Chevy express van for towing

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Chevy express passenger van 2017 either the 2500 or 3500 can tow the same. They come either with a 4.8 - 285hp or 6.0-341 hp leaning to the 6.0. Most that im seeing are between 43k - 49k miles and have been transport leased . Are there any concerns being a leased van?
 
I'd get the 6.0 and I would not be concerned about a rental. Those vans are the toughest low roof cargo vans available and they have been updating and facelifting the same chassis and body since the 90s so everyone knows how to fix them.
Originally Posted by Chris142
What gear ratio? 3.08 wont tow well. 3.73 should be ok.
3.42 I think.
 
Vans are awesome tow vehicles. If I didn't end up with the F-350, I would have bought a van for towing the Jeep. Perfect for camping out of while bringing the Jeep to different parks.

January of last year a few friends and I piled in a friend's 4.8 2500 van and went down to NC to tow a pickup back. It has the right gearing, that's for sure. It had no problem pulling the hills in NC, TN, VA and PA with the pickup on it.

It was a 12 passenger van. Made switching drivers (stopped of course) and napping real easy. Lots of room to move around and eat and stuff. And stand up and stretch.
 
I would scratch the 4.8 off your list entirely if you plan on towing pretty much anything. The 5.3 gets a bad rap for lacking torque down low and the 4.8 has a shorter stroke and is more of a high rpm engine. The 6.0 will also get you a 4L80e tranny as well which is a huge plus for towing and longevity.
 
The 3.42 is a standard 3500 rear gear now that the 6 and 8 speed transmissions have such low first gears.

All our 3500 service vans have the 6L90E trans which is quite robust and has few problems in our fleet. While we do not tow we routinely run at 9000+ pounds every day!

The differences in our application between the 3500 and the 2500 are substantial. IME the 3500 is a great HD vehicle.
 
Originally Posted by Tman220
I would scratch the 4.8 off your list entirely if you plan on towing pretty much anything. The 5.3 gets a bad rap for lacking torque down low and the 4.8 has a shorter stroke and is more of a high rpm engine. The 6.0 will also get you a 4L80e tranny as well which is a huge plus for towing and longevity.



Newer Express/Savana's have the 6 speed 6L80E or 6L90E no more 4 speeds...
 
The 6.0 in a Express Van with a 6 speed makes for a fine but crude by today's standards tow vehicle. It's like a 90's time capsule inside.
 
Originally Posted by Fitter30
Chevy express passenger van 2017 either the 2500 or 3500 can tow the same. They come either with a 4.8 - 285hp or 6.0-341 hp leaning to the 6.0. Most that im seeing are between 43k - 49k miles and have been transport leased . Are there any concerns being a leased van?
Can I ask where you are finding them? I'm in the market for a 6.0 powered 3500 van myself!
 
Originally Posted by Tman220
I would scratch the 4.8 off your list entirely if you plan on towing pretty much anything. The 5.3 gets a bad rap for lacking torque down low and the 4.8 has a shorter stroke and is more of a high rpm engine. The 6.0 will also get you a 4L80e tranny as well which is a huge plus for towing and longevity.

On the 2500, the 4.8 also gets either the 4L80E or the 6L90E.
 
While my now sold van wasn't a Chevy or GMC, it was a great tow vehicle. I had a short wheelbase 2010 Ford E350 Super Duty with a rare (I've heard) problem-free 5.4 V8. I don't remember the rear end gearing, but my brother replaced the rusty factory tow hitch with a brand new heavyweight one. I used it to drive down to Freeway Ford one Saturday to recover my 2010 Ford Crown Victoria that wasn't licensed. Not a problem... towed that big car back without even breathing hard. I'm thinking of rounding up another 2010 or later E350 for towing... (I sold it to an electrician for his fleet, ironically after he swore off Chevy vans) ...œ. My Ram truck is my primary tow rig right now.
 
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