I`m thinking of getting a newer Ford E250,or E350 van.I`ve heard pretty good about the 5.4,but I want to hear your experiences with one.I`ll be towing a 24' enclosed,with either the GS,or GN in it.The trailer is around 4000 lbs,either Buick is around 3600-3800 lbs.I have weight distribution bars for the trailer. I just found a real nice 03,it allready has Alcoa wheels on it.Price is pretty good too Or.....do I go the Powerstroke route? Hows the deisel for everyday driving? milage,etc?
I love it I hate it. Keith I've been driving my '99 E-350 SuperDuty Club Wagon Chateau 7 passenger for around 5 years and love it. It has the 5.4 and it absolutely get's the worst mileage of anything I've ever owner. 10-11 around town and 15-16 on long trips. I've spoiled it with the best maintenance and products and it still gets horrible mileage, and this is with just people and luggage. I'm sure it would tow without any problems but when I bought this one the salesman had a diesel on the lot and said it would get at least 17MPG no matter what you do with it. I would really consider it today but would have to figure the higher cost of diesel fuel these days into the equation. For some reason FORDS really suck the fuel but other than that I do love my van.
hmmn,10-12 mpg around town is not what I wanted to hear. My 454 [in the dually]gets that,thats why I dont drive it. My Ford van that I have now has the I-6,I should check the mpg on what it gets,but it just turned 208k :eek2: I`m looking into getting rid of two vehicles,and just having the one,less expensess[plates,insurance,etc] I found a brand new,never titled,still on the lot 04 E350 with the diesel, for a real good buy.I just dont want the big car payment
There is nothing worse than towing with a gutless wonder. A 24' enclosed trailer with a car/tools/etc would tax that 5.4 greatly...JMHO. I'd go with the diesel. Once you've had one, you'll never tow with anything else.
Keith I had a 2003 Expedition with the 5.4 gas engine which I used to pull my 2400 pound open trailer plus any of my GS's. While it pulled it fine on a level road, when I got into hills or steep grades it really had to grunt. You could really tell you were pulling a trailer (Like the tail wagging the dog). That was not the engine's fault, but more of a factor of tow vehicle to trailer weight ratio. Don't get me wrong, the 5.4 did a respectable job under the circumstances, but really is not what you need to pull 5,000 to 6,000 pounds. Last Spring, I bought an F-350 super Duty with the 6.0 diesel and what a world of difference in pulling power. You cannot tell the trailer is back there when cruising down the Interstate. That is primarily because the truck weights around 9,000 pounds versus the weight of the trailer and a car. Do yourself a favor if you can afford it. Go with a vehicle with a turbo diesel. I prefer a Ford because over the years I have had good service out of the Ford vehicles I have owned, but any diesel, Chevy or Dodge, would be better than most gas powered tow vehicles. Good luck.
Don't forget about the V-10's. I have a '99 F-250 with the V-10 and it tows great. The new ones make 90hp more then my '99 and more torque too. Mine is a Super Cab long bed 4x4 with 4:30 rears and I get 11-12 mpg going to work and back. Last year going to Salem pulling the open car trailer with the '70 Skylark on it I got just over 10 mpg. I've been considering getting a new one with a desiel but it is a $5300 option then the automatic is another $1500, that will buy alot of gas and the used desiels still bring real good money too. You can get the V-10 in the vans too, a friend of mine has one and loves it. Ken
My 04 Nissan Titan crew cab is rated at 9400 lbs towing hauls my 30' TT (8000#) EASILY and gets 15-17 on the flats @ 60mph. (305 hp, well over 400# torque) Best truck I've ever owned.
What kind of everday miliage does the diesel get? with no trailer on it.Sorry,but I will not buy anything foriegn.I`ve had great luck with my Ford van that I have now,heck its got 208,000 on it,never had the moter apart. My pick-em-up truck with the Vortec 454 gets 10 mpg pulling my trailer,but only gets 12 or so without the trailer This will be an everyday driver,thats why I`m concerned about the MPG,my dually pickup just sits in the driveway.I`ve had it three years,and I only put 10,000 on it in that time. My van is nickel and diming me,plus the accountant says I need a writeoff Thanks for the info :TU:
Keith, With our 2003 Excursion 4x4 (8000 lbs empty weight) 6.0 turbo diesel, we average knocking around town around 16 mpg. Open road empty low 20's (22-23 mpg). Towing 26' car trailer with a GSX and golf car, and I keep my speed under 70 or 2000 rpms, around 13. Towing at 55 mph, around 15 mpg. Once you've had a diesel, you'll never go back to gas to tow with. I'm just wondering what we're going to do next time as Ford has stopped producing the Excursion and GM does not offer their diesel in the Suburban/Yukon XL line of vehicles and it doesn't look like they will even in the future.
I have a f350 w/6.0 psd and a f150 with the new 3 valve engine. While the new f150 is rated a 9500 towing, it's really not made for that in a sustained mod. It's one thing to strap a 5ton trailer and pull it 40 miles once in a great moon vs every weekend and the other thing is the gross combined weight. My F350 is 24,000lbs vs f150 14000ish and the van would be in the 17000 range. Vans are not the best tow vehicles high center of balance and such. Bottom line you can make do with almost anything, but if you can do it once get a diesel.
Tow Keith ,I had a 5.4 im my 99 f150 .The motor itself had no problem with my enclosed 20 ft at the time and my 70 conv inside.It was the tranny that would upshift downshift and basically go nuts.Joe
Keith My 05 F-350 Long Bed FX4 6.0 diesel gets 15 mpg around town, 18 on the interstate and between 10 and 13 on the Intersate towing a trailer and car depending on the terrain. I would expect better mileage with a 2X4. My friend has an 03 F-250 short bed 2X4 6.0 diesel and syas he gets over 20 MPG on the Interstate and 17 mpg on the Interstate pulling a lighter trailer than I pull. If you don't need or want the 4 wheel drive you can expect considerably better mileage with a 2 wheel drive. I am with you on the foreign vehicles, even if they are made in the US. I haven't owned a foreign made vehicle in 35 years and don't ever plan on owning one. I would pay twice the price for a full sized American vehicle (even a Chevy or a Dodge)before I would own a rice burning POS. Toyota and Nissan are trying to match Ford, Chevy and Dodge, but still don't have anything comparable to a Super Duty. To each his own.
my dad has a 98 f250 with the 5.4 / auto. great runner. we hauled a 18 foot trailer with a skidsteer. was just a little over 9000lbs and it pulled it fine. dont expect to go fast but it will get u where u want to go. empty he gets anywhere from 19 to even.. okay are u sitting down? the best mileage he got empty was 24mpg! great motors tho. 250,000 miles later and still no trouble.
I used to pull my 24' enclosed with a 5.4 L. Once the LD hitch was set correctly, it pulled well and I kept my speed to 60, it would muster about 10.5 mpg. The downside was the engine lacked power. I now tow with a 4x2 6.0L PSD Excursion and it performs very well. Mileage is similar to the other people who have chimmed in. Only issue with a diesel is that maintenance is expensive compared to gas engines. HTH
