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Very much agree with what Maple01 said and I have the same original lift in my 1993 Ford E150 that works just fine. Just have it checked a couple of times a year when we get everything checked.
Think we got the van plan figured out. Put a deposit down on this guy today:
$23K for a 2015 Transit-350 with 24,000 miles. Before going to this dealer we stopped in to see Rollx down in Savage. They showed us a couple of different lift types, including the Ricon Clear-way. He said they've seen issues with the Slide-away, but the Clearway has been pretty solid, and it allows passengers to climb in without lowering the lift. Don't like the metal lip we're going to trip over, but I think this is the best option.
My friend has a clearway, it no longer folds, the pieces that folded it wore out and were disabled, it has seen many years of use, over 10 years of heavy use as it was his daily driver and he would shuttle some people with it, it is a very good choice. The clearway is basically my lift with a folding platform.
That Transit seems like a great deal for the money.
Yep, and that's why we're going with this particular van. Ex-rental vans are everywhere, and they're CHEAP. Downside is they are almost all equipped the same way, which means the base engine and missing a handful of other options we would prefer. It would be another $6-7,000 for a van with similar miles and the EcoBoost engine and Bluetooth, and there's no way I'd pay that much more for $2,300 in options. The 3.7L engine is surprisingly peppy in a 6,300-lb van, and I can add Bluetooth and most of the other things we're looking for cheaply.
So far really impressed with it. Was concerned that the base 3.7L engine would be underpowered for a 6,300 lb van, but that's not the case. The 6R80 seems to do a fine job putting it right where it needs to be, and with 275 HP available at a screamin' 6,000 RPMs it can move out when it wants to.
Planning on taking it around to get some quotes for modifications this week. Think we're going to go with a side-mounted Ricon Clearway lift and remove the 2nd row seat. Might ask them to install the seat track in the back of the van so we can preserve some seating capacity.
So far really impressed with it. Was concerned that the base 3.7L engine would be underpowered for a 6,300 lb van, but that's not the case. The 6R80 seems to do a fine job putting it right where it needs to be, and with 275 HP available at a screamin' 6,000 RPMs it can move out when it wants to.
Planning on taking it around to get some quotes for modifications this week. Think we're going to go with a side-mounted Ricon Clearway lift and remove the 2nd row seat. Might ask them to install the seat track in the back of the van so we can preserve some seating capacity.
Congrats on the new ride, Tom! The horsepower output from way less cubes still amazes me. The other plus to any vehicle now is the plug N play options from so many different sources. And the stuff is mostly really plug and play. jim
Congrats on the new ride, Tom! The horsepower output from way less cubes still amazes me. The other plus to any vehicle now is the plug N play options from so many different sources. And the stuff is mostly really plug and play. jim
That's the truth Jim! Crawled underneath and was pleasantly surprised to see factory provisions for trailer wiring even though this one didn't come with the towing package. $130 for a plug-and-play kit to have 4-pin and 7-pin plugs in the back. I could do it myself for about $90, but worth the extra to retain the factory wiring integrity.
My '92 F-150 has a plug too? It was an XLT so maybe there is some trim level that decides if Ford throws on in for free? haha
Wait until you go shopping for playthings in the cabin. I bought a 2010 Edge, added a backup camera myself, and when I "popped" apart the dash it looked like the inside of my desktop computer. TINY wiring everywhere. All the aftermarket guys build something for the dash or entertainment system. Didn't find anything for my 8-track however. :-(
jim
PS, the true test of a ford-truck reader: first thing he does is crawl UNDER his new ride! hahaha
It's been a month and still waiting on the state. Turns out there's a bureaucratic process for them to declare she's disabled. Fortunately Tricare, my health insurance company, doesn't require such a process. They won't pay for anything that's a permanently installed part of the vehicle, but they will pay for a hitch mounted carrier. So we got the process started a few weeks ago, and it was installed today.
It's a Bruno ASL-250. Pretty slick, it draws power from the 7-pin trailer plug to lower to the ground and pick up her power chair. Haven't weighed this chair yet, but the demo chair was about 320 lbs, so it's not something I can pick up and throw in the back of the van.
Between the lift and chair there's about 470 lbs on the hitch, and it's pretty impressive how little the Transit squats.
During the install...
Mounted and loaded:
Power:
Folded up without the chair:
And here's the 4-year-old who's behind all of this.
What a cutie she is, Tom! She looks to be ready to hit the road.
Bureaucracy is Latin for hire as many people as possible to do the simplest jobs. Glad you were able to get it done.
Of the other brands you looked at, would any of them been unable to connect up this rig? I looked at a few brands that had no way to hitch anything on the back, no frame! jim
Bureaucracy is Latin for hire as many people as possible to do the simplest jobs. Glad you were able to get it done.
Yep, we had a bit of that between the insurance company and lift dealer. I can't complain though, they got it done. This isn't the final solution, we're still planning on having the lift installed in the side door to allow her to ride in her chair. This lift will serve as a backup that can also be mounted to my F150 when that happens.
Of the other brands you looked at, would any of them been unable to connect up this rig? I looked at a few brands that had no way to hitch anything on the back, no frame! jim
What do you mean? Vans that couldn't take a hitch, or no way to pull anything behind a hitch lift? I installed a Curt class IV hitch onto the Transit about a month ago. I went for the beefiest I could find, and this one can handle a 10,000 lb trailer. Still nervous about that much weight that far behind the hitch, but it seems quite solid.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
