E250 or E350
- Thread starter jimare
- Start date
I'm new to vans, putting mine together now actually, so others will have more experience to speak from. The biggest difference I see is how easily you can achieve the 2500 pound company payload requirement while personally equipping the van to live in it. With a one ton van you can put all your stuff in it and carry the 2500 pound payload and still have margin to spare. The 3/4 ton will be maxed out and presumably wearing out faster. The one ton has heavier duty components too I think. I know the one ton has 8 lug wheels but not sure if the 3/4 ton is 8 lug or 5 lug and I'm sure some other components are heavier duty as well.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
The 1st thing to look at is the fact that there are 2 different e-250's and there are also 2 different 2500 chevys and gmc's...you buy a under 8600 lb gvw 3/4 ton and after you turn in a weight slip to your carrier, you won't be getting too many loads.....
Its all about the GVW rating of the chassis you buy..the higher the gvw, the heavier the freight you can haul . And that can be thousands of lbs different......
Its all about the GVW rating of the chassis you buy..the higher the gvw, the heavier the freight you can haul . And that can be thousands of lbs different......
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Easier?
OK, but here is the thing, go for the biggest vehicle you can get.
If you can get a E350 extended body, do it.
If you can get a GMC 3500 on a 155" chassis, do it.
Take the time to get the vehicle, have it checked out and make sure you know how to change a tire or two because being stuck on the side of the road with no cell coverage at night on a rural road where rocky is the only one around just sucks.
Dakota
Veteran Expediter
Most likely the E350 has better brakes and rear axle, might even have an enlarged transmisson cooler. I'd go to the local Ford dealer and bend the ear of a technician, they would most likely be able to tell you the major/minor differences
Does the E250 have the 5.4 litre? I wouldn't want anything smaller in an expedite OTR van
Does the E250 have the 5.4 litre? I wouldn't want anything smaller in an expedite OTR van
hondaking38
Veteran Expediter
got a couple 3/4 ton ext van chevies..4.9 ltr..there 275 hp..how much more do you think you need...granted if your racing from stop light to stop light,bigger is better...never had a problem getting over 18 mpg and thats what its all about.....look at the profit margin this way......load i am on is 1207 miles with a .21 fsc $253.47 i used 65 gallons of fuel average price of $2.21 a gallon $143.65 .. profit of $109.82 on the fuel...as far as 3000 lb loads with panther they come around a couple times a year at most...they will throw that on a straight truck, to keep it rolling..average load weight is around 500 lbs...the more weight the harder it is on your vehicle....which means more maintenance,equates to higher cost....keep down the cost to maximize the profit..
guido4475
Not a Member
I have a Ford E-350 extended and love it.Everything is pretty heavy-duty on it, but I cannot honestly answer whether or not there is a difference on componets between the 2.I have the 7.3 diesel in my van, and it does pretty well for what it is.I have never had a lack of power being fully loaded.It seems my van is alot heavier empty than most, coming in at 7,500 empty.With a 9,400 gvw, it does not leave much for freight,but alot of the loads I have carried are in the 500# range.The heaviest I have carried is 1,950 and it did wonderful.I totally agree with Greg, get the biggest and longest you can get. As far as where to buy, there are alot of e-350's out there.Pm me and I can give you the name of the person I bought mine from, and she can locate one for you.And there is another dealer in Florida that has hundreds of them, as well, but I cant say enough good about Ryder.The 6.0 ford diesel had it's share of problems,so that is what made my decision to go with the 7.3, which is only available from 2003 and older and has a reputation of a reliable engine with very few problems..But then there is the age requirement to think of as well.It's all what you want.Best of luck to you.
Hi Guido... I have a couple of 2003 E350's presently. Both with the 7.3 diesel. Like you, I bought one from Ryder and it is terrific. My question is about the empty weight.... mine only weigh about 6400 lbs empty. So, I was curious how yours came in at 7500 lbs. Did you install some heavy components when outfitting your van for the road?
guido4475
Not a Member
Yes, my van needs to go on a diet.....and so do I.(lol) I guess part of it is me being 300# of pure Italian stud..(LOL) so that leaves 700 lbs to account for.A class 5 Reese hitch? $ rows e-track? 12" x 8 ft sides of 1/8 thick steel, 4'x 12" high 1/8 thick steel for the front skid stop. 3/4" thick plywood on the cargo floor,3/4" thick waferboard for the sealed bulkhead,roll insulation in the walls,1/4" thick plywood on the walls and ceiling.All walls fully carpeted including floor.A few tools,10 ft chain and hook, all needed fluids.No fridge, micro, or t.v..Do you have the same stuff? I'm just curious about the difference as well.I about crapped myself when I weighed it for the first time as it is with me in it.
Well... I weigh just 160 lbs and my vans are stripped pretty bare of excess weight. As it stands currently, I can and do haul freight up to around 2800 lbs with no difficulty.
guido4475
Not a Member
I guess that explains the difference in weight.Coming from a straight truck, I wanted to have a sealed sleeper from the cargo area in case I have some smelly freight on board, plus I felt that by having a sleeper built in I would always have a place to sleep.What kind of mileage are you getting from your van? I used to get 19 or higher, but it has been dropping to around 15.5 to 16.6.My fan clutch was partially engaged, so by changing it today I hope that brings it back up. I know the same thing happened on my pickup when it locked up on me.
guido4475
Not a Member
I don't think the savings are out of line at all.Most of our miles are highway miles.My freind, who has 23 years as a Ford mechanic told me the best thing I can do for the powerstroke is to put the biggest, most non-restrictive exchaust on the van.He said by reducing the backpressure on the engine, it will breathe easier, giving it more power and by doing that,my fuel mileage will go up considerably.And he also strongly recommends NOT USING K&N air filters also.I have found a manufacturer who makes a 5" diameter exchaust for the E-350 7.3 engine at a cost of $489.00 for the whole thing.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
5" is an overkill, all you need is a 3.5" because you have a turbo in line which most likely you won't be changing that out and because you have a cat in between you are further restricted but it will make a big difference compared to your 2.5-3" setup.
I have found several place to bent 3.5" pipe, but not a lot of places have that diameter. 4" will do.
The 5" won't do anything more than cost you money.
I have found several place to bent 3.5" pipe, but not a lot of places have that diameter. 4" will do.
The 5" won't do anything more than cost you money.
I'm told you need to keep within a certain range of intake/exhaust ratio for best performance and that putting too big an exhaust or intake in relation to the entire system will not help and possibly will hurt compared to a smaller size that maintains the ratio.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
There is a point that the modifications become a trade off. Exhaust for example becomes useless unless the cat is removed, the turbo changed out and the ecm reprogrammed. All three of those things matter, the cat is the biggest restriction in line but the the turbo is another.