F-350 vs F-450/550

[dennishoddy]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Let me add some to my question. I’m not looking at new for the truck or trailer, not even close. I’d like to be under $15k for the truck. That puts me in the first gen super duty age, 99-07. From what I found, 15k pounds puts me at the upper end or over on rated towing capacity for those years. Hence the question.

Yes, they have upped the towing game since that first generation. You would be lucky finding one currently with the semiconductor shortage. The storage facility where they are putting finished trucks waiting on the chips is visible from space currently according to news reports.

 

[retrieverman]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Let me add some to my question. I’m not looking at new for the truck or trailer, not even close. I’d like to be under $15k for the truck. That puts me in the first gen super duty age, 99-07. From what I found, 15k pounds puts me at the upper end or over on rated towing capacity for those years. Hence the question.

Given the additional info, I would recommend a V10 or 7.3 diesel from those years, but I would strongly discourage you from considering a 6.0 or 6.4 diesel. I’ve had a couple 7.3 diesels that served me well. Surprisingly, I never had any trouble out of either of my 6.0’s, but I know A BUNCH of folks that had horrible experiences. I’ve only had one 6.4 and wouldn’t wish that train wreck on anyone (2 motors in 83k miles).
My F550 has a V10, and I like it really well.
For reference, I pull my 13k pound skid steer on a 30 foot dual tandem trailer with my F250 and F350 with 6.2l gas motors, and both pull it well.

I hope that helps at least a little.

 

[CHenry]

450/550 will only be offered as a dually with 19.5" tires, that equals expensive replacements and rough ride. All of our fire service brush rigs are 550 4x4, the ride is terrible until we lift them and put 40" super singles on them. That load you described doesn't require a dually even imo, especially just to haul it to one location, unhook and live in it. There's no difference in a single rear wheel f350 and an f250 other than the badge that says f250 or f350 and the height of the spring perch block on the rear axle.

There absolutely is. Differential gears, disc brake size, to name a couple.

 

[CHenry]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Let me add some to my question. I’m not looking at new for the truck or trailer, not even close. I’d like to be under $15k for the truck. That puts me in the first gen super duty age, 99-07. From what I found, 15k pounds puts me at the upper end or over on rated towing capacity for those years. Hence the question.

I used to own a 03 f-350 and loaded it to a GVWR of 31k or about 6k over rating and it pulled great from baton rouge LA to OKC. That rating is based on stopping power only

 

[CHenry]

Given the additional info, I would recommend a V10 or 7.3 diesel from those years, but I would strongly discourage you from considering a 6.0 or 6.4 diesel. I’ve had a couple 7.3 diesels that served me well. Surprisingly, I never had any trouble out of either of my 6.0’s, but I know A BUNCH of folks that had horrible experiences. I’ve only had one 6.4 and wouldn’t wish that train wreck on anyone (2 motors in 83k miles).
My F550 has a V10, and I like it really well.
For reference, I pull my 13k pound skid steer on a 30 foot dual tandem trailer with my F250 and F350 with 6.2l gas motors, and both pull it well.

I hope that helps at least a little.

Agreed on the 6.4
My 6.0 was solid and is still on the road with close to 400k miles.
People who had bad experience were tuning and adding high cylinder pressure that the head bolts were not desined for. If you leave it stock and maintain it, its a work horse.
Tune it up like I did and ya better plan to bulletproof it wit headstuds, egr delete and oil cooler upgrades.
Absolutely nothing wrong with a 7.3 but they are rare now days

 

[kirk1978]

I would aim for the 7.3 then the 6.0 next, from what I have read the 6.4 is a mess (just wasn't out long enough before they switched to the 6.7). I have a F250 with the 6.7 and love it, somewhere along the road most of its smog crap fell off so that seems to help a little also.

 

[bigfug]

450/550 will only be offered as a dually with 19.5" tires, that equals expensive replacements and rough ride. All of our fire service brush rigs are 550 4x4, the ride is terrible until we lift them and put 40" super singles on them. That load you described doesn't require a dually even imo, especially just to haul it to one location, unhook and live in it. There's no difference in a single rear wheel f350 and an f250 other than the badge that says f250 or f350 and the height of the spring perch block on the rear axle.

Are you at Fire Maintenance, or which station? The 10 new Brushers all came outfitted that way from Alpha One with the SRW, new beds etc. The first two FM did the upfitting on to make sure to test and make sure they liked em. Those Alpha One rigs are sick IMHO opinion and ride nice. Fox reservoir shock is what they used.

 

[NikatKimber]

Glad I asked. I was thinking the 6.4 was better than the 6.0.

 

[Roy14]

Long story short you’ll prefer an F350 in those years. In the newer trucks an expensive Kelderman air ride can do wonders to a 1 1/4 ton chassis but in the older years you’re throwing money away. If you’re determined to go Ford (for diesel I really prefer a Cummins power plant, it’s a mid duty industrial rated engine, and for gas I think an 01-07 GM with a mildly enhanced 6.0 or 8.1 is extremely cost effective and reliable) I’d look at the V10. Nobody wants to fool with a 20 year old diesel on a long trip if you’re not a diesel mechanic or have owned the truck long enough to know every single one of its quirks. I’d definitely suggest looking at air lifts 5000 lb bags with the internal stop to prevent blowing and allow for riding unpressurized. I’d also suggest staying with a DRW, it makes a world of difference when a 15k lb load gets hit by a crosswind, or a tire on either the truck or trailer blows out.

Oh, and if you’re up for staying local as a farmer or getting a CDL if you travel with it, you can pick up a single wheel semi with an M11 Cummins and either an Allison auto or 7-10 speed Eaton for around $5-7k, it’s a cheap puller that will pull (and more importantly stop) anything and built on a chassis meant to go a million miles more than your average pickup.

 

[SoonerP226]

Glad I asked. I was thinking the 6.4 was better than the 6.0.

Sadly, no. The 6.4 is a primary reason why the 6.7 exists; Navistar really blew it on that one (from what I gather, they gambled on EGR as the emissions technology while everyone else went a different route), and Ford ended up with a metric boatload of warranty payouts on the 6.4. Ford and Navistar ended up in court over it, so Ford told them to pound sand and built the Scorpion on their own.