3500 Ram Promaster Cargo Van?

[AriesBarb]

Thoughts on towing a LEII with a Ram Promaster 3500 Van? The specs say the Promaster has a towing capacity of 6,410 lbs. I'm an ex trucker so the towing aspect in general I'd be fine with, but is this enough to safely tow the LEII? Thanks for your guidance! 

[topgun2]

No.

[Patriot]

3 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

No.

X2 no.

[AriesBarb]

Is it because the Promaster isnt high enough towing capacity? What about a Chevy Express with a 10,000 towing capacity? 

[Frank C]

Not a good choice.  The empty dry weight of a bare bones no options Elite II is 4,900 lbs.  That’s completely empty with no options at all.  We have minimal options (no solar package, no second awning, no front storage basket) and our Elite II has a dry weight of 5,100 lbs on the factory sticker.  Loaded up for camping we are close to 6,000 lbs with a full fresh water tank.  Some owners are over 6,000 lbs. because of their options and accessories.  That RAM towing capacity doesn’t give much of a safety margin. 

[Steph and Dud B]

If a Chevy Express does have a 10,000 pound tow rating it might be a good choice. That would probably be the cargo version. I think the passenger versions have much have much lower tow ratings, which is too bad. Years ago, we towed a trailer roughly LE2 size/weight cross country with a Ford E350 passenger van with the V10 engine. It was a great travel vehicle: tons of power, lots of interior cargo space, and captains chairs for all of us. Only got rid of it when we went to a fifth wheel.

Wasn't there an Ollie owner on the forum towing with a full-size cargo van? 

[Rivernerd]

According to a quick Google search, the Ram Promaster 3500 cargo van has 4330 lbs. of payload capacity, or more.  If I am not mistaken, the 3500 level Dodge trucks and vans are in the "1 ton" category.  I would say "no" to a 1500, but a 3500?

We tow our LEII with a Tundra, which has 1465 lb. payload capacity.  Granted, the Tundra requires a weight distribution hitch, and we are on the payload margin with 550-600 lbs. tongue weight, two of us plus gear, but with 4330 lbs. of payload capacity, and 6410 lbs. towing capacity, I would think the Ram 3500 cargo van would be in the "o.k." range.

What am I missing?

[AriesBarb]

That's what I was looking at. Specifically the Ram Promaster 3500 High Top Extended Van. I looked at the specs and it said 6,480 in one place, 6,410 in another. I was also thinking it was "on the edge" but maybe in the okay range, that's why I was trying to see what more experienced campers and towers thought. I appreciate everyone's input. 

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, AriesBarb said:

Is it because the Promaster isnt high enough towing capacity? What about a Chevy Express with a 10,000 towing capacity? 

Much better from a towing capacity standpoint. Sixty four hundred pounds is "just getten' by..."

[ScubaRx]

The Ram Promaster 3500 Van only has a towing capacity of 6,410 lbs primarily because it has a 4,680-pound payload capacity. This would give it around a 12,000 pound GCVWR.

[AlbertNTerri]

You won't have the braking capacity you would want during a panic stop down hill with a 6400 pound towing capacity. It will probably tow fine, it will be stopping in an emergency that will be the sketchy part. I forgot the exact number but our E2 loaded came in right around 6,700 pounds with the water tank filled and gray tank empty. If you found a van with 10,000# towing capacity then you're in line with an F250 which is a fine tow vehicle for an Elite 2. I'd go with that. 

[MobileJoy]

I had been researching travel trailers since 2018 and eventually decided on a size class between 6-10K lbs and either an Airstream or an Elite II. Reducing the towed weight was important to me since our TT was to be used primarily as a roving hotel room while we toured the country. I decided that I did not want the concern of operating over spec and having to deal with liability in case of a bad accident. I also wanted a comfortable towing experience. My tow vehicle research (2019-2020) led me to conclude that anything under a 3/4 ton truck would eventually result in overloading some spec. We are not minimalists which is why I feared exceeding payload on a lighter vehicle. Not requiring the Andersen hitch was a nice benefit. Max tow/max payload packages on a 1/2 ton required accessory compromises we weren't willing to make.

Having now taken some long towing trips in 2022 (about 7K miles total), I am glad that my vehicle choice exceeds all of the loading requirements. Having had a couple of panic stops, I'm very happy with how the TV/TT combo handled it. Passed and being passed by many semi trucks and not feeling the draft adds to my driving comfort.

Given any particular TT, your use case matters. Had we decided to focus more on camping than traveling, we may have settled on something less capable than a 3/4 ton. An Expedition Max would have been a top consideration at 9K lbs towing capacity, or a 1/2 ton truck. With little (if any) gross trailer weight rating margin, a Promaster 3500 would not have been a candidate in either use case.

[AriesBarb]

I'm not a "minimalist" either, and we are planning on going full time hence I want to make sure we have what we need. I appreciate your input. I'll look into other options. I'm just not thinking a pick up will allow us enough space. 

[MobileJoy]

My F250 is my first truck and my OEII is my first RV. I have to admit that getting used to truck bed storage took quite a bit of time. At first it seemed daunting, but now it's second nature. Even so, access is not as convenient as I would like. I can only get to some items stored in the middle of the truck bed by climbing in and moving things out of the way. Your storage solution has to consider possible water penetration as well since truck beds are not weather sealed. A decent cap or tonneau cover mostly eliminates this problem, as well as providing security for your valuables. We have been through heavy rains, both moving and standing still, and have not had any water issues with our Diamondback cover. Our cover opens at the cab and tail ends of the bed, allowing me to get most items without gymnastics.

Regarding space, the F250 has a coated 6'9" bed. We can easily store all that we want to bring with us with room to spare. We use plastic storage bins to contain and organize  smaller items. However, we are not full-timers. If we were, I might have gone with a cap and possibly sliding storage racks. The cap would have had opening awning style flip-up windows allowing easier access to everything in the bed. A cap just about doubles contained storage volume over a tonneau cover, and relaxes the height restriction.

I realize the difficulty in selecting a TV for your application. For me the (re-)search was fun and rewarding with the knowledge I gained. I hope the same is true for you, and am sure that you will find an excellent solution for your situation.

[Cort]

The Chevy Express/GMC Savana is fine but I suggest getting the 6.6L instead of the 4.3 I think it is V-6. I have the older 4.8L which has similar specs and while it does fine fully loaded by itself, going up hills with a 6000 lb trailer behind it would be a stretch. 

I checked out the other vans some time ago and the only one I would be comfortable with is the Chevy/GMC...dated but reliable, a good driver, and lots of payload and towing. 

[Geronimo John]

NO.   Not with one that has a tow rating under 10,000 pounds.