I have a '12 F250 gas. I read the manual and it says max wading depth is "to the level of the bottom of the hub" which is a pretty pathetic 15 inches or so. This is my first truck; I've owned several Land Rovers / Range Rovers (and still do own one old Range Rover) and the Rovers were all rated to ford well over 20" and known to easily ford much more.

Looking under the hood of the F250, it looks like it could do much more...ECU is way up high, along with alternator, battery, and air intake. Are the axles that susceptible to water ingress? I know the rear Sterling axle is a full-floater; how about the Dana 60 in the front? The '92 Range Rover I own has full-floaters front and rear...they do not get water in them, but if they did the bearings can be easily repacked because they are full-float design.

 

If you go deeper you have to re-grease the bearings in the front hubs.
If you go really deep you can flood the differentials with the water going in
the vent tubes. So if you do want to take your truck swimming there are
steps that you have to take like extending the differentials vent tubes and
then doing a cleaning of the front bearings or in the case of the unit bearings
I not sure what you can do.
Also be sure to put some dielectric grease in all the electrical connectors.

Sean

Note : I forgot have a look at the transmission for places that could be a problem too.

 

I would be be very hesitant to go over the recommend depth. I had a bright idea to try that in my old 97 F250. Water got into the transmission connector and caused all sorts of issues with the wiring and I had countless PCM and transmission problems. If your truck is still under warranty kiss it goodbye if you plan on taking it swimming.

 

I don't know about the 2012's but 2004 and 2006 5.4 4x4's (both work truck's, 2004 with 235/85/16 highway tread and 2006 with 265/70/17 all terrain) have both been up to the door handles briefly and over the tires for prolonged periods with no ill effects,( other than removing the seat and floormat to dry them out).Both trucks have over 120,000 miles-hard miles, and still in daily use/abuse .Another 2006 with 245/75/17 was buried over the tires for several hours($500 recovery by 4x4 recovery specialist-f550 4x4 with 37 inch tires-said it was worst recovery he had ever attempted) with no bad side effects (other than fellow employee ribbing).We regularly drive these oversized beasts were jeeps would cringe ,but when you don't have to pay for the tires and you just need to get as far in as you can(I'm a Florida land surveying crew chief) you really get to find out what these trucks are capable of. I personally bought one of the lesser used 2004's for an absurdly low amount and had to replace the trans and still got a good deal-had 78,000 miles with 305's on it.

 

Almost forgot, not saying I'd take a new fully loaded truck where we do, but they are way more capable than most will ever realize-now if I could just convince the boss to get some MT's instead of these highway haulers.

 

One other point I forgot. It does not take much running water from the side
to move a truck.

Sean

 

Thanks for the info. I have driven my Rover in deep water many time, but it already comes stock with raised axle breathers, etc...plus I added a snorkel. It sounds like with my new F250, raising the breathers on the axles and tranny, plus repacking bearings afterward would increase its wading ability. I understand the perils of driving through moving water, and won't be wading my new truck anyway just yet.

 

You can't repack these bearings. The rear axle bearings are in an oil bath which shares gear oil from the differential, and the fronts use sealed unit bearings that can't be disassembled.

I think you bought the wrong truck for what you want to use it for. These things are far too big and heavy to be really great off-road in my opinion.

 

I must admit we don't drive through fast running water, it's mostly cypress swamp with sandy bottom. "Trails" have many deep holes but generally good bottom if you're gentle and don't drive like an idiot. The nasty areas are when you get to the tall grass (think deep mud) areas so we like to stay in tree areas. As far as being to big and heavy, it depends on what you're doing. These trucks are a PITA to negotiate on tight twisty trails, but can be done, and weight wise, yes they're heavy but what are you hauling?. We carry a lot of equipment and supplies in our trucks. Over the years at different companies I've had many different vehicles and a 4wd F250 or350 is my favorite for reliability and capability. Yes ,if you use it, you have to maintain it and in the end I've found these truck's to far outshine the rest(this includes Toyota Tacomas-nice and maneuverable but independent front suspension not suited for real 4wd longevity/dependability, Chevy 1500,2500 same suspension problem plus horrible frame clearance, they did have some strong v8's,however they needed it to drag themselves over what seemed like every bump in the trail-to both GM and Toyota's credit they did ride nicer on pavement when the frontend was in alignment (which wasn't very often).As far as water they were OK but the sand here in SW Fl wreaked havoc on the suspension bushings.

 

Actually don't plan on wheeling my new truck...just wondering about wading depth in the event of flooded areas, etc