So... We need to talk about your weight.

[OllieChristopher]

Right on guys this is turning into a very interesting thread. I hope it keeps going and also hope you find what you are looking for in a world travel rig.

Not necessarily... A 30,000 lb tow rating it pretty normal for a new dually these days. IIRC the new F350 can be rated for something like 35,000lbs.

That's good to know. However I just happened to see a few of these getting fuel (I was a tanker driver for almost 20 years) and took a peak at the single tires on dual axles and added the payload. They were way overweight (tire wise). The trucks seem to handle the weight but the trailer tires are what is being overloaded

 

[vtsoundman]

Forgot to mention - if you're traveling the world, there are few NA vehicles that are truly global. The Jeep Wrangler is about the closest thing you'll find. However, the world has become very small and you will likely be able to get any parts and find a workshop that is capable of fixing your ride. Would I drive a new Sprinter around the world? Nope. Would I take a Transit 'offroad' around the world either - nope. I would soft road most vehicles and look for a 0latform that has been around for a long time and sold a lot of vehcilles. It would be a petrol/gasser...no diesels and no massive vehicles.

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[alanymarce]

I thought this was “Expedition Portal”, not “Let’s drive down the Interstate from one KOA to the next”.

Fair point, however if you're going from one national park to another you can't always do that "off road".

 

[Herbie]

Getting back to OP's questions about a rig being "too big" for our intended needs, the other big one to look at is length.

If your intended use is all-driving in North or Central America, then wheelbase (and maybe your offroad angles) are probably the only thing that you care about. If you're talking about a trip to South America across the gap, or over an ocean, then overall length starts to be an issue too - when you get into US market fullsize trucks, nothing longer than a single-cab shortbed is going to fit in a 20' shipping container.

Extended/Crew cab? Or a longbed? You're getting all the issues of RORO, or opting for a 40' container at a higher rate. When it comes to the people who are covering a lot of ground on multiple continents, there's a reason they tend to stick to smaller rigs, but it isn't because they don't want more payload or that the city roads are "too small".

 

[Grassland]

I'd say the Transit 250-350 would be good for the payload box, the driveability on road box, and the fact it's a Euro platform brought to NA so most of the vehicle is familiar and available in Europe.
The van is absolutely horrible as a 2WD for terrain or snow.
Things I can do in 2WD in my F150 are impossible in the Transit 250 I own, and 95% of that is lack of ground clearance and utterly ridiculous OEM tire size.
To my knowledge there are no ways to recalibrate the Transit NA platform for non OEM tire sizes, but am unfamiliar with Euro spec ones.
The 235/65R16 Euro C tires have horrible choices here in NA, and they are rock hard and narrow at rated PSI for load bearing and dig and sink into snow and dirt.
Mine is a 2018 LWB(148") MR 250 with 3.7 gas. It turns slightly wider than my 145" WB F150.