My wife and I have been looking for a full size van for a couple of years. We finally got what we wanted - 2001 E350 Ext with the V-10 motor. What a great ride. The kids love the space and I love that when they talk they're so far back from me I can't hear them very well. We'll be using the van as a second rig and primary tow vehicle for our travel trailer. I'm really psyched to hook it up and see how it does with the trailer

Looking forward to learning more about vans from some experts there.

Dwarfing the Suburban (that's going bye-bye) and getting almost as good gas mileage.

 

One of the more popular things to do to an extended that tows is a DRW conversion. Just remember how easy they can flip from sudden lane changes/blow outs when fully loaded.

 

I'd love a DRW conversion - just not sure the budget would handle it.

I work insurance claims and have done a little research on the 15 passenger vans and rollovers. The U.S. governments (NHTSA) lists three main causes for 90% of rollover accidents with vans - running off rural roads, fatigue and too fast for the conditions and panic/overcorrecting when a wheel drops off the shoulder. I suppose a tire blowout would be similar to the dropping a wheel off the shoulder of the road.

We'll be taking out the 4th row seat - the government recommends not overloading behind the rear axle if at all possible. I also use a weight distributing hitch and anti-sway system with our trailer and drive 60 mph when towing. I'd rather be cautious than in an accident.

 

Welcome to the rare breed! ( 4 Ford van's experience so far + 1 Plymouth.... Long ago! )

A rear sway bar helps a lot on our vans handling ( 98 E 350 reg. length)

Another factor in the roll-over issue is non-use of seat belts, attributing to injuries and fatalities.

John

 

By the way, if you haven't checked;

The coolant lines to the rear heater are prone to corrosion and failure.

You might want to inspect those before you lose coolant at some inopportune time....

Another small item to inspect is the vacuum connection elbow at the base of the throttle body.

Prone to deteriation and subsequent driveability problems. (pulled my hair out over that one!)

John

 

Congrats on the van!

Your story sounds a lot like mine - needed the room and the power to tow. I've pulled the trailer a couple of times with it last fall and absolutely love it as a tow vehicle. Driving a van is different enough from driving a truck or SUV that I recommend driving it enough that you are comfortable with it in everyday situations before to load up the trailer. The sway control and EQ hitch are excellent pieces of equipment as the distance between the axle and the hitch point are quite long and there fore makes the van susceptible to sway.

Here's a picture of my rig in tow form:


I learned to drive in an extended van - so let me pass along what my Dad told me at the time. To drive a van safely, you need to:
(a) slow down more than you'd think when making sharp turns ("Good God son - these things don't turn on no dime!")
(b) Tire maintenance is a must - you cannot afford a blow out on these.
(c) Patience will always get you there in one piece.

There are a few others, but the forum rules prevent me from posting them. ;D

 

I can tell you, the roll over threat is bull ****, I've had mine 7 years, hung corners, did a high speed maneuver to miss a deer on a back road and not once has it felt tippy, yet I have added air rite bags inside my front coil springs and separately air them to 25 psi. I did the bags to keep my wheelchair lift from prematurely breaking down the coil on the passenger side of the van, in 7 years it's not-begun to tip.
Ford recommends 60 psi in the tires to make the 10 ply load E's ride smoother, I can tell you from absolute experience, do this, and the heavy van will chew them up, especially those on the front, and you'll get only half their recommended miles.
I've added a superchip microtuner program to mine, the older one requires the use of high test gas, it upgraded the shift patterns, towing more than improved, it really man handles trailers. I added a K&N filter to the factory air box, simply because changing filters are not only expensive, but a nightmare, I hate the design of it, and I had a friend remove the intake tubing from the air box to the throttle body, so I could remove the silencer from it. The throttle is more responsive, and remains quiet, there is no roar under hard acceleration, so I have no idea why it was in there.
Recently the seat over the axle has been replaced with one from a conversion van, it lays down to make a bed, gotta love the room in a 15 passenger.

 

> I'd rather be cautious than in an accident

I was driving the extended e-350s since they were first introduced on my job (earliest I can remember is 1980?) and in my teens. I never knew they were dangerous until people told me, I even took them off road. Then again I did not drive them full loaded, at 70 mph, eating ice cream, changing lanes, and over corrected at a tire blow out (how the load of fire fighters got killed).

 

My person vehical is a 1987 E150 high top conversion, my work vehical is a 2008 E250 with a ladder rack. I don't think I know how to drive something small. never felt that I was going to have a roll over. remember, it aint the tool, but the fool. I love driving both!!!! Jim

 

i work with an amish construction crew,so we go about 200 miles daily back and forth to the job site its always has 15 ppl in it,and sometimes ladders or lumber on the racks,and it handles pretty good for me