# 3500 cutaway van MPG



## Shoot'N'Plumber

So I've been eyin' a few 3500 cutaway's with 11' KUV bodies. Just wondering what MPG you guys that drive em are getin'. Been lookin at the ford 5.4l V8 and a nice lookin GMC with a duramax diesel. What makes and models are you guys runnin, and any gripes. I've been a diesel guy all my adult life but the secondary market is loaded more with the 5.4l V8. Thanks all


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## sierra2000

I have a 2012 GMC and average 7 to 8 gpm street driving.
I also have a 2005 ford E350 with way better milage but isn't as big.
I like the idea of diesel next time.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Is your 2012 a cutaway KUV box, or is it an actual Box van?


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## sierra2000

12' Supreme body.










After almost tipping this thing I'm super paranoid now when driving through some of these cities with steep hills and narrow roads that aren't so level. 
Sitting so high up off the ground like it does and carrying the load I have makes it too top heavy. My other truck is a Royal body. I prefer something lower like that.


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## Will

I'm looking to add another vehicle. I'd like to find me a newer Step Van with a Cummins and Allison transmission or a newer Ford F59 Step Van with a gas engine. I get about 5-7mpg in my current Step Van. Was a GM 350 crate engine in it.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Will said:


> I'm looking to add another vehicle. I'd like to find me a newer Step Van with a Cummins and Allison transmission or a newer Ford F59 Step Van with a gas engine. I get about 5-7mpg in my current Step Van. Was a GM 350 crate engine in it.


Yea I was all set to grab one of those mt45's with the 5.9 cummins and Allison :yes: but thanks to California and our air resource board, that's prolly not gonna happen. I can get a nice '99 for $9,000 but I'd have to replace it with a 2010 motor with clean emissions within 5 years and it will no longer be a cummins but a Mercedes. Because of its GVWR even at the base level it has to comply with ARB requirements. Sometimes I hate California


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## Unclog1776

2001 F250 8 ft bed V10 I pull a 12 foot enclosed trailer with that. I would say about 10-12mpg

I also have a 2003 Chevy 3500 express van with the 5.7 v8 I would guess that is around 12-14mpg.


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## Master Mark

sierra2000 said:


> 12' Supreme body.
> 
> 
> View attachment 33673
> 
> 
> After almost tipping this thing I'm super paranoid now when driving through some of these cities with steep hills and narrow roads that aren't so level.
> Sitting so high up off the ground like it does and carrying the load I have makes it too top heavy. My other truck is a Royal body. I prefer something lower like that.


 
thats a nice truck .... 

we got the same thing in 12 foot and a tommy gate on the back... got to keep the weight lower in the box on ours so they arenot top heavy... we are getting about 10 mpg


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Unclog1776 said:


> 2001 F250 8 ft bed V10 I pull a 12 foot enclosed trailer with that. I would say about 10-12mpg
> 
> I also have a 2003 Chevy 3500 express van with the 5.7 v8 I would guess that is around 12-14mpg.


Yea, I pull the 14' V nose with the F250 long bed with the 7.3L. I get 12 average but parking in the cities is becoming a task as well as actual parking at some commercial accounts. I think with the cheaper cost of gas it may be a wash if I lost a bit. So far I've burned through roughly 2,500 gallons of diesel, so Ill look at what gas has been averaging as I haven't pumped gas in like 9 years.


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## Tomplumb

I have 2003 e350 dual wheel 5.4 motor kuv. 10 mpg loaded.


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## Steveking

Stay away from the new diesel motors way too many emission controls for failure. Current work truck is dodge sprinter 3500 2.7l inline 5 2006 with a supreme 12' plumber box 10,000 pounds loaded gets 15/16mpg has 143000 miles looking to replace with gmc3500 gasser with plumber 12 box.


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Steveking said:


> Stay away from the new diesel motors way too many emission controls for failure. Current work truck is dodge sprinter 3500 2.7l inline 5 2006 with a supreme 12' plumber box 10,000 pounds loaded gets 15/16mpg has 143000 miles looking to replace with gmc3500 gasser with plumber 12 box.


Yea I know the new diesels suck. I can't get into my step van because the emission requirements. I think I'm gonna go with a V8 pre 07 before the switched valve configurations. So I'm gearing toward an e3500 with a reading aluminum body. My primary issue is having a CHP scale station 3 miles east of me on my route to the desert as well as one in San Bernardino and temecula. So going with an aluminum body will allow me to keep under 10,000 GVWR and still have a 3,000lb + payload


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## arbeezplumbing

I have a 2013 Chevy 3500 cutaway with a 12' Harbor box and a 1600# Tommy-Lift on the back, class 3 hitch, registered for 15,00 GVW, auto trans behind a 6.0 V-8 gas engine that averages 11 mpg......... awesome for service work!


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## Hillside

My 06 savanna with a 12' harbor plumbers body on it has the 6.6 duramax, get about 300 miles a tank if I baby it, which is almost 10 mpg, 99% of driving is a 10 mile radius on side streets almost zero freeway driving, diesels 2.71 a gallon where I'm at right now, wish it had the Allison though, tranny seems like the weak spot on these things though, rearends starting to chatter a bit on tight turns, just hit 90k loaded it's 11k lbs


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## Master Mark

arbeezplumbing said:


> I have a 2013 Chevy 3500 cutaway with a 12' Harbor box and a 1600# Tommy-Lift on the back, class 3 hitch, registered for 15,00 GVW, auto trans behind a 6.0 V-8 gas engine that averages 11 mpg......... awesome for service work!



We basically have 2 of those exact trucks but much older models... I had to work out of a normal van for about 2 weeks and it literally killed me to do it...
Would rather just stay home than work out of a truck that is not stocked well and you have to crawl into on your belly to find something....

The chevy 12 foot box truck with the lift is probably the most economical and best truck to make money with every day... We could be done with our calls in that truck by 3pm where that maxi-van I got iwould probably still be out past 6.00pm just because of the extra driveing to get parts


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## tims007




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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Ok! So after much back and forth, Ive decided my next vehicle will be a box van 12'-14' with a spartan type body with translucent roof and pipe rack and passenger curbside door based on an e350 dually body. With that said, any California guys here (Sierra2000, hillside) that have a e350 or chevy 3500 chassis around 11,500 listed gvwr? And what is your annual registration cost?


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## ToUtahNow

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Ok! So after much back and forth, Ive decided my next vehicle will be a box van 12'-14' with a spartan type body with translucent roof and pipe rack and passenger curbside door based on an e350 dually body. With that said, any California guys here (Sierra2000, hillside) that have a e350 or chevy 3500 chassis around 11,500 listed gvwr? And what is your annual registration cost?


I have an E350 cutaway but it is just below 10,000 GVW. You have to watch the higher GVW as you run into a whole new set of regulations. Not everyone enforces the regulations but when they do, fines can be in the $1,000's.

Mark


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## ToUtahNow

Here, this should help.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/commercial/cvra

In addition, my youngest son is a CHP officer in the Antelope Valley. I am sure he would be more than happy to help you.

Mark


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## sierra2000

2011 Chevy, 15000 unladen/g/cgv, (whatever that means), $702


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

ToUtahNow said:


> Here, this should help.
> 
> https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/commercial/cvra
> 
> In addition, my youngest son is a CHP officer in the Antelope Valley. I am sure he would be more than happy to help you.
> 
> Mark


Thanks Mark! Actually I consulted with a good friend of mine who is the supervisor at the CHP scales in cabazon. He made pretty good light of what I need and don't need to do with regards to actual weight and declared weight. 

I was hoping to find out what others DMV annual registration runs. I look at my current F-250 diesel and the wife's, which are both around $410 a year. I just want to get as much info on $ that I will be adding to my current overhead. Plus the DMV fee schedule page isnt very helpful as no matter what info I enter it kicks it back as saying "try the out of state vehicle option" then I do that, then it tells me "try the new vehicle option" blah, blah blah!


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## ToUtahNow

That pdf I posted should have all of the fees.

Mark


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## ToUtahNow

By the way, be careful. Last year my renewal was over $2,000. After I picked my jaw up, I noticed that after 8-years as a GVW of 9,900 they changed it to a GVW of 80,000.

Mark


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## Hillside

Here's my last one


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

ToUtahNow said:


> By the way, be careful. Last year my renewal was over $2,000. After I picked my jaw up, I noticed that after 8-years as a GVW of 9,900 they changed it to a GVW of 80,000.
> 
> Mark


Wait...what! By accident or is that how they roll? So was it really $2000


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## ToUtahNow

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Wait...what! By accident or is that how they roll? So was it really $2000


They actually made me go to a weight station to prove my truck did not weigh as much as a truck with a GVW of 80,000, then they readjusted it.

Mark


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## Shoot'N'Plumber

Ok so next question. What can a e350 box van pull weight wise? I've only used diesels as my primary truck and pulling rig so gas will be a whole new adventure for me. Will it pull a mini excavator or a dump trailer?


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## ToUtahNow

Shoot'N'Plumber said:


> Ok so next question. What can a e350 box van pull weight wise? I've only used diesels as my primary truck and pulling rig so gas will be a whole new adventure for me. Will it pull a mini excavator or a dump trailer?



Depending on the engine, up to 10,000 pounds.

Mark


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