Question about Sprinters???

[LDB]

I know people make it work. I know how to make it work. I'm just participating in a conversation about the weight of the 3/4 ton Sprinter and it's payload capacity. Obviously you get a ticket minus driver or fuel or whatever with the numbers you need on it. The bigger issue is what do you accept and/or turn down afterward.

Say you get a scale ticket showing 5722 pounds empty weight on a 2500 extended. That gives you about 2800 pounds to work with. Fuel and driver are at least 300 pounds. Insulation, plywood floor, etrack, clothes, tools, bed, food and miscellaneous are a few hundred more pounds. Generator and a/c unit? Small fridge? All told a half ton isn't out of the question.

That brings capacity down to 1800-1900 pounds. That brings the question of what's the limit you'll say yes to. Saying yes to a 2500 pound load will be overweight no matter what happens and in the event of an accident it wouldn't be good at all.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

leo...one learns their comfort zone as far as weight goes...As I said..with all my gear and me in the van i weigh about 6,000 give or take maybe 50 either way.... MY personal safety limit is 2,800...and that is IF the load goes across FLAT ground and there is no hurry to get there....and i help myself out and only keep the tank 1/2 filled...everyone has their own limits/comfort zone....

 

[LDB]

Yes, I agree. I think you have an advantage versus the new ones too that helps some. I'm just looking at the "what if" based on driving a new Sprinter off the lot next week. The brand new one couldn't carry 2800 with 1/2 a tank of fuel even if one of Gulliver's Lilliputians was driving. I'm not really disagreeing with anyone, just "advocating" based on the 2012 specs on their website.

 

[mjmsprt40]

FWIW: When I had my 2500 Sprinter, I ran it across the scales with a 3/4 full tank and me in the drivers seat. I came away with the idea that 3,000 was my limit in that van. Of course, I didn't have all the stuff some of you want to load up on, it was pretty basic. I wouldn't recommend stressing a 2500 that heavily very often, but it could do it and still be within safety limit according to what I saw. I had the longest tallest 2500 made in 2005.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

You'll see the Sprinter haters on here posting negative comments.....which IMO makes them stupid people...

The vibe I get from Sprinter haters is they felt strong-armed by the industry into buying a product they didn't want in order to stay in the business, and resent the vehicle. The light body weight, expensive maintenance and repair, noise, frequent popping of lightbulbs, tempermental starting are the complaints I have heard. The Sprinters aren't like the domestic cargo vans which they were accustomed.

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[TropixBum]

I'm sorry. I thought I was asking a simple question. I didn't want to start a battle among friends. Let see if I can ask this. What does (all that are on this thread) drive right now? what kind of van (type/year) and mpg? I know that fuel mileage goes up and down with loads, just average. Also what mechanical problems have you ran into?

I may not check back in everyday but I will try to get back to this thread often. Right now the company I'm with has picked up a new account and were running like crazy. Great in 1 aspect but sucks in others. I really do appreciate everyone's input. Thanxs to all.

 

[xiggi]

The vibe I get from Sprinter haters is they felt strong-armed by the industry into buying a product they didn't want in order to stay in the business, and resent the vehicle. The light body weight, expensive maintenance and repair, noise, frequent popping of lightbulbs, tempermental starting are the complaints I have heard. The Sprinters aren't like the domestic cargo vans which they were accustomed.

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Some of those are new ones to me. Light body, do u mean capacity? Not sure where noise would come from it the quitest running down the road I ever drove. Never heard of any starting problems if you keep glow plugs working. Light bulbs yea but thats cheap. Maintenance now that one I dont have enough space.

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[paullud]

I'm sorry. I thought I was asking a simple question. I didn't want to start a battle among friends.

See what you did!!! Now you're going to ask more questions. The differences of opinion just show there may not be one answer. As they say there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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[OntarioVanMan]

hey..thought it was still a great conversation?....

 

[LDB]

I'm driving a 2009 Chevy G3500 6.0L V8 and get 16mpg or better unless I'm doing nothing but driving around home and then around 14. Next time I will go with something stand up height but not sure if it will be a Sprinter, an NV or a Transit unless some as yet unknown better option becomes available.

 

[mjmsprt40]

My big beef with the Sprinter was repair. When it breaks (it's a machine, sooner or later it's going to break) it's a Mercedes and you won't soon forget it. It takes a while to get parts from Germany, there's only a handful of mechanics that will touch it and so on.

Lights: I had to replace the interior lights because the original equipment was so dim it might as well not have been there. An RV shop down the road had the lights I needed, so no real problem there.

Starting trouble: It's a diesel, in Northern areas anti-gel is an absolute must. That's the only real trouble I ran into. I had some rough cold starts because of a bad glow plug, but it would start and the rough cylinder would smooth out in thirty seconds or so, which is different than gasoline (a bad spark plug-- no ignition in that cylinder).

If it weren't for the issues concerning service, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. But, I can't afford to be down for a month waiting for a part, when I could be on the road again in a couple of days with an American machine.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Some of those are new ones to me. Light body, do u mean capacity? Not sure where noise would come from it the quitest running down the road I ever drove. Never heard of any starting problems if you keep glow plugs working. Light bulbs yea but thats cheap. Maintenance now that one I dont have enough space.

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Light: described as flimsy body panels. Noise: body rattles, squeaks, pops. Starting problem report came from an owner of a factory new one, said it was sluggish (summertime). Lightbulbs, no matter how inexpensive, shouldn't burn out as often as has been reported. Problem is, if one wants to stay van, they gotta Sprint for now.

As many know, my boyfriend's Sprinter was attacked by a dead elm tree on US 23 during a storm last month. Minor damage to the front end. Mostly body, required a front end alignment also. It took THREE WEEKS to repair...foreign parts.


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[Jenny]

I'm sorry. I thought I was asking a simple question. I didn't want to start a battle among friends. Let see if I can ask this. What does (all that are on this thread) drive right now? what kind of van (type/year) and mpg? I know that fuel mileage goes up and down with loads, just average. Also what mechanical problems have you ran into?

I may not check back in everyday but I will try to get back to this thread often. Right now the company I'm with has picked up a new account and were running like crazy. Great in 1 aspect but sucks in others. I really do appreciate everyone's input. Thanxs to all.

We have a 2006 2500 Sprinter. As far as lightbulbs go we have found that the bulbs from Europarts last the longest. The headlights we do Sylvania Silverstars and take advantage of their warranty. Only paid for two sets in about 4 years. We have had the glow plugs and egr valve changed at 330k. We had an issue with waterpump. 3rd one seems to be the charm. We had the radiator replaced due to some hot spots due to a colapse in it around 400k. We replaced the starter in 2010 with one from Napa with a lifetime warranty. Just replaced it again. We replaced the transmission this year at 512k. We change our own pulleys, starter, brakes, alternator, transmission fluid, and oil. We are happy with our Sprinter. It now has 533k on it.


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