Hey all, newbie to the forum but I do have Ford Truck history and am learning the 6.0 vans are detuned mostly for heat issues. My question is - anybody tow with their van? I am concerned the detuned 6.0 will not be able to handle towing my 9k pound camper, without at least a tuner and mods. Front Dana 60 w/4.56 gears, Any help would be great, Thanks!
2010 6.0 E450 4x4 Cab/Chassis Towing
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You will have no problems towing with no mods or a tuner. Even in the E-Series detuned level, there is plenty of power to tow 9,000 pounds.
Thank you for the quick reply Mark Kovalsky. I previously had a 2013 6.7 with high miles that was great for towing but was plagued with emissions issues so I traded for a 2017 F250 with the gas 6.2 and that has been less than adequate towing, besides I am itching to get back into the diesel world, hoping the E450 takes care of that itch. Am looking forward to the flexibility of the van chassis. Thanks again.
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Mark definitely knows his transmissions and is an Eseries owner, but I'd just add that it depends on your van's body type. You don't say what type you have, but the 450s almost all have aftermarket bodies - I have 2 450 ambulances and 2 shuttle buses. I tow all the time and would never pull 9k with the shuttle buses, and certainly not over any hills. The buses weigh a little over 11000lbs, plus whatever I load inside, usually another 2000lbs. I have a 7k GVW cargo trailer I pull with it but I never load it more than 5k total (about 3,000lbs of cargo), and even at that, it barely makes it over the Rockies.
The ambulances are shorter and weigh less, and I've pulled more with them, but still not 9k. The 450s have a GVWR of 20,000lbs, but that's the total of the truck and trailer. They don't state a towing capacity because Ford doesn't know what body is going to be put on them. I think the length might be a factor as well - how much of the body extends past the rear axle will determine how much leverage the hitch is exerting on that cantilevered frame extension - but I'm not certain about that.
I think because you didn't mention it was a 450 until your reply, Mark might have assumed you had one of the more common 250/350 SRW vans. They weigh a lot less and would prolly not have a problem towing 9k.
The ambulances are shorter and weigh less, and I've pulled more with them, but still not 9k. The 450s have a GVWR of 20,000lbs, but that's the total of the truck and trailer. They don't state a towing capacity because Ford doesn't know what body is going to be put on them. I think the length might be a factor as well - how much of the body extends past the rear axle will determine how much leverage the hitch is exerting on that cantilevered frame extension - but I'm not certain about that.
I think because you didn't mention it was a 450 until your reply, Mark might have assumed you had one of the more common 250/350 SRW vans. They weigh a lot less and would prolly not have a problem towing 9k.
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I used to have a 2001 E-350 V10 that I used to tow my 9100 pound travel trailer. It had a 3.73 axle. It towed it just fine. That included mountains in the east, but I never towed with that combination over the Rockies. I do have extensive experience towing over the Rockies, and I would not hesitate to tow that much with that van.
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Understood, Mark. My point was that it depends on how much the van weighs. I would be exceeding the 20k rated capacity of my buses to tow 9000lbs. They weigh a little over 11,000 AFTER I stripped the inside of everything to haul cargo. With the cargo, or even the 20 seats I pulled out of it, it would be well over 20,000lbs if I pulled that trailer.
I haven't weighed the ambulances, but they're prolly close to 10k, which means I'd be pushing the limit of those too with that trailer.
I'm not sure what the 450 RVs weigh, but I'd be surprised if they were less than about 14k.
The OP didn't say what kind of 450 he has, but none of them are the base weight (5-6000lbs). They only come as cutaways or stripped chassis that I've seen, which means they all have some kind of aftermarket body on the back adding weight. That's exactly why Ford doesn't list a towing capacity for them.
Maybe it's the gearing in my buses, IDK. But I've pulled trailers with them coast to coast, north and south, prolly close to 100,000 miles, over the mountains too many times to count, and all I know is that when I get much more than 16k total weight I literally have to crawl up mountains going 25-30mph or my temps will blow. I've had to pull over more than once to let the engine cool down from +230. Even driving flat interstate at that weight during the summertime, my truck's ECT/EOT pretty much just cycles continuously - heating up over 224, fan kicks off, runs until it cools down, then repeats, over and over. Winter, of course, is a lot better.
But, I do expect that I've had as much as 17k total weight at times - prolly those times I had to pull over.
But, I could see how a much lighter van, like a SRW or maybe a DRW with a short box on the back, could do it. Honestly, I expect the only way to reach the 450's 20,000lb combined GVW limit is with a heavy RV pulling a light trailer.
But, this is an old thread that I happened to see - I haven't frequented this site much - and didn't want others who might stumble on it to not consider the weight of the van when calculating towing capacity.
Maybe the OP will come back and tell us what type of body his van has and how it fared pulling his trailer. I'd be interested to hear.
I haven't weighed the ambulances, but they're prolly close to 10k, which means I'd be pushing the limit of those too with that trailer.
I'm not sure what the 450 RVs weigh, but I'd be surprised if they were less than about 14k.
The OP didn't say what kind of 450 he has, but none of them are the base weight (5-6000lbs). They only come as cutaways or stripped chassis that I've seen, which means they all have some kind of aftermarket body on the back adding weight. That's exactly why Ford doesn't list a towing capacity for them.
Maybe it's the gearing in my buses, IDK. But I've pulled trailers with them coast to coast, north and south, prolly close to 100,000 miles, over the mountains too many times to count, and all I know is that when I get much more than 16k total weight I literally have to crawl up mountains going 25-30mph or my temps will blow. I've had to pull over more than once to let the engine cool down from +230. Even driving flat interstate at that weight during the summertime, my truck's ECT/EOT pretty much just cycles continuously - heating up over 224, fan kicks off, runs until it cools down, then repeats, over and over. Winter, of course, is a lot better.
But, I do expect that I've had as much as 17k total weight at times - prolly those times I had to pull over.
But, I could see how a much lighter van, like a SRW or maybe a DRW with a short box on the back, could do it. Honestly, I expect the only way to reach the 450's 20,000lb combined GVW limit is with a heavy RV pulling a light trailer.
But, this is an old thread that I happened to see - I haven't frequented this site much - and didn't want others who might stumble on it to not consider the weight of the van when calculating towing capacity.
Maybe the OP will come back and tell us what type of body his van has and how it fared pulling his trailer. I'd be interested to hear.
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Here's that same link from the other thread: 2006 Ford E-Series Specifications - Ford-Trucks.com
It has towing capacities at the bottom, although not identified by model, only by axle and engine. You can see that the most any Eseries can tow is 10,000lbs, so at best this 9,000lb trailer would be pushing the limit, especially if you were carrying any additional weight inside the van. If he has the 3.55 axle, there's even less capacity.
You can also see the 20,000lb max combined limit I referred to - so you can't pull 9000 if your van weighs more than 11,000. But, I also see what maybe explains my experience - the 3.55 axle only has a 16000k combined capacity. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the axle in my buses.
It has towing capacities at the bottom, although not identified by model, only by axle and engine. You can see that the most any Eseries can tow is 10,000lbs, so at best this 9,000lb trailer would be pushing the limit, especially if you were carrying any additional weight inside the van. If he has the 3.55 axle, there's even less capacity.
You can also see the 20,000lb max combined limit I referred to - so you can't pull 9000 if your van weighs more than 11,000. But, I also see what maybe explains my experience - the 3.55 axle only has a 16000k combined capacity. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the axle in my buses.
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The OP said that he has 4.56 gears, so hopefully, it will tow better than your buses with 3.55 axles.
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Well, i don't know what gears my buses have. Just saw the chart and speculated. I also don't know what the OP meant by "front Dana w 4.56 gears." That's not listed as a rear axle available on these vans. I assumed he meant "front" axle, which is kinda irrelevant, or he's swapped in custom gears.
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The OP said he had a 4x4, so with a 4.56 front axle, his rear axle ratio better be the same.
The 4x4 adds weight, which might be a consideration. Like you say, the heavier the towing vehicle, the less towing capacity, but the 6.0L should have plenty of power, especially with that stump pulling axle ratio.
The 4x4 adds weight, which might be a consideration. Like you say, the heavier the towing vehicle, the less towing capacity, but the 6.0L should have plenty of power, especially with that stump pulling axle ratio.
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Yeah, I didn't know where he got those gears from. They're not listed as coming on the Eseries, that I found. I only found them listed for Fseries trucks.
The cab and chassis vans usually have a cargo box behind them, like 14' or 16' long, common on Uhauls, etc. They're reasonably lightweight as bodies go, but people always load them up. That's what they're for. He might be about 8000lbs empty, which would allow him to pull that 9k trailer - just have some good trailer brakes! But he shouldn't be loading up that box with a lot of weight too and heading over mountains.
Or maybe he has some other bed - maybe he took the box off and added a flatbed, that'd be cool and reduce the weight.
The cab and chassis vans usually have a cargo box behind them, like 14' or 16' long, common on Uhauls, etc. They're reasonably lightweight as bodies go, but people always load them up. That's what they're for. He might be about 8000lbs empty, which would allow him to pull that 9k trailer - just have some good trailer brakes! But he shouldn't be loading up that box with a lot of weight too and heading over mountains.
Or maybe he has some other bed - maybe he took the box off and added a flatbed, that'd be cool and reduce the weight.
Hey sorry for not being able to reply right away, but I do appreciate all the information you've been sending out here.
I should also say that I have mostly read online forums in the past and have seldom contributed so please excuse my lack of forum etiquette, I've got big feet and am bound to step on someone's toes.
Let me clarify a what I have: When I originated this thread I was contemplating purchasing this vehicle and finally decided I couldn't let it pass. I bought a former ambulance 2010 E450 with Advanced 4WD Systems 4WD conversion, 6.0 diesel, dual rear wheels, with just under 21k miles. Vin decoder indicates 4.56 gears, door tag code says should be 4.10 but I still need to confirm with the axle tag.
Right now is just a cab/chassis but I am in the process of installing a 42" cab back from Blackhawk cabbacks, with the intent to install an aluminum flatbed/hauler type of body. With the extended cab installed I should have very close to 10' of frame left. Distance from rear axle centerline to rear end of frame is 65"
The future intention is to hitch pull our 30' camper while having a 1500lb side by side UTV on the flatbed.
Back to the original towing question - I installed a hitch, seven way plug, Tekonsha TBC and towed my camper 150 miles each way July 4 weekend and it towed well. Roads/hills of NH are probably no comparison to the Rocky's but there are a couple places where the truck struggled, as I expected it would. I completely understand the weight limits of our vehicles and even if I am at the max combined weight, trailer brakes and weight distributing hitch make a world of difference, and I do have both. I intend to get the truck/camper weighed in the near future, I will post here when I do.
Thanks again for all your input, I look forward to posting here more often. Pics coming soon too.
I should also say that I have mostly read online forums in the past and have seldom contributed so please excuse my lack of forum etiquette, I've got big feet and am bound to step on someone's toes.
Let me clarify a what I have: When I originated this thread I was contemplating purchasing this vehicle and finally decided I couldn't let it pass. I bought a former ambulance 2010 E450 with Advanced 4WD Systems 4WD conversion, 6.0 diesel, dual rear wheels, with just under 21k miles. Vin decoder indicates 4.56 gears, door tag code says should be 4.10 but I still need to confirm with the axle tag.
Right now is just a cab/chassis but I am in the process of installing a 42" cab back from Blackhawk cabbacks, with the intent to install an aluminum flatbed/hauler type of body. With the extended cab installed I should have very close to 10' of frame left. Distance from rear axle centerline to rear end of frame is 65"
The future intention is to hitch pull our 30' camper while having a 1500lb side by side UTV on the flatbed.
Back to the original towing question - I installed a hitch, seven way plug, Tekonsha TBC and towed my camper 150 miles each way July 4 weekend and it towed well. Roads/hills of NH are probably no comparison to the Rocky's but there are a couple places where the truck struggled, as I expected it would. I completely understand the weight limits of our vehicles and even if I am at the max combined weight, trailer brakes and weight distributing hitch make a world of difference, and I do have both. I intend to get the truck/camper weighed in the near future, I will post here when I do.
Thanks again for all your input, I look forward to posting here more often. Pics coming soon too.
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That's sounds like a great rig, perfect for what you're doing. Prolly weight 8-9000lbs, and that gear should pull. Just take it slow up the hills, even detuned, the Eseries still got the torque. Look forward to the pics.
I still have two ambulances. but neither operates, grrrr. I have my old Red Cross ambulance in storage, costing my stupidness a hundred bucks a month because I like it so much. Pulled about 8k with it around the country. The back is basically an open box with a little desk by a window. Then, I accidentally left the degas cap off in the dark and blew up the engine. Now, I've scavenged the transmission for one of my shuttle buses. I've thought of mounting what's left on a trailer as a camper, but no funds right now.
The other one needed an oil cooler, I replaced it, and my stupidness has never gotten it to start again. Dealership said it should start and that I must have discovered a new way to prevent diesels from starting. It's been one of my life's greatest accomplishments. I'm not sure the site or my connection let's me attach pics.
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