Cargo Van Lost route...need advice on van

[brokcanadian]

Well I pay less than 2000 for vans, do all my own maintenance (trans went, switched out my spare in the driveway in t dark) and 500 miles costs me 35-45 in fuel...maintenance runs me another 1 or 2 thousand, then I scrap van after 2 years...don't get me wrong I do admire you guys sipping coffee while someone else fixes your van, I have a terminally ill daughter and 2 autistic daughters (and a 17 year old, she's the most trouble) and the wife has a dozen different disorders worst being fibromyalgia and EDS-HD...random uncovered medical expenses can be in the thousands per month...in that context, my job needs are the cheapest van that has over 10 feet of space and over 48" opening since I'm on the open road now. Both purchase price and mpg.

I know some may read that as bitter, but we are extremely happy...youngest was given 2 weeks to live in 2010 (it's 2016 and she's the happiest of the bunch!) my carrier works around my schedule and keeps me busy, and I get to "work" like you guys with all the freedom I could want!

So in the past I've grossed 6 figures with vehicle cost, maintenance, and fuel together less than 10 cents per mile...but what do I do now? 3 feet of my cargo area is taken up by huge CNG tanks with 6.5 feet left for freight and 4 more tanks underneath, canadian CNG is 3.20 a gallon...I'm so far removed from the reality of the costs of you guys I'm completely lost as where to go.

My idea was to get an older 12 ft box van under 10,000 because I could add propane and cut the fuel cost to 1.00 a gallon, or buy a T1N sprinter and hope both diesel stays cheap and nothing blows up that I can't fix myself.

Help? Saving for a van or huge monthly payments are out of the question due to medical expenses, and my crystal ball is broken

 

[brokcanadian]

Through that stress induced rant I think I missed the fact that an E350 Aerocell CW can achieve 17 mpg on the highway, but not a 4 speed with 4.59 gears. Thanks, Moot

Can anybody confirm? I got 21 mpg over hundreds of thousands of miles with a 7.3 E350 so yes I can go easy...

 

[scottm4211]

For why? The whole attraction of under 10000 is thumbing my nose at the scales on the way by...think DOT would assume it looks like a box van and I need to scale?
Even if a gas van came to 6000 lbs it would leave me plenty to play with at the 9600 gvw...

If you run that up and down the 401 you're eventually going to be pulled over by the scale cops. You don't want to be over 4500kgs.

 

[brokcanadian]

Lately that's my most travelled route...thanks for the heads up, I only think in DOT terms internet says 9600 lbs = 4354 what's the max GVW to be safely left alone here? Or does the fact that it looks over 4500 mean i'm doomed to be constantly checked out? And I've never done the yellow sticker thing, I was told that it can be done under 4500 but it was not a requirement, true or false?
Should be scaling to prove if I think it's close? Would plastering under 4500 kg / 10000 lbs all over it help?

 

[INVanner]

I have a 2013 GMC Savana 3500 12' box 9900 gvw, empty weight (me all my gear & a full tank of fuel) 7168lbs. I Have the 6.0 gas V-8, 6spd automatic transmission & 342 gears. I get high 15s running 65mph, weight does not seem to bother fuel milage but wind is a whole different story. I hope this helps

 

[brokcanadian]

Sure does. Enough people are talking about the 6.0 GM, I'm pretty well settled on it...thanks for posting the weight, I also carry tools so I can ballpark my capacity...15 MPG works for the loads im getting with CNG or propane / gas dual fuel

 

[bikerpaul]

When I was PTL I had a 2008 Ford E250 5.4 engine with a 4.10 rear end. I got 16 to 18 MPG no matter how much weight I had on board. Only real problem I had was upper and lower ball joints, and a fuel filter at 96,000 miles. I got rid of it with 156,000 miles on the clock. I was never a Ford person, but that van made me a believer in Ford trucks.

 

[brokcanadian]

That's great mileage! I put a million miles on a 7.3 diesel ford at 21 mpg, didn't care if loaded either, just speed...unfortunately can't find an Aerocell CW around here so i'm looking at a rusty sprinter with trans stuck in limp mode...turned down yet another good paying load yesterday 15 minutes from my house, too high (freight) so here I sit...