Well this week at work hasn't made much money. The new transit vans are not working out. We've had 4 tow truck bills this week for pulling the transits out of light mud and deep gravel. We are looking for ways to improve traction on our vans. Looking for recommendations from you guys. Detroit locker? Limited slip? Winch? Etc. At this rate our company will be bankrupt in no time from tow bills. I advised the boss against the purchase of the vans for our line of work. Told him 4x4 pickups with camper shells are the only way to go. That's why I have always refused to drive a company truck. You don't get paid when your stuck.

 

I do almost no "off-roading" or deal with these same conditions but winter snow and ice would be a concern of mine with the Transit chassis.

The F-Series is pretty much out of the question for my work but in some instances the 4x4 option in that chassis might be the better option. I guess the most common work locations will or should determine which vehicle is best.

I'm sure this is very frustrating to all involved.

 

I think you're going to have a tough time with this one.

You want different things from a tire in different situations. In gravel, mud, and loose surfaces you want wide tires that have lots of surface area and an aggressive tread. Tires like this will sink in less and have a better time grabbing at loose surfaces. The skinny tires in the Transit are awful for this kind of thing, and tire choices are few and far between in the stock size.

How heavy do you have your Transits loaded? There are only a couple tires available in the stock size, and neither have an off-road tread. They adhere to a somewhat rare European tire standard, and are rated for 94 PSI. You can go to an LT-rated tire of a similar size, but you will lose some available capacity.

Next time around, I'd have your boss check out a 4WD conversion.

www.quigley4x4.com

 

I'm aware of the quigley setups. I tried talking my boss into them. He wasn't too excited with the price tag. He wanted vans. No other truck. Tried to suggest the sprinter with factory 4x4 but we have 2 sprinters now that have been problematic since day 1. 1 2500 with 70,000 miles with a bad transmission and fuel and injector issues. 1 3500 dually with 140,000 miles with a bad transmission and blown turbo. He's given up on those and will never buy 1 again. They both sit in the back lot collecting dust.

We have a max of 1000-1500 lbs of tools and equipment at any time.

2 more tow bills just this week. It's getting out of hand. That's why I have refused to drive a company truck. Wrong vehicle for the terrain we have to deal with. I've been doing this work for 5 1/2 years. I've always driven my own trucks. Most of the time has been in my 4x4 excursion. Lately I've been using my 4x4 f250. I've had to be pulled off a mountain cliff 1 time in my career. Lost traction pulling my trailer to the top of the mountain slid off the road and down the side of the mountain. A tree stopped my fall. Salvaged the truck and trailer with minimal damages.

 

https://www.mattracks.com/



You need a wider footprint to get more traction, and that's gonna be difficult. I'd check into some wider rims and tires.

 

From your post it sounds like you guys bought vans without the limited slip option. I'd say that's step one. With the truck axles LSD and lockers are about the same to get added aftermarket. I'd probably go for lockers if you're in true off road situations. If he buys more vans, make sure they get the factory LSD, much cheaper and may well solve your problems.

 

I wonder if differential parts for the F150 would work on the Transit. I suspect not, as the Transit is the only thing out there with the 9.75 full floater.

 

Sadly right ow the Ram ProMaster is the better option for sure footed driving. But, i don't believe it's as heavy duty as the transit.

Your boss is simply buying the wrong equipment for the job. Perhaps his thinking is the towing charges are less than a more expensive vehicle.

 

I'm not sure that's the case. The ProMaster uses the same size tires as the Transit, and the cargo gets loaded on the non-powered axle.

The charts show the Transit has nearly even weight distribution depending on configuration, and the weight advantage shifts rearward to the powered axle with everything you put in the back. ProMaster has a greater front bias empty, but that disappears fast when you load it up. ProMaster's rear GAWR is heavier than front, so at capacity there's a significant disadvantage.

 

Tom nailed it. FWD is horrible for a big van, frankly I'd call it dangerous considering most vans end up getting overloaded. The more it's loaded up, the less traction you get up front.

 

The gasoline engined ProMaster has the same engine and transmission as my new Grand Caravan, which I would deem sorely inadequate in a huge box like that although it runs great in my minivan. But my minivan has a GVW of 6050 lbs and the Promaster goes up to 8900 lbs. (With a minivan drivetrain...)

I would get a limited slip diff or locker into the big Transit vans; I added posi to a couple of my big vans including my E150 and never really stuck the vans with the limited slip rear ends. If Ford offers Trac Loc as a factory option, that diff should be available at minimum. It is also possible that other units designed for the 9.75" rear end would work. (I think that the regular 9.75 axle limited slip units will work in the center unit in an Expedition, for instance, even though that is an independent rear suspension.)

It looks like winter tires will be available in the big Transit sizes but those will be specific soft-compound winter tires and not that well suited for mud or gravel. The big Euro vans have tiny tires to maximize the box size so wider and larger tires won't be easy to adapt--and because of that I would not want one if I had to use it in muddy construction sites, etc. This may well end up being a problem for contractors who have to work in muddy and rutted situations like road and home building sites. I wonder if tires like BFG AT's will become available for those sizes and weight ratings?

I remember test driving a big Sprinter in 2003 when I was looking for a van (bought my E150) and specifically put one rear wheel on ice and the other on pavement and the etronic traction control walked it out really easily. I would have thought the etronic traction control in the big Transit would be of some help in mud and snow situations even without a limited slip or locker.

Good luck,
George

 

Understood Tom, but, we had two Promasters and a Transit last winter for mail delivery. The Rams never got stuck while the Transit was always being pulled out by someone, literally, 5 times last winter and our winters are mild.

Better tires and more experienced drivers would have helped for sure. I drive an LLV so I wasn't one of them.