4.30 or 4.88
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Junior User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 59
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From: Burnaby BC
4.30 or 4.88
Im in the market for a bigger camper and still be able to tow my 14 ft cargo trailer.I have found with research from rv and hitch dealers that my 2004 F350 6.0 psd c/c dually 4.10 wont legally be able to carry a camper of 4500 # plus tow a 3000# trailer.Not wanting to be that guy or getting caught at a scale and having to leave something behind on the road side i now am looking at the F450.The misses wants the bigger space in a camper but would love the toyhauler type but we dont have road acces big enough to get such a unit into our drive,plus storage would be a additional cost each yr.So a larger camper is whats needed.So my real question is which gear ratio--4.30 or 4.88 is best for all around towing,empty truck commuting,I know mileage is not great with this truck but one gear ratio must be slightly better.My thought is the 4.88 would be more responsive to acceleration but suffer above 60 mph but thats fine for me.thanks everyone........Paul
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,564
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From: Wayyy NoCal, USA
I'd think the 4.30 would be better for you. You need the F450 for bed load capacity, not towing weight capacity. The 4.88's really come into play with massive trailers.
The 4.88 will acclerate more briskly, but the cruising revs would be higher than necessary.
The 4.88 will acclerate more briskly, but the cruising revs would be higher than necessary.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,684
Likes: 2
An F450 with 4.88's will not struggle to get over 65, quite the opposite. They will easily do the 82 MPH @ the speed limiter. With 4.88's a F450 will be at about 2400 RPM @ 65 mph. With that said, I'd go for the 4.30 gears for the relatively small load the the OP wants to haul.
