Ford often uses the towing figures for the F450 when talking about their maximum towing capacity, and for our newest Question of the Week, we would like to know how many members have seriously considered a new F450 when shopping for a Super Duty?

In short, if you were shopping for a big diesel truck, did you look at the Ford F450? Why or why not?

 

Looked at and bought a F450. I'll probably never own a 350 again. I don't use it daily at full capacity but that's fine

 

We need a dually to carry our Lance 1172 Camper. Even with 5000 lbs in the bed, the 450's ride is still brutal. Our new 350 does the same job but with smooth ride.

 

I have always window shopped the idea, in my head, of owning an F450. I never considered owning any other truck. I have owned two F350's and just felt I couldn't justify getting a F450.
However, never say never. We decided to buy a new fifth wheel and settled for a 2016 Mobile Suites. The Mobile Suites was just a little to heavy for my 2008 F350 so the F450 was the obvious choice.
It also helped that the DW also said the old truck didn't match the trailer and that we needed to get a new truck.


Ford Forever.


bigdon68

 

Inquire about your Insurance rates before you buy an F450.
Ours fell into Commercial Coverage.

 

Always wanted one, pocketbook said F350. Wouldn't even negotiate.

 

I fully intended our 2014 F350 SRW KR to be my "last truck". We are now retired and purchased it primarily to pull our 31 ft travel trailer. We have really enjoyed and appreciated this truck and it has served us very well.

This fall we decided we needed a bigger RV and upgraded to a 43 ft fifth wheel toy hauler. We made several trips with it and the F350 handled it fine, but we were right at its maximum weight ratings. I started shopping for a 2017 F350 based on the increased weight and towing ratings for this year. Several friends, as well as Ford's customer service line, recommended we look at a dual rear wheel model so that we had plenty of room to spare in terms of weight and towing ratings.

Frankly, it had never occurred to me to look at the F450. We did not need its towing capacity. However, we ended up ordering a 2017 F450 King Ranch for two primary reasons. I did not like the appearance of the smaller wheels on the F350 and I really did like the tighter turning radius of the F450 given its wide footprint front axle.

If Ford offered 20" wheels on the DRW F350, I would have stayed with it. Simple as that.

 

Congrats on your order, STOF-FORD!! Be sure to PM me with your dealer’s name and order number so I can track it for you.

Deysha

 

I bought a Silverback 37BH fifth wheel camper and thought very carefully on what truck to buy. It will weigh a little under 15,000# when I pull it, with a 2500-2600# pin.

The new 2017 F350 6.7 4x4 LWB King Ranch Ultimate weighs just over 8300#, giving a 3200# payload. With 5 passengers, dog, 150# fifth wheel hitch, and a 2500# pin, I need 3400-3650# of payload - well over the F350 SRW limits. If I want my fresh water tank full and have firewood in the truck, I'd be around 300# more on the truck. That's 500# - 750# more weight than the Ford engineers/lawyers/marketing folks say the truck can handle.

I test drove many different trucks including the 2017 F350 DRW and F450 DRW. They rode about the same - very similar to the short bed SRW truck, but not as nice as the long-bed SRW. (All of the long-bed jiggle of the previous years is gone.) I towed a little over my limits for the past 6 years and am tired of the stress involved in a rig that is over it's design limits.

The new F350 LWB (SRW&DRW) both have a larger turning circle than the already large circle of the 2016. The F450 turns amazingly sharp. A ~50' turning circle with a 22'4" truck means it can stay inside a circle a little over 6' past 2 truck lengths. It's hard to appreciate what this means until you drive the truck in a city and back it into a spot.

I ordered a nice King Ranch F450 Ultimate on 12/9 and cannot wait for it to arrive.

 

BigDon68, Hadn't heard of mobile suites before but don't get out much. Wow nicer than my house. Is it good quality workmanship?