2008 FORD ECONOLINE Owners Manual

•Remove the tire chains when they are no longer needed. Do not use
tire chains on dry roads.
•The suspension insulation and bumpers will help prevent vehicle
damage. Do not remove these components from your vehicle when
using snow tires and chains.
VEHICLE LOADING – WITH AND WITHOUT A TRAILER
This section will guide you in the proper loading of your vehicle and/or
trailer, to keep your loaded vehicle weight within its design rating
capability, with or without a trailer. Properly loading your vehicle will
provide maximum return of vehicle design performance. Before loading
your vehicle, familiarize yourself with the following terms for determining
your vehicle’s weight ratings, with or without a trailer, from the vehicle’s
Tire Label or Safety Compliance Certification Label:
Base Curb Weight– is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of
fuel and all standard equipment. It does not include passengers, cargo, or
optional equipment.
Vehicle Curb Weight– is the weight of your new vehicle when you
picked it up from your authorized dealer plus any aftermarket
equipment.
Payload– is the combined weight of cargo and passengers that the
vehicle is carrying. The maximum payload for your vehicle can be found
on the Tire Label on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door
(vehicles exported outside the US and Canada may not have a Tire
Label). Look for“THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND
CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX kg OR XXX lb.”for
maximum payload. The payload listed on the Tire Label is the maximum
payload for the vehicle as built by the assembly plant. If any aftermarket
or authorized-dealer installed equipment has been installed on the
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vehicle, the weight of the equipment must be subtracted from the
payload listed on the Tire Label in order to determine the new payload.
WARNING:The appropriate loading capacity of your vehicle can
be limited either by volume capacity (how much space is
available) or by payload capacity (how much weight the vehicle should
carry). Once you have reached the maximum payload of your vehicle,
do not add more cargo, even if there is space available. Overloading or
improperly loading your vehicle can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and vehicle rollover.
Example only:
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Cargo Weight– includes all weight added to the Base Curb Weight,
including cargo and optional equipment. When towing, trailer tongue load
or king pin weight is also part of cargo weight.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight)– is the total weight placed on each axle
(front and rear) – including vehicle curb weight and all payload.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)– is the maximum allowable
weight that can be carried by a single axle (front or rear).These
numbers are shown on the Safety Compliance Certification Label
located on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door. The total
load on each axle must never exceed its GAWR.
Note:For trailer towing information refer toTrailer towingfound in
this chapter or theRV and Trailer Towing Guideprovided by your
authorized dealer.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)– is the Vehicle Curb Weight + cargo +
passengers.
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GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating)– is the maximum
allowable weight of the fully loaded
vehicle (including all options,
equipment, passengers and cargo).
The GVWR is shown on the
Safety Compliance Certification
Label located on the B-Pillar or
the edge of the driver’s door.
The GVW must never exceed the
GVWR.
WARNING:Exceeding the Safety Compliance Certification Label
vehicle weight rating limits could result in substandard vehicle
handling or performance, engine, transmission and/or structural
damage, serious damage to the vehicle, loss of control and personal
injury.
GCW (Gross Combined Weight)– is the weight of the loaded vehicle
(GVW) plus the weight of the fully loaded trailer.
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)– is the maximum allowable
weight of the vehicle and the loaded trailer – including all cargo and
passengers – that the vehicle can handle without risking damage.
(Important: The towing vehicle’s braking system is rated for operation at
GVWR, not at GCWR.) Separate functional brakes should be used for
safe control of towed vehicles and for trailers where the GCW of the
towing vehicle plus the trailer exceed the GVWR of the towing vehicle.
The GCW must never exceed the GCWR.
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Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight– is the highest possible weight of a
fully loaded trailer the vehicle can tow. It assumes a vehicle with only
mandatory options, no cargo (internal or external), a tongue load of
10–15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15–25% (fifth wheel
trailer), and driver only (150 lb. [68 kg]).Consult your authorized
dealer (or theRV and Trailer Towing Guideprovided by your
authorized dealer) for more detailed information.
Tongue Load or Fifth Wheel King Pin Weight– refers to the amount
of the weight that a trailer pushes down on a trailer hitch.
Examples:For a 5,000 lb. (2,268 kg) conventional trailer, multiply 5,000
by 0.10 and 0.15 to obtain a proper tongue load range of 500 to 750 lb.
(227 to 340 kg). For an 11,500 lb. (5,216 kg) fifth wheel trailer, multiply
by 0.15 and 0.25 to obtain a proper king pin load range of 1,725 to
2,875 lb. (782 to 1,304 kg)
WARNING:Do not exceed the GVWR or the GAWR specified on
the Safety Compliance Certification Label.
WARNING:Do not use replacement tires with lower load
carrying capacities than the original tires because they may
lower the vehicle’s GVWR and GAWR limitations. Replacement tires
with a higher limit than the original tires do not increase the GVWR
and GAWR limitations.
WARNING:Exceeding any vehicle weight rating limitation could
result in serious damage to the vehicle and/or personal injury.
Steps for determining the correct load limit:
1. Locate the statement “The combined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lb.” on your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lb.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage
load capacity. For example, if the “XXX” amount equals 1,400 lb. and
there will be five 150 lb. passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lb. (1400-750 (5 x 150)
= 650 lb.). In metric units (635-340 (5 x 68) = 295 kg.)
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5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and
luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult this manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
The following gives you a few examples on how to calculate the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity:
•
Another example for your vehicle with 1,400 lb. (635 kg) of cargo and
luggage capacity. You decide to go golfing. Is there enough load capacity
to carry you, 4 of your friends and all the golf bags? You and four friends
average 220 lb. (99 kg) each and the golf bags weigh approximately
30 lb. (13.5 kg) each. The calculation would be: 1400 - (5 x 220) -
(5 x 30) = 1400 - 1100 - 150 = 150 lb. Yes, you have enough load
capacity in your vehicle to transport four friends and your golf bags. In
metric units, the calculation would be: 635 kg - (5 x 99 kg) -
(5 x 13.5 kg) = 635 - 495 - 67.5 = 72.5 kg.
•A final example for your vehicle with 1,400 lb. (635 kg) of cargo and
luggage capacity. You and one of your friends decide to pick up
cement from the local home improvement store to finish that patio
you have been planning for the past 2 years. Measuring the inside of
the vehicle with the rear seat folded down, you have room for
12-100 lb. (45 kg) bags of cement. Do you have enough load capacity
to transport the cement to your home? If you and your friend each
weigh 220 lb. (99 kg), the calculation would be: 1400 - (2 x 220) -
(12 x 100) = 1400 - 440 - 1200 = - 240 lb. No, you do not have
enough cargo capacity to carry that much weight. In metric units, the
calculation would be: 635 kg - (2 x 99 kg) - (12 x 45 kg) = 635 - 198 -
540 = -103 kg. You will need to reduce the load weight by at least
240 lb. (104 kg). If you remove 3-100 lb. (45 kg) cement bags, then
the load calculation would be:
1400 - (2 x 220) - (9 x 100) = 1400 - 440 - 900 = 60 lb. Now you have
the load capacity to transport the cement and your friend home. In
metric units, the calculation would be: 635 kg - (2 x 99 kg) -
(9x45kg)=635-198-405=32kg.
The above calculations also assume that the loads are positioned in your
vehicle in a manner that does not overload the Front or the Rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating specified for your vehicle on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label found on the edge of the driver’s door.
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Special loading instructions for owners of pickup trucks and
utility-type vehicles
WARNING:For important information regarding safe operation
of this type of vehicle, see thePreparing to drive your vehicle
section in theDrivingchapter of thisOwner’s Guide.
WARNING:Loaded vehicles may handle differently than unloaded
vehicles. Extra precautions, such as slower speeds and increased
stopping distance, should be taken when driving a heavily loaded vehicle.
Your vehicle can haul more cargo and people than most passenger cars.
Depending upon the type and placement of the load, hauling cargo and
people may raise the center of gravity of the vehicle.
TRAILER TOWING
Refer to6.0 and 6.4 Liter Power Stroke Direct Injection Turbo Diesel
Owner’s Guide Supplementfor Diesel engine towing information.
Your vehicle may tow a class I, II or III trailer, provided the maximum
trailer weight is less than or equal to the maximum trailer weight listed
for your engine and rear axle ratio on the following charts.
GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)/Trailer Weights
EngineRear
axle
ratioMaximum
GCWR - lb.
(kg)Maximum
Loaded
Trailer Weight
- lb. (kg)Maximum
frontal area of
trailer - ft
2
(m2)
E-150 Regular/RV Van (8520 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 6000 (2722) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6500 (2948) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Van (Crew) (8520 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 5800 (2404) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6300 (2858) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Regular Wagon (7–passenger) (8520 GVWR)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 5900 (2676) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Regular Wagon (8–passenger) (8520 GVWR)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6100 (2767) 60 (5.52)
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GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating)/Trailer Weights
EngineRear
axle
ratioMaximum
GCWR - lb.
(kg)Maximum
Loaded
Trailer Weight
- lb. (kg)Maximum
frontal area of
trailer - ft
2
(m2)
E-150 Regular/RV Van (8600 GVWR)
5.4L 3.55 12000 (5443) 6500 (2948) 60 (5.52)
5.4L 3.73 13000 (5897) 7500 (3402) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Van (Crew) (8600 GVWR)
5.4L 3.55 12000 (5443) 6300 (2858) 60 (5.52)
5.4L 3.73 13000 (5897) 7300 (3311) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Extended (8600 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 5900 (2676) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6400 (2903) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Extended Van (8600 GVWR)
5.4L 3.73 13000 (5897) 7300 (3311) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Regular Wagon (7–passenger) (8600 GVWR)
5.4L 3.55 12000 (5443) 5900 (2676) 60 (5.52)
5.4L 3.73 13000 (5897) 6900 (3130) 60 (5.52)
E-150 Regular Wagon (8–passenger) (8600 GVWR)
5.4L 3.55 12000 (5443) 6000 (2721) 60 (5.52)
5.4L 3.73 13000 (5897) 7000 (3175) 60 (5.52)
E-250 Regular/RV Van (8900 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 6000 (2721) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6500 (2948) 60 (5.52)
E-250 Regular Van (Crew) (8900 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 5800 (2631) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6300 (2853) 60 (5.52)
E-250 Extended/RV Van (8900 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 5900 (2676) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6400 (2903) 60 (5.52)
E-250 Extended Van (Crew) (8900 GVWR)
4.6L 3.73 11500 (5216) 5600 (2540) 60 (5.52)
4.6L 4.10 12000 (5443) 6100 (2769) 60 (5.52)
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