So this company up fits trucks to meet the demand of Fire Depts, Search and Rescue and other various response needs. I met the rep from the company today while at a PD I support. He said "while we can work with any chassis cab truck, we definitely prefer the Ford Super Duty platform. We prefer an open c frame Because having a boxed frame can lead to catastrophic frame failure if a weld breaks or a boxed section collapses. Sometimes we have upwards of 10,000lbs resting on the frame rails and that puts a tremendous amount of stress on welds when traversing uneven terrain "..

He gave me his card, which had their website and this video. Pretty awesome example of what Ford talks about when they say "some flex is good".


Differential Gear Sets for both Front & Rear Axles: To run the super single tires and wheels on the F550 we recommend you replace the factory front and rear gears with the 5:38 gear ratio. This (with Ford factory adjustment) will make the speedometer, odometer, TCM, ABS and transmission shift points perform properly with the larger tires and wheels. If you do not change the gears, the speedometer will be off by 18MPH at speed, the odometer will be %30 faster than reality and the transmission will struggle to find correct shift points for power. Changing the gears also multiplies the torque at the ground on the larger tires. To our knowledge we are the only company in the world to offer the 5:38 gears for the Dana S130 rear axle. You can buy the front ratio most anywhere. This is a simple install that can be done by any mechanic locally.
Fenders: If you are running the front super single tires on the F550, we have our own fiber glass blend fenders that bolt onto the F550 and allow the 42” tires with only 2 inches of lift on the front axle. They also have a ¼” sun fade resistant plastic rock guard liner. Fenders can be run on “stage 1” or “stage 2” trucks.

Rear Hub Spacers: If you want the rear axle wheel mounting surface to be the same width as the front axle, we offer machined billet hub spacers that bolt right on to the rear axle and provide a proven solution so the rear wheel can face out just like the front wheel. The tire tracking front to rear is the same width overall. Without these hub spacers the rear wheel will run “dish out” and will perform just fine. These are primarily for cosmetic purposes.

Wheels and Tires: The wheels are 3 piece aluminum 20 x 10 with a powder coated steel plate center in the F550 reversible bolt pattern. They flip from front to rear to provide an exact same track in the rear. They come stamped DOT approved and are rated at 13,000 pounds per wheel and 8000 pounds per tire. Options include the 3 piece bolt together run flat/bead lock insert, and the 335 80R 20 Continental MPT 81 tire. Or you can order any of these as separate units, mounting and balancing.

 

Just last week I had my 36' fifth wheel cargo trailer loaded with a CT scanner. Trailer weight was approx. 18k.

I delivered it to a hospital in Florence, SC and I parked in the ambulance drop off/pick up lot. In order to stay clear of the ambulance path I had to drive my right front wheel up on the curb, so the right front of my truck was 6"-8" higher than the other three wheels with the king pin weight that might be pretty heavy.

First thing I did was open my tailgate and close it, inspecting the clearances. There was no twist at all, not even 1mm. I know it wasn't even close to being a severe angle, but from the stuff out here on the interwebs you'd think the bed body would've been wracked beyond repair.

It's a cool post you made, that's one sweet vehicle.

 

They need to come to Alaska though. The drive out of my neighborhood is at least as bad, if not worse than there video.

I twist the frame enough in my F350 that it kept popping open the roll and lock cover... So much that I had to go back to my other extang cover - and when it gets frozen shut, just pulling out of my driveway gets it 'unfrozen' to the top of the bed...

Unfortunately, I do need 4WD to get out of my driveway in a truck when it's snow/ie covered, but let's face it, my FWD Volt does it... It's all because my driveway is going down at 3% grade and is perpendicular to the road that is 6%. And then there is a section where you make a turn from a 6% to a 10% grade.

NOT SAYING that isn't an impressive video and a great looking/functioning truck... Ohh and if the frame didn't flex a little, tire contact with the ground wouldn't be a good and it could even be interesting getting out in 4WD without a lot of traction control intervention. (or lockers).

 

This is exactly why I have taken these "frame twist test" videos for what they are ectually worth! Nothing! The class 8 trucks still all use c channel frames to haul oilfield, mining, and logging equipment into some pretty hinckey places. So they need the flexability of the c channel to keep from breaking stuff! GM rigged the video for people that dont know any better, and now Ford is dancing on their dime! All marketing hype! I have not examined the box frame of the GM, but I will lay long odds that it is made from much lighter guage steel than the Ford c channel frame. Being more rigid is not necessarily stronger, sometimes it is more of a detriment than a benefit!
But then, the market for trucks has changed dramatically in the last 20 years! And as such, the buyer wants them to be more and more car like, and appearance of strength is much more important than actual utility!

Mostly it is the manufacturers understand the mentality of most buyers!
People will spend money they dont have, to buy something they dont need, to impress people they dont know!

 

Ok I want one, but with a beer fridge, foozeball table, and a hot tub on the back. Lol.

 

I love the F450/550 platform trucks. They have several in surrounding counties as wildland/mountain fire attack vehicle such as the ones pictured. Truly BADASS trucks! After years of driving them and operating them, this is the 450/550 I want in retirement.

 

That will certainly allow you to go a few more places than dragging the fiver would.

 

Earthroamer is a fantastic name also. Love them.