Can I make it work?

[6door74]

I'm actively seeking the weight police to chime in so wish me luck!

I plan on going to see the travel trailer that sits on top of my list. It's a Sporttrek Grand Touring 343VBH (38')

Specs are (via copy & paste)

UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) 8,660
Dry Hitch Weight 1,070
Dry Axle Weight 7,590
NCC (Net Carrying Capacity) 1,335
GVWR 9,995

I know not to pay too much mind to dry weights but the GVWR of 9995 means it "shouldn't" weigh more than that in the end anyway, right? (Notice shouldn't is in quotation marks)

My tow vehicle is a

2006 Ford E350 V10 w/4.10
GVWR 8700
GCWR 18500
Rear GAWR 5545
Max Tongue 1000
Payload 2302
Max Towing 10000

Although it's a 12 passenger van, it would only be 5-6 people and cargo would be minimized as much as possible. I would probably even take out a bench. Tanks would never be full because camping for us means full hookup RV park. I played around with the excel worksheet provided by soundguy and using various estimates, seemed to be ok with numbers. The only questionable one was tongue weight due to my max being 1000. As I understand it, going over will eat into the available payload but I should still be fine by my calculations. With that said, would upgrading my hitch to one with a higher tongue weight make this all doable? Packing up the van to go get weighed is not feasible as 2 of my kids are away at school and "packed up" can vary for many reasons to include time of year, destination, etc. So just about everything will be based on educated guesses. I'll try to run to the landfill and see what their scale is with just me to get a reference point though.

Is there anything else I can do/should do to the van to make it work/work better? Getting a different tow vehicle is out of the question. There are lighter backup trailer models we like, but this is #1. If there's anything else I can add to help in people's answers/opinions, let me know.

Thanks and fire away!

[WTP-GC]

The answer to the OP's question was found in the question itself: "Can I make this work"
If that's the question, then the answer is almost always "NO"
If the numbers are so close that you have to ask this question, then please to proceed to a larger, less marginal Tow Vehicle.

[Huntindog]

It has been awhile, but I have swapped in heavier axles in the past. There are some possible issues to be aware of.
The larger axle probably has larger brakes. This seems like a good thing but, the brake porportioning valve may need to be changed. And since the front brakes would likely be larger on the vehicle with the FF rear axle... just using a valve from that vehicle probably won't work either. The best fix would be to install matching larger brakes on your van from the axle donor vehicle..In this case, the valve may not need to be changed. But this may get into a whole 'nother can of worms. (Larger front bearings, hubs etc.) There used to be adjustable valves available on the aftermarket for this scenario.
Not fixing this would mean the rear brakes would have a tendancy to lock up first.. This may be somewhat controlled if you have ABS, depending on just how that system operates. At any rate, it needs to be addressed as early rear brake lock up can be dangerous. Especially in snow country.
The next issue is that the propeller shaft likely uses a larger U joint. Even if the u joint size is the same, the driveshaft will likely be too long as the larger axle housing is going to be larger. The easiest fix for this is a custom driveshaft.

I am sure there may be a vehicle out there where this can be a straight swap without any complications... But I have never had the luck to have one that I was working on.

[gmw_photos]

6door74 wrote:

gmw photos wrote:
E350 has a big 'ol full floating rear axle. I see no problem making that work. Put a new hitch under the back if it concerns you, hitch it well with either a quality WD hitch ( or the mentioned hensley or propride ) and go enjoy it.

When I was still working, the company I was employed at had a whole fleet of these vans ( 15 pass ) in use as van pool transportation. We had a lot of, shall we say, "portly" employees....there was a lot of weight in these vans. The one I drove mostly was an old enough Ford that it had the 460 in it. Carried the load well and ran well. Drank lots of gas.

These are a very capable truck.

I went and checked, i don't think I do. Should i look to get one and swap it? From what I've seen online, the full float wouldn't be flush like mine in the pic below. Axle code is C2 which is a Dana limited slip from the charts i found.

You are correct. I take back what I said earlier. You have a semi-floating axle, which likely explains why the GAWR is as low as it is. A full float would most likely have a axle rating of over 6K pounds.

[6door74]

gmw photos wrote:
E350 has a big 'ol full floating rear axle. I see no problem making that work. Put a new hitch under the back if it concerns you, hitch it well with either a quality WD hitch ( or the mentioned hensley or propride ) and go enjoy it.

When I was still working, the company I was employed at had a whole fleet of these vans ( 15 pass ) in use as van pool transportation. We had a lot of, shall we say, "portly" employees....there was a lot of weight in these vans. The one I drove mostly was an old enough Ford that it had the 460 in it. Carried the load well and ran well. Drank lots of gas.

These are a very capable truck.

I went and checked, i don't think I do. Should i look to get one and swap it? From what I've seen online, the full float wouldn't be flush like mine in the pic below. Axle code is C2 which is a Dana limited slip from the charts i found.

[Old-Biscuit]

Van RAWR and Tire MAX Load Ratings are TWO concerns

Dry Tongue weight of 1070# is 12.4% of Dry Weight at 8660#

GVWR of 9995# with 12.4% Wet Tongue weight is 1240#

Weight of all passengers/stuff, plus hitch weight plus trailer tongue weight ALL have to be subtracted from Van Payload
(850# + 100# + 1240#=2190# subtracted from payload 2302#----112#)

So you are going to be AT/slightly over payload when loaded up 'camp ready'

***If the fully loaded up camp ready weight on rear axle/rear tires is at/under Van RAWR/Tire Max Load Ratings good to go.

[time2roll]

You will be maxed out and need to temper your expectations on performance and adjust your driving accordingly. Don't expect to also cram a bunch of extras in the van as you will maxed out on payload too.
Good sway control WDH and I say go for it as the GVWR is within the tow rating.

[MFL]

This camping neighbor needed DRWs on his E350 to handle his huge trailer.

Jerry

[gmw_photos]

E350 has a big 'ol full floating rear axle. I see no problem making that work. Put a new hitch under the back if it concerns you, hitch it well with either a quality WD hitch ( or the mentioned hensley or propride ) and go enjoy it.

When I was still working, the company I was employed at had a whole fleet of these vans ( 15 pass ) in use as van pool transportation. We had a lot of, shall we say, "portly" employees....there was a lot of weight in these vans. The one I drove mostly was an old enough Ford that it had the 460 in it. Carried the load well and ran well. Drank lots of gas.

These are a very capable truck.

[6door74]

blt2ski wrote:
Get a different hitch if you need over have more than 1000 lbs of hitch weight.
Not sure how big your family.is.....with ex, four kids as adult sized teens, we weighed in the 1200-1400 lbs range. Typically had 2000-2500 lbs in trailer over base. 3000+ when using as a ski but, including skis boots etc.
The.van is not the issue. I see the issue with trailer not having enough payload......

Marty

There's 5 of us. Two "adult" college age kids and a tween. We're at about 850lbs including the dog. When we do our road trips now, we usually have a duffel bag each. My wife a little more of course.i figured that's where we would get creative with packing and put those duffel bags in the trailer and keep only small necessities in the van.

[6door74]

mkirsch wrote:
The only concern I'd have is the long overhang of the 12 passenger van causing handling issues with the trailer. It gives the trailer a LOT of leverage.

To that end you may want to consider investing in one of the "elite" hitch systems like the Hensley or Propride.

The 15 passenger has the the overhang, not the 12. I was already considering that hitch though in an abundance of caution.

[mkirsch]

The only concern I'd have is the long overhang of the 12 passenger van causing handling issues with the trailer. It gives the trailer a LOT of leverage.

To that end you may want to consider investing in one of the "elite" hitch systems like the Hensley or Propride.

[troubledwaters]

6door74 wrote:
Thanks for the replies.

@MFL- i would definitely invest in a good WD hitch set up

@troubledwaters- i figured I'd have to get creative with packing but didn't relaize it calculated that way.

When I go to the dealer, does the yellow sticker on the trailer factor in everything installed on the trailer as it sits or is that a number from the factory before options?

You would have to read the yellow sticker, but as I remember from mine a couple of years ago, the yellow sticker weight is as it left the factory, including full propane tank(s), battery, and I believe it also includes a full tank of water. But I could be wrong, you have to read it to be sure.

[blt2ski]

Get a different hitch if you need over have more than 1000 lbs of hitch weight.
Not sure how big your family.is.....with ex, four kids as adult sized teens, we weighed in the 1200-1400 lbs range. Typically had 2000-2500 lbs in trailer over base. 3000+ when using as a ski but, including skis boots etc.
The.van is not the issue. I see the issue with trailer not having enough payload......

Marty

[6door74]

wowens79 wrote:
The question will be it the hitch capacity limited by the hitch that is installed, or the frame/suspension of the van

That's what i was wondering and why I asked if there was anything else i may need to do to the van.

And the dog weighs 40lbs 🙂

@valhalla -I'm pretty sure if i tell the kids to bring swim trunks and their iPhones, they wouldn't mind leaving everything else behind!:B