Mine came with both front and rear. They offered the option of the heavy duty ones which I got. The truck handles wonderful but I'm one of those guys that will 'upgrade' and ad everything possible to what ever I'm buy or own. Can't remember the size of the bar, sorry. Don't really put many miles on it. Its an 06' like I said but I've only got maybe 32,000 on it. I'm usually on one of the motorcycles unless it rains. Don't mind the cold since I have an electric heated jacket and pants. I just plug into what ever bike I'm on. Plus, California temps are pretty nice most of the time
I even have front and rear sways on my 65'.
Fritz

 

well i just watched the frame twist and bumper sag test, and since i own a 2004 F-350 i can say yes ford fails horrible at these test. every time i go off road or hunting the bed flexes like crazy back there and if i park on a hill or incline my tailgate wont open either. And the payload test what a joke ford! thats the reason i upgraded to heavier six leaf packs over the factory sissy five leaf packs. my 350 with factory overload would squat just as bad as the 2011 when i would pick up a pallet of cinder blocks. with my new six leaf packs and a dually over load spring it only squats 2.5 to 3 inches, where it should have sat from the factory but i truly believe ford is leaving the "real" buyer and working more to wards the yuppy office pusher buyer who only buys a 3/4 and 1 ton truck for the look not the real use of it. if ford would worry more about the real buyer i wouldn't of had to spend all this money on fixing their mistakes! but the frame twist i cant fix so i try to park on level ground so i CAN open my tailgate to get my quad out for deer hunting.

 

I'd bet the IFS on the GM has more travel than the SDs setup also. Once the suspension hits the bump stops the frame really starts getting the stress.

 

Typical marketing. Sure, they hired a 3rd party testing vendor, but that hardly means there wasn't considerable bias built in to the exercise.

 

They do those tests when they know they can put down the competition..Since they did the box frame thing now its time to slam ford. Ford must have reasons for not doing one on the 250-350..and up..All big trucks use a C channel for flex. You get too stiff and things start breaking. I use timbrens in the rear of mine for a reason..Trucks are evolving into real work horses looks like, even though some folks only use them to get groceries...Ford should have a version for the grocery getter and one for the serious contractor who uses thier truck for a living. That way the GG spends less and the contractor gets what he needs. The f150 HMMM Ranger LOL..

Dick

 

I have Liked the Duramax allision combo for a while. I just have never liked the look of the Chevys. It is a very Capable truck and has been top dog for a bit now. Eventually I will pick one up for my drag vehicle but that will be year down the road when i pick up a used Duramax and the prices come down on the 06's.

 

Bumper sag test: What spring rate does each truck have? Super Duty can be ordered with different spring packages, I assume Silverado can also.

Acceleration tests: What overall gear ratios does each truck have?

Regarding the video that shows the frame flex that resulted in the tailgate pop, seriously, how many Super Duty owners have had that happen in the 13 years the Super Duty has been around? And they just happened to have the camera pointed at that exact area of the tailgate when it popped?

 

Like I said, they all "create" a scenario that underscores their strengths.

 

I just look at the video and it reminded me the unfairness of testing when it's done by one side only. Here's why, there is too much info that we can't see that ables the party that want to win to choose to the proper setup of their own vehicule to match the requirement needed. What i mean is simple, I own a 2008 F250 6.4l. twin turbo, what you don't see in testing is,are both vehicule 4x2 or 4x4, because that change the GVWR capacity, a 4x4 will be slower to tow due to weight. Also you can't see that my rear end is a 3.73 what about the other test vehicule is it also a 3.73 or did they brought in a 3.55 that will affect towing performance. Also, you can't see that my F250 as GVWR of 11,000 lbs compare to standard 9,000 lbs, and that is factory ordered.
So that's why it's easy to set-up truck comparison to win and look really good to the ones you want to impress.
A real test would be to Ford and Chevy come in with the vehicule of their choice for a particular test, then we would see reality result that we would have a fair comparison, because at the end of the day we all order our truck in a setup that we need to do a required task, don't we?

 

there's also the 17" wheel vs. 20" wheel GVWR difference. but then at the same time if you make only one version capable of anything, then general publlic will complain about stiff rides. So, that the reason you can order the setup you need. Know your task, get the right setup and your the winner!
Holly ****! I don't know how many times i've smoke some sedan of a red light with truck,trailer and load of 15,000lbs uphill.

 

love my SD but the payload test is really grinding my gears! both trucks don't have overload springs. And it doesnt matter what GVW you have the rear leaf springs ARE the same on a srw truck. so it doesnt matter if the ford had the 9000 or 10000gvw the rear leaf springs are the same so payload is the same basically in real life. And yes i know on paper its different but its still the same spring on both trucks

 

Well, i will disagree with you only because my truck as a payload of close to 4000lbs in F250 srw configuration, but don't forget the truck was custom order from factory for fifth wheel towing with maximum GVWR of 11,000lbs not 10,000lbs. Many times i went to Home Depot an load up a skid of sakrete concrete (that's 52 bags@30Kg each = 3432lbs) plus my cargo trailer tamdem 7x12 @ 4000lbs. Total 7432lbs plus 8800lbs truck = 16232lbs. Not too shaby for F250 srw 4x4! (and i'm not in low gear)
In that setup, yes i sit low at this point, but it those the job like a charm! Don't see any Chevy around here capable of that in a SRW nor did the guys at Home Depot ever saw that before either. It's all about the right set-up when you order your truck. I would think Canada and Usa have different option when we order, since it's all made in Kentucky plant anyway.
I can go up to 1800lbs payload before it's start to squat 1" OR 1000lbs tongue weight for 1-1/4" squat.
Anyhow, what i'm trying to say is that comparison test or not really honest in video from one manufacturer only. There is too many little details that can influence the outcomes.
I have friends with Chevy and they love their truck, but they don't do what i do with theirs and not because they can't, it's just because they have different set-up to what they wanted like more comfortable ride. Go on the city street with my 3/4 ton empty and you can't wait to go back home, it's like a frikin rolller coaster ride. No comfort at all.
But i love my truck anyway. If I want a nice ride that's when i pulled out the keys of my Infinity FX50S, V8-5.0L. Sorry to any Mustang owner, hope you like the taillight!

 

This was posted last week (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...r-testing.html) and one paragraph in the article tells the whole story:

"We wanted to get away from spec-sheet comparisons and show how these trucks perform in the real world," said Rick Spina, global vehicle line executive for General Motors full-size trucks. "To do so, we engaged an independent company to test the Silverado HD with the [6.6-liter] Duramax [V-8] diesel and Allison transmission head-to-head with the competition, and record those tests for everyone to see."

Meaning that our trucks suck on paper so we had to hire a company to tell us what we wanted to hear. Far from objective. Let's see a comparision where the tester isn't paid by one of the manufacturers and maybe I'll pay more attention.

 

Yeah, Maverick22, that is what i'm talking about. You get it!!

 

if you think thats flex you should see what the bed/frame/cab of my 91 f-250 does when you flex it! it gives you a good 6" of bed flex atleast. but you know what it hauls and plows whatever i need.

flex can be a good thing. if its so rigid, at some point its going to break.

also i worked for a truck outfitter, and let me tell you we put more flat beds,service bodys...ect on ford then any other brand. they are hard working trucks. the chevys are 10x more of a pain in the *** now with the boxed frame for any type of outfitting.