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[Bob Faulkner]

The 3/4 ton cargo van I use to carry gear and to pull about 4000lbs of gear (via tandem axle trailer) is getting old.  It's a 2006 Chevy with a 6.0L engine and tow package.  The van has been great, but is getting old.

In looking around for a replacement (another 3/4 w/6.0L), I have been only able to find 4.8L 3/4 ton vans (at least the ones made in the last 10 years).

Is anyone (or has anyone) using a 4.8L 3/4 to haul/pull gear around?  I'm concerned the 4.8L would not have the muscle to keep up with what I'm hauling.  I'm not opposed to a 4.8L, but it needs to be have the muscle.

[Steve Litcher]

The 4.8L is a decent V8, but I'm not sure I'd use it for towing/hauling capabilities. I believe it's rated at around 300 ft-lbs of torque, and from personal experience, that's probably not enough. Probably depends quite a bit on the rear axle ratio...

I believe the 6.0L was rated for 400 ft-lbs of torque.

I had a 2002 Tahoe with the 5.3L Vortec, which was rated at 325 ft-lbs, and it had a devil of a time towing an open trailer with a VW GTI on it. It had a 3.23:1 axle ratio.

FWIW, we just bought a Transit 250 medium roof regular wheelbase with the HD towing package and EcoBoost engine. Holy cats - the thing is phenomenal. It's rated for 9000-lbs GVWR + around 7000-lbs towing. Ours has the 3.73:1 rear axle... the EcoBoost produces 400 ft-lbs of torque at 2500rpm...

Used it this weekend to do a job about 90-miles from the warehouse. Loaded our 6x14 trailer with 12x 4x8 sections of Smart Stage staging and supports, and then filled the van with PA and lights (completely full). Guessing the trailer weighed-in around 2200lbs of load... Van was full of cable trunks, trussing, lifts, PA, etc. The van pulled everything with zero effort and we averaged 15.4mpg round trip. We have an aluminum fold-out ramp on order for the van - once we have it, the thing will be a real asset.

[Tom Bourke]

I own a 2014 Chev 2500 express with long wheel base and the 4.8L engine.
I also use it to tow my 6X12 single axle trailer, 3500lb rated max.  It serves my needs well and I have no desire for more power.  I am also in a fairly flat area and don't really push the weight or speed limits at all.

With a rated capacity around 7400 lb I have no doubt you could safely tow your 4000lb worth of gear with my van.  However, going from a 6L to the 4.8L will be very noticeable. Especially if you have hills or a lead foot.

My 97 1500 long wheel base Chev express with a 5L got MUCH better gas mileage.  Hard to do a direct comparison as I moved from middle of nowhere WI to Las Vegas between vans. I drive 1/4 the mileage per trip at less than 1/2 the speed now. However my 2014 gets just over 1/2 the over all average MPG my 1997 use to!

[Stephen Kirby]

A rear end under 3.5 is for fuel economy.  Usually a tow package would come with something much shorter.  4.11's were popular when I was shopping for Astro vans years ago.  But I got one with a 3.7 something that was a great compromise with the inboard ski boat and daily driving.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

+1 on the Transit. I have a T350 with the Eco Boost and I think the 3.73 gears and it’s fantastic. Previous vehicle was a Chevy Express and the differences in utility are significant.

[Bob Faulkner]

Thanks for the great feedback.  Very informative.

When I looked at the 6.0L, (Vortec) I test drove a 4.8L.  Just driving the 4.8L around - no load, I could tell there was an absence of power compared to the 6.0L.  There are hills (and swells) around the areas I service, so a vans ability to pull 2-tons up a hill is important.

For those with the Transit vans, do they "fit" (height) in a standard garage?  My 3/4 ton barely fits...

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Thanks for the great feedback.  Very informative.

When I looked at the 6.0L, (Vortec) I test drove a 4.8L.  Just driving the 4.8L around - no load, I could tell there was an absence of power compared to the 6.0L.  There are hills (and swells) around the areas I service, so a vans ability to pull 2-tons up a hill is important.

For those with the Transit vans, do they "fit" (height) in a standard garage?  My 3/4 ton barely fits...

Depends on which Transit you get and what you consider a "standard" garage.  They come in three heights and three lengths.

My Chevy Express measured about 6' 10" unloaded.  The shortest roof Transit is about 3/4" taller at around 6' 11".  It's still under 7' and is actually about 5" shorter front to back than the short frame Express while having more usable cargo room inside (same length, more square box so more usable space at the top). 

I park mine in a downtown parking ramp with a 7' ceiling daily and have no problems.

[Bob Faulkner]

Depends on which Transit you get and what you consider a "standard" garage.  They come in three heights and three lengths.

My Chevy Express measured about 6' 10" unloaded.  The shortest roof Transit is about 3/4" taller at around 6' 11".  It's still under 7' and is actually about 5" shorter front to back than the short frame Express while having more usable cargo room inside (same length, more square box so more usable space at the top). 

I park mine in a downtown parking ramp with a 7' ceiling daily and have no problems.

Great.  Thanks!

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Great.  Thanks!

If you do get a Transit, make sure you get the brake controller from the factory - the display is built-in to the regular instrument cluster. 

They are worth a drive.  Turning radius is significantly better than the Express and the sliding door is wide enough to get a pallet in through the side.  Beware that the side swinging doors steal a couple inches of width in the cargo compartment - the slider allows for more interior room.

[Bob Faulkner]

If you do get a Transit, make sure you get the brake controller from the factory - the display is built-in to the regular instrument cluster. 

They are worth a drive.  Turning radius is significantly better than the Express and the sliding door is wide enough to get a pallet in through the side.  Beware that the side swinging doors steal a couple inches of width in the cargo compartment - the slider allows for more interior room.

Good info.  Your're right about the turning radius of the express... it's way too wide.

[Bob Leonard]

Thanks for the great feedback.  Very informative.

When I looked at the 6.0L, (Vortec) I test drove a 4.8L.  Just driving the 4.8L around - no load, I could tell there was an absence of power compared to the 6.0L.  There are hills (and swells) around the areas I service, so a vans ability to pull 2-tons up a hill is important.

For those with the Transit vans, do they "fit" (height) in a standard garage?  My 3/4 ton barely fits...

Put your money on the transmission, because that will be the root of all evil. If you feel the transmission is up to par and the truck is equipped with a tow package, including expansion cooler you'll have no problems. Hell, I pulled a 24' boat for over 4 years with a 1972 6 cylinder Dodge van and never had a problem. In todays world people tend to put too much emphasis on horse power. Transmission and torque are what count.

[Stephen Kirby]

Put your money on the transmission, because that will be the root of all evil. If you feel the transmission is up to par and the truck is equipped with a tow package, including expansion cooler you'll have no problems. Hell, I pulled a 24' boat for over 4 years with a 1972 6 cylinder Dodge van and never had a problem. In todays world people tend to put too much emphasis on horse power. Transmission and torque are what count.

+1

Must have a tow package including transmission and oil coolers along with a tranny and rear end rated for towing.  Have lost a couple transmissions towing with non-tow package vehicles, even when they seemed to easily pull the load.

The other thing is brakes.  Hopefully you have trailer brakes, which are simplified by having the controller built in with the tow package.  But you also probably want the largest brakes available for that chassis.  And the best pads you can get.  I recently put Hawk street pads in my car and what a huge difference in stopping power.

[Tom Bourke]

+1

Must have a tow package including transmission and oil coolers along with a tranny and rear end rated for towing.  Have lost a couple transmissions towing with non-tow package vehicles, even when they seemed to easily pull the load.

The other thing is brakes.  Hopefully you have trailer brakes, which are simplified by having the controller built in with the tow package.  But you also probably want the largest brakes available for that chassis.  And the best pads you can get.  I recently put Hawk street pads in my car and what a huge difference in stopping power.

That must be why I am as happy as I am with the towing I do.  My van with the 4.8 has the full tow package.  Funny thing is, I don't feel much difference in acceleration or noise fully loaded or empty.

[Bob Faulkner]

The one I have has the factory tow package (aux. coolers and a "switch" that changes the transmission shift limits when hauling or towing and a 7-pin electrical connector).  Only thing I had to add was the trailer brake control device. The van has been great; would love to find another 6.0L, but they seem harder to find now.  Which is why I was asking if the 4.8L are worth looking at.

[Steve Litcher]

While there's absolutely no doubt that the transmission is critical to a good towing experience, I would argue that torque trumps all when it comes to towing.

I had a 2014 Ford Flex with the 3.5L non-Ecoboost and the HD towing package. It struggled to pull a 5x10 v-nose trailer loaded with PA gear. So, I ordered a chip for it that was supposed to improve the towing capability through better shifting models.

The chip *definitely* helped, but did nothing to help keep that trailer going 70mph down the interstate in hilly terrain. When I upgraded to a 6x14 v-nose trailer, the Flex could barely keep anything going 70mph. We'd have to keep it in 5th gear (rather than 6th) and really lay on the gas pedal. Note: the Flex was rated to tow 5500-lbs with the HD towing package, and the 6x14 trailer weighed 1080-lbs empty. We put (at most) 2000-lbs of gear in it.

The Flex was rated for 287-hp and 260 ft-lbs of torque. It had the transmission cooler, upgraded radiator, and all of the other goodies that came with the towing package.

We bought a Transit 250 with the towing package, and the difference is night-and-day. The Ecoboost has 400 ft-lbs of torque, and as mentioned earlier, we didn't even notice the trailer was in tow, even when both the van and trailer were loaded more heavily than the Flex ever was.

So, yes - for around-town, start-n-stop, moderate towing, transmission plays more of a role. But at highway speeds and in hilly terrain? Torque please.

[Bob Leonard]

You can have all the torque in the world, but if the tranny won't handle that torque you have nothing. The transmission will play a major role regardless of engine size and torque. Also, the transmission is what converts engine torque to usable torque at the wheels. You need them both.

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