express van gear change?

[campfirefun]

After a long winter search. I have found a chevy express van 2007( don't want to start the ford chevy thing here) it is a 3500 6.0 with v8. 3.73 rear end. Right now it is rated at 7700 towing max. The manual says online says that if equiped with 4.10 axle it jumps to 9700 towing max.

Would it be hard and really expensive to have the axle changed. If we buy the van we plan on keeping it for many years. It would be the tow vehicle not really an every day driver. we would be towing our rockwood 8316 that comes in dry at 6600. my other question is along the same lines. I have found many 3500 2010's. in the chevy manual they are rated at 7600 towing and the chevy manual only shows them with 3.73 gearing. the 2500 show 4.10 gearing and towing 9600. could you put a 4.10 axle in a 3500 express.

[sherdep]

most likely if the van came with the 4.10's it had a tow package which would have consisted of tranny cooler, 4.10 gears, hitch reciever and possibly an oil cooler as well. If it did not come with the 4.10' then most likely it didnt have the tow package -

to answer your question - you could change the gears out (not the axles) and it would have to be done by someone who knows and has the proper tool's (Depth Gauge) to replace the gears - I am thinking in the range of $1,000 or maybe a little higher or you could go to the junk yard and get a complete rear end for $300 to $500 and you would just need to do a gear oil change and swap your brakes along with bleeding the brakes to install it - which is alot easier then doing a gear swap.

I am not sure what the diffrence between the 2500 and 3500 chevy vans so cant answer that one.

If it was me, I wouldnt try to make something work because if ever stopped or got into an accident and DOT looks at the door sticker even though you did the work to make it carry more weight you could be in trouble - just my .02 cents and you may get more then one answer on this one.

[campfirefun]

2500 3/4 ton van 3500 1 ton

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by campfirefun

2500 3/4 ton van 3500 1 ton

I understand that part - just didnt know what the diffrence between the two to help you answer your question since the two vans are identical with the exception of the designation and something else causing them to have a tow rating diffrence

[Dodge Guy]

Changing the gear ratio will not alter the GVWR of the van. it will change the tow rating which is what you are after. definitely worth the $$$ to do the gear swap.

And you can change the gears in almost any vehicle. I know you can swap the gears in the 3500. I personally swapped out the gears on my Excursion from 3.73 to 4.30 (4.30 was an option on the X). alot of people do gear swaps even to non factory optioned gears.

[campfirefun]

thanks Dodge guy and sherdep-

Dodge guy you pointed out what i am trying to do(increse tow ratings). I like the 2500, 3500 chevy express because they have the 6.0 v8 which is about the last bigger engine you can find. Most come with 3.73. Tow 7700 with that set up. I need at least 8400 with the 4.10 they go up to 9600 ish tow rating. Dodge guy is right on with what I want to do. Just increse the tow rating using a 3/4 or 1 ton frame van which gets a little beefer supension and brakes 4 wheel disc.

[prof_fate]

You'll need to confirm what rear end is in the van. I'm not up on what model rear ends they use these days but back in the day ford (whom I'm more familiar with) had several rear ends, the 'ford 9 inch' always being the more preferred as it was much more stout than the 8" or 7.5". You also have transmission differences too - so you should verify what trans is in a HD3500 w/ tow package and what is in the van you are looking at. Probably the same, but possibly not. Gearing and strength vary from trans to trans.

I've changed the rear ends in jeeps and didn't find it all that daunting other than it's not something many mechanics ever do so finding help is pretty hard -but that was pre-internet and youtube so it may be easier today.

Bigger brakes also affects towing capacity -as least when it comes to stopping.

When I was looking at TVs over the winter I considered vans for a brief while but you have to find just the right mix of options and I figured that was gonna be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

[08flagvlite]

That 6.0 with a 3:73 rear should be able to pull your rig around without too much trouble as is, depending on your tire/rim size. My Ram Hemi (5.7) with 3:54 rear and 265 70 17's does okay pulling my 7575 dry weight V lite (probably around 8700 loaded with fluids), unless you are planning a lot of strenuous driving in the mountains. Gas mileage will suffer, what little there is, when swapping to a steeper rear gear, as well. That said; I personally want to switch my truck over to a 3:92 rear. I also installed LT tires, that made a WORLD of difference when towing. Randy

[campfirefun]

that is what I was thinking. It should work and maybe use it until it doesn't and than replace with a sturdier rear end gear. Most trips would be midwest/great lake area. If it does happen soon we get a van we would make one trip to the estee park area this summer for a wedding we are attending. That would be the only mountain trip most likely.

[M109Rrider]

I changed the ring and pinion in my 1500 dodge from a 3.92 to a 4.56. $250 for parts and $400 for labor. As stated it doesn't "offically" change tow ratings but man -O- man did it pull better. Best 650 I ever spent.

[campfirefun]

and now to throw a wrench in the machine. I looked on chevy's manual web site and see the 2011 2500 and 3500 with 3.42 and 6.0 v8 both are rated at 9800 and 9700. ???????

[sherdep]

they must have changed something to make that much of a diffrence
maybe diffrent tire sizes or diffrent tranny

[08flagvlite]

M109rider, are you running 20's on your Ram?

[M109Rrider]

Originally Posted by 08flagvlite

M109rider, are you running 20's on your Ram?

I had 20's on my 1500 ram w/the 4.56's. My 2500 has 17's.

[campfirefun]

well I found a express 3500 the (one ton frame) van that I was able to buy this weekend. it is a 2010 with a 6.0 v8 and the new six speed trans(that also has the manual shift mode). it is a 135 inch wheel base that will seat 12. we have six in the family so the kids will be able to take a few buds now camping. we tow a rockwood 8316. I hoping this can turn into one mean tow machine. I need to have a hitch wiring and brake controller added this week and hoping that we can see how it tows next weekend. should be a step up from using our 1/2 Silverado that we sold this past winter. Everything I can find for gm's new six speed auto trans (with the manual shift mode as well) combined with the 6.0l v8 puts tow ratings near 9000 with a wdh. we will see. if it does not work at least we could start a airport shuttle service with this thing.