I am looking at a 2001 Dodge 3500B Ram Van extended 15 passenger. It has a 5.9 Gas engine with Auto trans.
I am looking at trying to carry a motorcycle in the rear of one of these vans.I need to be able to lock the van and leave it for an extended time, far more secure than a truck!
I am trying to find if I can get it in the rear doors and what is the available length from behind the first row of seats to the rear door. What is the rear door height?
I am an Australian so cant dash down to a dealer and measure it.
I have found an ex Govt van with 34000 miles.Whats it worth?
Are these OK to tow a 25ft travel trailer.
Any further info will be of interest, Thanks

 

I have a 2000 B3500 heavy duty passenger van. The rear opening is approx. 48 in. wide by 47 in. tall.(The passenger van has 1 in. decking on the floor, unlike the standard cargo van.)
With standard tires, the floor of the van is about 30 in. high.
There are different seat configurations, but from the rear of the driver's seat to the back doors is about 11 feet. 6 inches.
The value, of course, depends on how bad they want to get rid of it, and how bad you want it.
With 34,000 miles, I would ball-park it from about $3500-$6000 US, depending on condition.
With the 4.10 rear end, and the 5.9 L engine, it would just about ****** the Alps off their foundations, so pulling a 25 ft. trailer would be no problem.
Keep in mind that there is a safety issue with these extended length Dodge vans. Back loading them (putting too much weight behind the rear wheels) causes excessive sway when making quick manouvers. The problem is amplified when rear tire pressures are low, and of course, moderate to high speed driving.

Hope this helps.
Oh, and your looking at about 10 MPG, 12 if you're lucky.

 

Well 15 years ago we pulled a 28ft Airstream camper with a 1984 Goldwing (had to take windscreen off) in a 1988 B350 Boston too Milwaukee and back ~ 2800 miles total, NO PROBLEM!

No sway no worries, van was completely stock. (360 with a 727 and 3.92 gears)

 

Thanks Sparkz
All that was very helpfull.
I had noticed the rear overhang and wondered if that may have been a problem with the front end being a bit light,you have confirmed my suspicion.
I wasnt concerned with the towing ability more concerned with the above,so thanks
I note the Chev has less rear overhang,maybe a better tow vehicle?? with the 6litre or 5.7litre
Or maybe a good set of weight equalisers on the trailer would overcome the Dodges problem,what do you think?
Hey 10-12mpg at $2.50-3.00 is a bargain,we are currently $1.40 a Litre,thats$5.32 a US gallon
I do appreciate your measurements they were most helpfull.

 

If it were me and I was going to be pulling a 25 ft. trailer with a 500 lb. motorcycle in the rear of the van, I'd opt out for the Chevy -- but I'm old and slow and I don't like surprises and prefer to limit the chances of any possible excitement on the highway.


On the other hand, there are some that have driven thousands of miles with no problems.
In all of the reports I've read, the investigators seemed to agree that the major contributing factors to the accidents were improper tire pressure, uneven distribution of weight, and speed.
However, when you consider the thousands of these vans used by churches, schools, etc., the problem may be more of an idiot driver than anything else.

I'd make sure the motorcycle weight is forward of the rear axle and the trailer has a good properly adjusted electric braking system. Weight equalizers certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

The info regarding short wheelbase extended vans is available online,
problems arise when they are loaded with 10-15 PEOPLE this places the weight
high off the floor. High center of gravity with questionable driving skill can
sometime roll (Ford and Dodge) vans on the highway. The long overhang
has not to date caused us any swaying or discomfort.

We have towed well over 20K miles with extended Dodge vans. Should
your trailer be properly loaded I truly do not believe you will have any issues.
We OWN a Diesel Excursion and prefer to tow with our extended Dodge van.
These vans are SUPERIOR tow vehicles the ride and handling make for a relaxed trip. More power would be nice but they have plenty with the gears.

You should ask people who HAVE towed with them for comments.

 

I regularly fit an MC in the back of my 1500 van AND tow a 25 ft trailer;
Been doing this for 6 years. I have a BMW R80 which fits in the back and through the doors with no problem. My DRZ400 has to have the mirrors removed and the suspension compressed to fit through the doors.

My camper weighs 5200 lbs - I tow all over the east coast with no problems but I do stay away from Vermont where the hills get steeper. I get about 11mpg when towing with the 5.2L engine

 

Thanks guys
I havnt been able to get the measurement from the back of the first row of pasenger seats,not the driver and passenger seats. to the back door. The trailer weighs 7000lbs fully loaded. A 1 ton extended van is probably the only alternative.

 

I live near the airport, and they still use Ford 15 passenger vans with the massive overhang to carry 15 people, and tow a trailer loaded with luggage for 15 behind them...........while driving like maniacs. These guys rarely have a problem, however.

Load your van and trailer correctly, and you won't have an issue. The extended vans run best with most of the weight near the midsection. Put your heaviest stuff there, load your trailer correctly, and enjoy.

Place a Dodge extended, a Ford extended, and Chevy extended, all towing a 25 foot trailer on the road, put them in a situation where fast maneuvers have to be made, and they're all going to go to hell at pretty much the same point.

Advantage of the vans with the overhang will be most noticable when you go to make a tight turn.

 

I have a '99 B1500 I bought for next to nothing to play with. I end up using it to pull a landscape trailer most of the time, but I also have used it to haul my motorcycle when I needed to pull a trailer also. My 2007 HD Electra Glide fits perfectly if I remove the windscreen. And recently my dad's 2012 Road Glide fit in just the same after he removed the windscreen.

My original thought was to use it to haul my dual sport bike out west and finish the Trans America Trail - Utah to Oregon, but I have not had the time to do it.

I pulled my offroad trailer (http://outlandertrailers.us/OT/Sherpa_II.html) from West Texas to Arkansas with the bike loaded and the van did awesome. Surprisingly well on fuel.

Mine has the 3.9l with 141k on the clock.