Hot or Not? We Consider the Class, Cost & Power of the Ford F-450 and Ask You to Share Your Super Duty-Shopping Experiences
When Ford Motor Company talks about their most capable truck in terms of maximum towing levels, they use the figures for the new Ford F-450. The powerful truck will tow a whopping 32,500 pounds with the fifth wheel connection. This creates some controversy from other automakers and their fans. They insist that the F-450 shouldn’t be included in the class 4 truck discussion.
Class 4 is typically comprised of the Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, the Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 and the GM 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks.
Meanwhile, class 5 from Ram and GM includes these automakers’ 4500 series trucks. However, class 5 is specifically for trucks with a GVWR of 14,001-16,000.
Now, since the Ford F-450 has a GVWR of 14,000, it technically belongs in the class 4 discussion.
Classification aside, we want to know how many people really shop the F-450 against (or rather than) the F-350. A properly equipped F-350 only compromises 1,200 pounds of towing capacity. But you can get into a comparably equipped F-350 for several thousand dollars less than the F-450. The number of F-350s and F-450s on the street is proof that the slightly “smaller” truck sells far better. For our “FTE Question of the Week,” however, we want to know how many people have considered an F-450 when shopping for a hard-working Ford Super Duty pickup. Of course, if you purchased an F-450 at some point, we would like to hear about that too.
Click here to head into the forum to share your Super Duty shopping experiences and chat about whether or not you considered an F-450, and why.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
