I would definitely recommend the F350 dually. You will enjoy towing with it.

 

Another thing to check depending on where you live and your insurance company, they consider the 450 a diff. class of commercial vehicle and your ins. rates can suffer. In Ca. you also get nailed by the state for gvw charges on your tags. I think, your decision, an f-350 would more than suffice. JMHO. Incidentally, if I didn't get a 6.7 I would unequivecly get a 6.0 over the 6.4.

 

For any kind a 5th wheel trailer towing, I would go with the 6.7 Power Stroke and would pass on the 6.2 gasser.

I also would pass on any previous generation diesels due to inherent problems and age/mileage.

 

F250 isn't available in DRW, and in 2004 the 6.0L was the only diesel option.

 

Do you mean 2011+ model year?
The 2004 is a 6.0L.


Edit: had several tabs open and am already behind.

 

Just a piece of fore-warning. Trucks of that era can be an expensive purchase, if they haven't been looked after correctly and have the appropriate modifications. The 6.0l engine has some issues (EGR/head studs) that can mean very expensive repairs.
Check out and ask some questions in the 6.0l forum: 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

This.
When we bought the 450 we called our insurance agent and added it to the policy. A month and a half later, we (wife) noticed that the insurance hasnt been taken out of our checking account. Come to find out, that we were cancelled, they didnt insure commercial vehicles. We ended going with good sams and they would cover both the truck and trailer as a combo for cheaper than ours was originally. I just hope good sams doesnt suck...

Tim

 

Tim, Sam's coverage appears to be pretty goo. Thankfully, I have not had to find out.

 

I dont want to find out either.lol thanks for that info.

 

My advice is you need to first scope out what size 5th wheel you want then decide how much truck you will need. However, I would recommend a diesel and not less than a F350 SRW long bed. Just got back from a 2 week trip and zero issues including up and over 8% grades in 100* heat.

 

Thanks to everyone for all of the good advice. After reading a few more posts about the 2004 diesels I have scratched those off of my list. I am talking to the owner of a 2011 F250 Lariat with the 6.7 L turbo diesel. It has 34K miles and he wants $42K. Seems a little high priced but it does seem to have all of the options--leather, sunroof, power rear window, nav. sys. etc. KBB suggest the price should be about $38-39K. Hope to look at it this coming week.

 

Keep us updated, Ron.

 

I just traded my 2012 f250 lariat, no nav, shortbed, with 13,000 miles for $44,000.
so that price isn't much difference

Sam

 

If you are towing anywhere other than the flat lands you will not be happy with anything other than a diesel. I've been down the gas road and so I know.

 

A few words on stability:

I would think a DRW truck is going to be your best, safest bet (F350). You will have the extra track width/second set of tires in the duals, plus the overload springs on the rear axle stock. Once you get enough load on the rear end to engage the overload springs you have a pretty rock solid towing platform.

When I was driving commercially I drove an F350 DRW (2005MY, 6L, crew cab). I can remember one night coming home from a run. I don't remember where I was, but I remember I didn't know the road. It happened to be raining and I was changing highways - the one I was on went over top the one I was getting on. The interchange was a classic clover pattern. I saw the sign for the exit, passed the 1/2 mile sign, and went a bit, then started slowing down. I had a hard time seeing in the weather conditions and I thought I was playing it safe slowing down. Well, I wasn't going slow enough and the exit hit me FAST. I had a car up over top the bed on the top of the trailer and one on the bottom (wedge style) and had 2 choices: pull the turn or go in the ditch. Long story short, the truck pulled the turn but it wasn't very comfortable. That was a lot of weight and a lot of G's to be sticking the turn.

You may not think you need the DRW, but there could be a time in your travels that it could make a big difference.

That having been said, a SRW F350 will also come stock with overload springs. My truck now has them (2011 F350 SRW) and they work pretty well. I have not towed bed-mounted hitch trailers with it, but have had a couple thousand lbs + in the truck. The truck holds weight fine, but is noticeably more "rolly" in turns and rough roads than I remember the DRW was. The SRW rides a heck of a lot better empty, though.

On the F250 side - modern 250's are too soft in stock form in my opinion. If you go that route you have a few options to fix that - the best would probably be the airbag systems as you can customize the pressure for the load you are carrying to "level" the rig. There are "add-a-leaf" systems out there, as well as converting the spring system to that of an F350.

Another thought is to know your rig. It will be like riding a bike after a while, but take your first trips easy and slow. Hook everything up and take a few short treks around - get on some local country roads, hit some hills, do a little bit of in-town driving so you get the feel for things. If you end up with airbags on the rear axle play with the settings.

What ever you end up with, enjoy it! It sounds like you are in for a lot of fun on the road. I hope I can do that some day too. I'd like to spend some time in the big national parks and get up through the Sequoia National Park to see the Redwoods.