I happened up a thread on the Airstream forum, airforum.com about the spec of different trucks in the ford line.

I have a 2003 f-250 SD and was wondering what is difference between this and the f-350.

when i look on the sheet.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas...essd_03abb.pdf

and compare them I see NO difference in GSWR rating on front and rear axles, frame specs are same and so forth.. the only difference was in tires. the 250 is spec for LT235 85 x 16 and the 350 is spec for LT265 75 x 16.

can anyone tell me why a 250 will not pull and load the same as 350 with the larger tires.. ?? my guess is tires are the only reason the GVWR are different.

The crew cab is on page 8-9 for 250 and for the 350 page 24-25 of the PDF.

 

Springs are different as are the blocks under the springs. That and the sticker on the door that says what the GVRW rating is.

Otherwise, same motor, transmission, frame, etc. so it will pull the same. I'd suggest adding air bags to the rear end if you're going to tow a lot.

 

Drive shaft joints can be different too, between the F-250 and F-350, depending on the wheelbase.

 

For the model year you specified....and assuming SRW models....the primary difference is the GVWR listed on the door jamb sticker. The F-250 SRW might have the exact same mechanical components (including springs, blocks etc) as an F-350 SRW but that wasn't very common. Generally speaking, the F-250 SRW and F-350 SRW have the exact same physical capabilities. They are rated differently primarily for the commercial fleet market. The F-350 SRW comes standard with equipment to handle higher payloads....the F-250 must be special optioned to have the same equipment.....even so, it still received a GVWR of 8800 lbs even though it was built the same as the 9900 lb F-350.

In short, the F-250/350/450/550/650/750 models are designed to fit into a certain truck class and may not translate directly to their actual capabilities. The SRW trucks are nearly identical yet we have two different truck classes that meet certain specifications dictated by the client. The differences become more apparent once they receive dual tires on the rear...then things get more complicated. In 1999, Ford created a whole new commercial market segment when they came out with the Super Duty truck line....the rest of the industry has been playing catch-up ever since. Ford literally re-wrote the rules.

For example, we just purchased 6 new F-250 pickup trucks. We specifically wanted the SRW trucks but we did NOT want the F-350 because it's GVWR is higher than 10,000 lbs now (unless we special order it and we didn't want to wait). All trucks over 10,000 GVWR require a medical card to be driven across state lines which is a hassle since most of our pickups are driven by managers and we don't require them to have CDL licenses. It's a silly regulation thing so we chose the F-250 instead. If we NEED a truck to carry more than 9,000 lbs on it's own axles then we would skip the SRW entirely and get a dually then we'd be good. Plus, we don't want our managers hauling heavy loads anyway since that is what we have skilled drivers for.

 

Price .....sorry had to say it....

 

Thanks for that.. I get what you are saying about the different models. My truck a 03 250 crew 2wd is equipped with the LT265 75-16 E tires so I will be less concerned about my gross weight if i top the 8800 lbs by a couple hundred or so lbs..

I am not sure what a SRW model is or what is means..
thanks

 

SRW - single rear wheel
DRW - dual rear wheel

 

Interesting. Mt e99 has the taller blocks like the F350, and the door jamb says LT265/75-16 tires. I always thought the PO changed the blocks (he had a fifth wheel on it), and the wider tires were for the 4x4. I kept the 235's from my previous F250HD, because they were in great shape.

Tom

 

I knew that.. lol

 

That's not hard to do. Granted I have some extra weight with the 4x4 but my truck with a full tank of fuel and empty bed (no driver) tips the scales at 7760lbs BEFORE I put anything in it (including me).

 

When i went over scales at recycle place with me and 1/2 tank fuel and couple thing in back was only 7230. Now i am a 2wd as well. that a good 500 lbs different.

 

My F-250 CC 4x4 with full fuel and my tool box and hitch weighs in at 8000 lbs. In that situation, with the GVWR listed on the jamb, I have about the same payload capacity as a Ranger. Go figure....

Obviously these trucks are capable of MUCH more weight on the rear axles. The actual SRW axles are rated much higher than 6830 lbs but that is the max weight the LT265/75R16E tires can support at 80 psi so that is the limiting factor.

 

on tirerack.com a E rated tire at 80 psi has a 3415 lb rating. so the rear tire are capable of supporting 6830 lbs.. when i went on the scales yesterday the front axle was 4220 lbs so that mean the rear with the fiberglass camper shell weighs 3000 ish lbs so you have effectively 3000 lbs of usage?

I know that sounds wild but i see that as a good way to look at this. Would i put a ton and a half on the truck.. just saying the 250 and the 350 are mostly the same sans tires. this make my decision to get a 250 a better one especially when it has the LT265 75-16 tires already.