Would like to put an RV hauler bed on a 450.The upfitters I have talked to recomend getting a PU and having bed removed instead of Cab&Chassis.They say because of ratings of motor.Currently over GVWR on 11-350 and would be close with a 450 PU upfitted with hauler bed.Those who have used a Cab& Chassis have you had any issues?

 

In my opinion, your upfitter is giving you poor advice. The engine rating between pickups and Chassis Cab trucks is somewhat misleading. Try not to get hung up on that figure. If what you want is a truck that can work at 100% duty cycle at near max capacity then a chassis cab is a good choice.

Our partner company was faced with this very decision about a month ago and almost chose the pickup since it had more features and available sooner. What they didn't think about is the brakes are larger on the chassis cab and adding an auxiliary fuel tank is more expensive on the pickup models (adding a midship tank to a chassis cab was fairly inexpensive).

The positive side of a pickup 450 is the gear ratio is a little more practical for highway driving. So, if you intend on driving around unloaded the majority of the time then the higher gear may be a determining factor. If you are going to be towing heavy most of the time then get the chassis cab with the lower gears and you'll be happier. At really heavy weights, the mileage penalty for having a lower gear is very minimal.

The big difference between the two models are the brakes. Both trucks are probably capable of what you want to do...but having better brakes sure makes for a leisurely tow. Rotor size isn't the whole story. Larger pistons transmit a lot more force to the pads. Larger pads and larger swept area also have a important effect.

You also get 19.5" wheels with the chassis cab. Ford used to offer Alcoas, not sure if they do that still. Your dealer might be able to help out with that question...

Here are the specs between the two.

 

I agree with Greg.

Just some food for thought. You're concerned about being close to or over GVWR. The 450 pickup versus chassis-cab is an apples to oranges comparison. The GVWR on the 450 pickup is now 14,000. The 450 CC starts at a GVWR of 15,000 and ranges up to 16,500. Or, if you move to the 550, that changes to a range of 17,500 to 19,500.

Also, the 450 pickup has the same axles as the 350 DRW. The F-350 actually has a higher rear axle weight rating than the F-450....9,650 versus 9,100. And both of them have a front axle rating of 5,940.

Now, if you move up to a 450 CC, the front axle rating is 7,000 and the rear axle is 12,000. The 550 gets you a front axle rating of 7,000 and a rear axle rating of just over 14,700.

There's a world of difference between the pickup and the chassis-cab. I wouldn't concern myself a bit over power ratings. Yes, the CC is rated at a lower power rating than the pickups but if you're concerned that you'll be pushing the limits of the GVWR with a 450 pickup, I think you need to be looking at the chassis-cab models, period. That's some serious weight and the CCs are equipped to handle it.

The brakes are a little bigger this year on the pickups so there's not as much of a deficit there. And on the CC, you're going to have the 19.5 wheels and tires like Greg mentioned. Higher load capacity tires, higher capacity axles, and basically higher capacity everything except the power ratings. I've not read any complaints on here from any of the guys who own CC trucks about a lack of power. 300 horsepower and 660 lb/ft or torque should be able to get it done for you.

Here are a couple of links you can check out when you have time:

Ford Super Duty Chassis-Cab specs:2013 Ford Chassis Cab Work Trucks | View All Ford Chassis Cab Specifications | Ford.com

Ford Super Duty Pickup specs:2013 Ford Super Duty | View All Ford Super Duty Specifications | Ford.com

Take a look through those specs and you'll be able to see the difference between the two. The current 450 pickup is nothing like the '08 - '10 F-450 was. It's now essentially a 350 with the Wide-Track front axle and 4.30 gears. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but there isn't the huge gap between the 350 and 450 pickups that there was in years past. The big gap now is between the pickups and chassis-cabs.

 

Oops,
I just read my own post and it came off sounding like the chassis cab was the only way to go.....that was not my intent when I posted my comment. I think the pickup is available in a higher trim level and has more driver comfort features. Plus you may recoup some money on the bed if your outfitter can sell it for you.

I am just trying to point out the differences (besides just looking at the engine power ratings) to help you make the best choice for your use.

 

Good feedback.

 

Greg, I think you're spot-on.

The nice thing about the chassis-cab is that it's available in Lariat trim. It's not available in KR or Platinum but the Lariat is super nice. And that's a good point on selling the take-off bed. Depending upon where you sell it, they can bring some really good money.

My concern is that if what the OP is towing is close to being over GVWR on an F-450, I think he definitely need to be looking toward the CC due to the much higher ratings.

 

I agree. My F-450 is a Lariat and it's plenty nice inside for my taste.
I also think the chassis cab would better suit the OP's application.....some of those hauler beds are really heavy and eat up the available payload that a pickup offers. I have seen some really nice RV hauler beds in aluminum construction but I am not sure they are light enough to make that much of a difference.

 

Thanks for responses.They are what I was thinking.Weight is more of a concern than power I think.Truck is 13400 now and from what I can find out the hauler beds are 1400/2000 and factory bed is about 600.Difference would put truck at or over the 14000 for PU.2/3 use of truck is pulling trailer so fuel use is what it is, not a determining factor.Disadvantage for CC can only get aft tank in Lariat Trim what to do with spare if aux fuel tank is installed on bed.Local dealer selling pickup cheaper than CC

 

Sounds like you definitely need to be looking at the chassis-cab trucks then. As for the fuel tank, the order guide shows that the dual fuel tank option is available on the truck but you can't get it with the SYNC system....not sure how important that is to you. But, another option would be a Transfer-Flow midship tank:

84" CA 50 Gallon Midship Auxiliary Fuel Tank - Transfer Flow, Inc. - Aftermarket Fuel Tank Systems

That combined with the 40 gallon aft tank would give you a pretty good cruising range, towing or not. The only question would be if there would be room for it under the hauler bed and I don't know why there wouldn't be. It would keep the fuel tank under the truck and out of your way but give you plenty of fuel capacity.

I'm one who over estimates purposely. I'd rather have too much truck than not enough and you sound much like me in that respect. Considering the weight of the truck now and the added weight of the hauler bed (not to mention everything else you'll likely have in the truck), I'd be looking at the 550 for the GVWR. It starts at 17,500 GVWR and goes up to 19,500. Still leaves you plenty of wiggle room for pin weight, gear, fuel, etc without worrying about going over.

Just my $.02 worth.

 

I am pretty sure the mid ship tank is available in all trim levels and wheel bases. If I remember correctly, our partner company ordered a Lariat CC truck with the aft and midship tank and the extra cost was $125 or something ridiculous along those lines. There may have been some issue with how the order form handles the tank....meaning when you order the mid-ship it automatically deletes the aft tank (for tow truck type applications). However, there is a way to get both....your dealer will have to help you out to make sure you get what you want. It's only a 28 gallon tank though. As far as I know, the aft tank is still a 40 gal unit but that may have changed over the years. You will have to confirm.

My 2000 F450 has the 40 gallon aft tank as well as a 38 gallon mid-ship (Transfer Flow) tank and my range is pretty good at 30,000 lbs so I presume the 28 gallon midship will be OK for the 6.7 liter engines since many report improved fuel mileage compared to the older models.

 

Well, I absolutely love my CC. I do nothing with my truck other than haul the 5th wheel. The rest of the time it sets in the garage. We do get it out once in a while just to enjoy the interior.

Hillsboro designed the bed around the Super 5th hitch which I had purchased and they new exactly how to design the hitch well and cover. RDS built the aux tank.

We pull our trailer each year Kansas to Northern California. This year will be the ninth year with the same rig. The difference between towing the 5er with this truck versus the 6.0 SRW is not to be believed.

I have a 4.10 LS rearend in this truck, and pull at 60 mph. I simply set the cruise and the truck does the rest effortlessly. I don't know what I would do with any more HP. Comfortable, great mileage, quiet, nice seats and sure enjoy the sirius radio, Great truck.

Good luck with your decision, I'm sure you'll be VERY HAPPY!

Jim

 

I was hoping you'd post in here Jim.

I knew you were really happy with your truck.

 

If I were to haul for business then I'd go CC as well.

 

Another thing worth mentioning is that the chassis cabs have the narrow frame so the hauler body can have deeper bins.

 

Just a few more thoughts on chassis cab(cc) vs pickup. I've had several incidents with weird campgrounds and very uneven pull in approaches that caused some real nail-bitting worries with clearance between pickup bed and the underneath of the 5th wheel. I hope that sentence made sense. I've actually hit (twice) the top of the pickup bed and the bottom of the 5th wheel, but only a touch, not a catastrophe. However, from then on I was always very concerned about the very small bed-rail to bottom of the 5er clearance issue. I had the SuperGlide hitch as high as it would go.

Anyhow, long way to say that with this bed I never have that worry again!!!

My bed manufacturer(Hillsboro) makes lots of beds, and it sure makes bed install easier when it is going to be installed on cc. Of course I live in the middle of farm/cattle country so lots and lots of flat bed trucks on the road around here. It is a simple issue for them to attach cross-tubes to the frame rails and not have to design around the hump on pickup frames.

I have the aft 40 gallon tank and the RDS tank is 60 gallons. I only fuel twice on the 1800 mile trip to California. I use 12 volt shutoff valve/Airtex pump, Wix fuel filter/water separator and Autometer fuel gauge this is hooked to upfitter #3. This all works great!

Also, my DEF tank is between the rails, part of job 2 build, so I can have the huge under bed aluminum boxes. Chassis cabs are used around here for everything, wreckers, tow trucks, hay bale trucks, city use, and more things I can't think of now. Our local Ford dealers know everything about chassis cabs and we have two flatbed manufacturers in the area.

I hope I gave you a few thoughts to help with your decision. They are great trucks even if they don't make the monster HP the pickup guys have. I couldn't use more HP if it was available, the truck is wonderful just the way it is.

Good luck, let me know if I can help you in any way..............

Jim