Yes.

Yes I have. Several times. But each one of these times was AFTER the accident occurred. And it was the accident that brought the cops, as well as me, a wrecker driver to the scene. So yes, it does happen.

Not interested in getting into a whizzing contest over it though.

 

Just checked my 2014 F250 and it has what appears to be 3.75" blocks and a GVWR on the door sticker of 10,000 lbs. I also have the snow plow package and FX4 package.

 

I'd have to say that looks like 3 3/4" to me.

 

this is most certainly the case for me. i went from 02 F350 5.4 to 2011 f 250 6.2. both ext cab 4x4.
i used to drop a 3,000 pound pallot in bed of 350 and it mashed down to helper spring...no problem.
i realized real quick the f 250 had softer springs so i got talked into air bags. if i air the bags up enough to level the truck and help with heavy stuff i have no suspension at all. it's a damn hay wagon when empty. it bounces my safety chains off my empty trailers and screwed up my vertical tool box mount in bed.
i have considered giving the air bags ($500) to a friend of mine to help me put helper springs in it like it definitely needs

 

While I appreciate all of the info you have contributed to this thread...I have to believe it is more than the sticker. If what you are saying is true...then my F250 should also handle up to 11.5K since everyone is saying it is the same as the F350.

 

So you're telling me there is no difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton?

 

They have different badges on the fender,drive train in identical. The 250 MAY have lighter duty tires.

Same brakes,same coolers, same axles .....you get the idea. 99.999% of the parts for the truck will be designated F250/F350


The F450 is where things start to change.

 

Now that some F-250s come with (nominal) 4 inch blocks, the line between the F-250 and F-350 SRW are blurred even more. If you study the towing guide, you'll see areas where an F-250 is actually rated to tow slightly more weight than an identically equipped F-350 SRW.

 

Does anyone know the details one the camper package for the F250? Or the details on the spring pack that goes on the F350 SRW? It is amazing to me how hard that information is to find. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with the SuperSprings helper springs? They sell a model that is supposed to add an additional 5000 lb. capacity to the rear of an F250...although I know the tires I have will never come close to the combined (stock + SuperSprings) weight capacity. BTW...I have the stock 20" wheels and tires and the tires are rated for 3750 lbs.

 

Oh man guys, are we reading here?

No. In response to this:

I said:
As an aside, the entire concept of "3/4 ton" and "1 ton" is so entirely outdated that it's a worthless way to compare two trucks anymore. They've become colloquialisms to describe Class 2 and Class 3 light trucks, but that categorical assignment is based on GVWR and not manufacturer badge and really means that a 10,000#GVWR F350 is really a Class 2 by definition because of the rating. But now I'm going to say it...... your 3/4 ton and 1 ton are about 95% identical, and the 5% might not be the 1 ton being "better", because there are ways to option an F250 to have higher GAWRs with the same GVWR as an F350 SRW. They're both class 2 at that point, but based on badging the "1 ton" is going to be less capable" than the "3/4 ton" on paper, and in the real world there won't be a nickles worth of difference in how either works.



Now on to this:
Again, no I didn't say that, you specifically said since the F350 SRW truck comes in 2 different GVWR flavors. So I said 10k and 11.4k SRW F350s are identical except for the ink on the sticker, all other holding package options constant.

Now, the ultimate answer is this:
We could go through the long list of minor differences over the years, but starting in 1999 the F250 and F350 Super Duty have always been at least 80-90% identical. There were small axle differences in 99-01, there were suspension spacer differences until 2014, some spring options like the aux and overload were standard for the 350 and optional for the 250, and there was even a weird vac or hydro boost brake difference in 11-12, but yes, an F250 is substantially identical to an F350, is capable of being optioned with just as high rated springs, and can actually have an identical GVWR if the 10k option is selected on the 350.

As far as "then my F250 should also handle up to 11.5K", well yes, if you're optioned correctly and add up the GAWRs then yes, the truck should physically handle that weight absolutely perfectly because it's substantially identical to, or potentially even higher rated for GAWRs than, an F350 SRW. The issue is a legal one around the GVWR, depending on what state you live in.

 

* On an F250 it adds +1 front coils, rear overload springs, and rear swaybar.
* On an F350 SRW it adds +1 front coils and rear swaybar, because overloads are standard.
* On an F350 DRW it adds +1 front coils because the other two are standard.
(See notes 4 and 5 on page 87 in link below)

"+1 front coils" means one rating higher than selected based on powertrain/drivewheel. If 5200# is the base for the diesel, then 5600# are +1, and 6000# are +2. If 4400# is base for the 6.2L, then 4800# is +1, and 5200# is +2. Front springs are selected mainly by the motor and drivewheel, then the heavy service front suspension, snow plow prep, and camper packages.

Page 87 shows all rear spring pack configurations:
http://gov.legacydirect.com/docs/For...%20Pickups.pdf

You can see right there that the F250 and SRW F350 have identically built 4 and 5 spring packs, with the F350 having a higher RGAWR weight rating.

 

Again, thanks for all the great info. After looking at the PDF you linked...looks like the F250 with the camper option has the same springs as the F350 SRW 4x4 except on the F250 they are rated for 6100 lbs. and on the F350 they are rated for 7000 lbs.

Trying to determine if I should swap out my springs for the F350 SRW 4x4 springs or add the SuperSprings to what I have. You have any experience with either one of those options? I am sure if I went to the dealer and bought the F350 springs...the cost would likely be 2 or 3 times more than the SuperSprings.

 

Local price is the problem on springs, they're so damn heavy they cost an arm and leg to ship, so local over the counter is usually cheaper than ordering even after they mark them up a stupid amount. You can ask the dealer, but I agree they'll come in way overpriced.

I don't have any experience with SuperSprings personally. They look functional I guess? Seems like a bit of a band-aid fix to me, but maybe someone here has them and will say they're great.

Before you buy anything I'd go to a local driveline/suspension shop and see if they can either upgrade your current spring pack or make you a new leaf pack based on the deflection rates in the source book. And they'll probably have an opinion on aftermarket spring helpers like the Super Springs.

 

To the OP, you never gave us the weight of your fifth wheel so we really can't answer all of your concerns. I am not exactly sure you are over weight. If you could provide us with what your door sticker says on your truck, GVWR, rear axle capacity. Also have you ever got the trailer weighed while hitched up to your truck?

 

I was just trying to find out the details about upgrading the rear of my truck which is why I posted on this truck forum. I already know I am going to be over the GVWR of my truck by towing the 5th wheel I have...but I also know I won't be over the GCWR of the truck and the 5th wheel. I weighed the truck recently at a dump scale and with about 7 gallons of diesel, my hitch and myself in it...the truck weighed 8320 lbs. I plan to take the truck/5th wheel combo to a CAT scale next week to get a more detailed weighing but the 5th wheel I have has a GVWR of 13995, a dry weight of 10780 and a pin weight of 1980. My truck has the 20" wheels with tires rated for 3750 lbs each.