A Ford Super Duty truck is a tool. So is a crowbar. That’s where the similarities end, though. A Super Duty is also a complex machine, especially the 2017 model. It’s loaded with technology and features tweaked engines and even a new transmission. However, under all of those moving parts is a relatively simple component: a frame.
For 2017, the Super Duty pickup’s underpinnings are more robust than ever. The weight saved by the use of an aluminum body means the frame can now use six times more high-strength steel than the frame in the 2016 SD, bringing the total to 95 percent. Thanks to its fully boxed construction, the 2017 unit generates less noise, vibration, and harshness. A 1.5-inch increase in the height of the frame rails and through-welded crossmembers translate to greater rigidity – up to 24 times more stiffness, in fact.
The five available wheelbases start with a twin-I-beam suspension up front and range in length from 141.6 to 176 inches. Ford says its new truck will offer “the most towing and hauling capability ever delivered by Super Duty.” In other words: the 2017 F-350 4X4 with the tweaked Power Stroke V8 and dual rear wheels should be capable of towing more than 19,000 pounds and pulling a fifth wheel that weighs more than 26,500 pounds. A similarly equipped 2017 F-450 should be able to tow more than 19,000 pounds and transport a fifth wheel that weighs more than 31,200 pounds behind it.
The maximum gross axle weight and maximum gross combined weight ratings and towing capacity for the 2017 Super Duty chassis cab’s frame also climb. (These are the numbers it has to beat.) Like the pickup’s backbone, the chassis cab’s frame features six times more high-strength steel than the unit it replaces for a total of (at least) 95 percent.
The eight available wheelbases, which range in length from 145.3 to 205.3 inches, feature a fully boxed section under the cab, an upfitter-friendly open C-channel design behind it, and as many as 10 crossmembers throughout for greater strength and stiffness.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
