driven. The center console crowds my right foot too much. I'd much prefer the seating position of a pickup and I'm wondering if maybe a Suburban or something like that would be a better choice at the sacrifice of the plush aspects of a conversion van. The cargo space would obviously be a bit smaller. Is there some kind of van with a driver's seating more like a pickup? Would 4x4 help with any towing? I have a 4x4 Sidekick now and I've only seriously needed the four wheel drive a handful of times in the last nine years I've owned it. Thoughts?
If you don't want a crowded footwell, don't buy a van. Go for the Suburban. I never had a issue with them, but they are tight.
Another thing. The plusher aspects of a conversion van are the first things to go to E36 M3 as they age. The seats start to tear up, the paint on the aftermarket fiberglass work starts to fade. Conversion vans don't generally age well.
Toyman01 wrote: Conversion vans don't generally age well.
Yeah, but at least you can find reasonably low mile examples. All the Suburban/Expeditions I'm finding have really high miles...
In reply to Toyman01:
Toyman speaks truth. Mine is fortunately all aluminum mudflaps/running boards, and it aged much better than much newer plastic flare-clad vans. The plastic crap also seems to result in giant hidden rust until it's not hidden anymore. My seat has been reupholstered once.
The other thing to worry about is that most newer vans are covered in decals. Those decals likewise fade and look generally less good than one with painted stripes and stuff. One mechanic i used when i lived in Boston also told me the decals become a major PITA during accident repairs. Mine is all painted, but base/clear stripes applied over single stage factory paint results in some major issues after the decades, and getting paint to touch it up becomes a bit pricey when 5 berking colors are involved.
stroker wrote:Toyman01 wrote: Conversion vans don't generally age well.Yeah, but at least you can find reasonably low mile examples. All the Suburban/Expeditions I'm finding have really high miles...
I don't disagree at all, that's why I drove one for 15 years. Honestly, I loved mine. We had 4 kids, and boats and cars to tow. It was the perfect tool for the job. 160K, mostly, trouble free miles.
I hauled a 20' enclosed trailer behind mine on a regular basis. It did fair. At 7000 pounds loaded, it was a bit much. I also towed a car trailer all over the east coast, as well as a 3100 pound boat all over South Carolina. It does fine. Gas mileage is going to suck. With the 5.4 I got 13-14 on the interstate, empty. Hook up a trailer, and it would get 11 driving easy and as low a 7 mpg with my foot in it.
Front brakes on the 150s catch a lot of abuse. Honestly, they are too small for a conversion van. Buy the best pads you can afford, and plan on replacing them every other year. Buy quality rotors and you will probably only have to replace them every other pad change. The only time I ever had a fading problem, was one trip up I95 from Florida, towing a flat deck with a Jeep and no trailer brakes. After a hour of 75mph-10mph-75mph-10mph, they got pretty hot. Drive smart, it's not a problem.
The 250s got the dual piston calipers and they hold up much better. However, conversion vans on that chassis are few and far between around here.
If you can get past the tight footwell and the dinner table seating position, you won't regret owning one. They are a good all around vehicle and perfect for a tow beast for the track.
Just about any full sized van can tow a motorcycle trailer.
However, if you are going to haul something bigger like a car trailer, better pay attention to the towing specs. Some conversion vans add enough weight inside to reduce the towing capacity to nearly zero.
I would strongly suggest a 3/4 ton for a few reasons. Most 1/2 ton conversion vans are at or near their GVWR with two people in them. They also typically have crazy high axle ratios to try and get decent highway MPG. My uncle's 1/2 ton conversion van has 2.56 gears in it.
If you're concerned about foot space, a Dajiban is not what you want. The footwell is ridiculously small, compared to Fordiban and Chebbiban.
After mulling it over I think If it were me and I didn't already have a 1/2 ton van with lots of (very needed) towing upgrades, I'd probably want a 3/4 ton van of similar age to mine. Someone mentioned front end parts going out. Our newer Econolines went through ball joints every 5 years or so, our newer Express van every one year(!) or so, my old van has kingpins. Still original. It did have one tie rod end replaced about 10 years ago, however. All are greased but ball joints tend to have a shorter life as far as I've noticed. Actually I'm not sure the express had grease zerks... That's something to look into.
I think very old vans are probably not good candidates, but if you stick with 80's and newer when "full size" kinda hit the point where it stayed until the new tall skinny ones, you might be ok. I think my 87 econoline (150) actually drives nicer than the 2014 econoline (350) I use at work.
RealMiniParker wrote: If you're concerned about foot space, a Dajiban is not what you want. The footwell is ridiculously small, compared to Fordiban and Chebbiban.
I'm a bit slow. I just now figured out the true meaning of 'Dajiban'. 
XLR99 wrote:RealMiniParker wrote: If you're concerned about foot space, a Dajiban is not what you want. The footwell is ridiculously small, compared to Fordiban and Chebbiban.I'm a bit slow. I just now figured out the true meaning of 'Dajiban'.
Me, three.
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