Long time GM guy about to be a Ford guy!! Been learning all I can from these forums. Thank you to everyone for all the great info.

I am looking for a new truck to pull our new 5th wheel. Trying to decide what is best to handle our Grand Design 374th.

3.55 or 4.10?
F350 or F450?

Was thinking about a F350 4.10 but wanted to make sure.

Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Honestly any F-350 (3.55+) with the power stroke should handle it.

So, is the question really SRW or DRW?

 

I'll go DRW just to be safe.

 

With a hitch weight of 3200 lbs. and a gross weight of 20,000 lbs. you would be ok with the F350 11.5 GVWR payload wise however you would be limited to 20,600 lbs. towing. You may want to consider DRW for towing that. That thing is HEAVY!

 

My toy hauler weighs a little over 18,000 lbs loaded with 3800# payload and I pull it with 2015 F-350 SBCC srw. I know it's over the trucks capacity, but it pulls it with no problem. I ordered a long bed this time, no dually. I don't want the dually on the other days.

 

Robb1471

You can see the 5th wheel we pull. We just upgraded from a 2008 F350 to our current 2017 F450. The F350 would have handled it but it was over on the GCVW.

As an RV'er you are always thinking of upgrading in the future. With that in mind I think you best bet would be the F450 for your towing needs today and in the future.

Good luck.

bigdon68

 

Robb1471

You can see the 5th wheel we pull. We just upgraded from a 2008 F350 to our current 2017 F450. The F350 would have handled it but it was over on the GCVW.

As an RV'er you are always thinking of upgrading in the future. With that in mind I think you best bet would be the F450 for your towing needs today and in the future.

Good luck.

bigdon68

 

I my opinion as one that hauls a very heavy TH, you will be most happy with 350 w/ 4.10.
If you do not haul in the mountains at all then the 3.55 will be better for fuel. You cannot go wrong with any of the Ford duallys..

 

Either rig would easily handle that trailer. But if it were me, I would go F450 if I was going with a dually.
Just wondering, why are you switching brands?

 

I think part of the equation is how much do you tow with it, as in how often do you go camping and then what is the truck doing the rest of the time? For my wife and I, we go once a month on short local camping trips and once a year on a long trips. The rest of the time the truck is my daily driver and for that reason I always buy a SRW. If on the other hand I didn't have to use it as a DD or I towed more then I'd definitely buy a dually, nothing drives better then a dually when you're towing, they are so stable on the road, but they have a higher operation cost and definitely take up more space.

 

Thanks for all the comments. Not super thrilled with a DRW, but afraid I will run out of payload pretty quick with the SRW. Even though the Spec's say 4400lbs payload, I'm not sure the reality will be close to that.

We would be towing on camping trips throughout the year. While the truck won't be a daily driver, it will be my primary vehicle.

Would I lose much with going with an F450 over a F350 as far as drivability and mileage on a daily basis?

As far as going Ford over GM - I am really impressed with what Ford has done with the new trucks. Everything for me just seems to click with the interior and features. Not sure GM will be catching up anytime soon. Was disappointed GM didn't do anything more than just the new motor. Even a small thing like adding the 1500 headlights to the HD trucks didn't happen.

 

The on paper difference between a 350 / 4.10 dually and a 450 is negligible. A 350 / 3.55 dually has way more towing and payload capacity then you'll need.

I'm driving a 17 dually with the 3.55 axle and couldn't be happier. Reasonable fuel economy and tons of power. I do put on quite a bit of road miles unloaded in between towing jobs, so I wanted optimal economy and engine quietness...plus, this truck is my daily driver as well. I have no problem driving a dually everyday even on the narrow New England roads.

 

With a 3200# dry pin, likely 3600#+ on the road, you'll be well over your payload on any SRW (with the possible exception of the Ram )

The 6.7 has 750# less payload than the 6.2. A nice 4x4 crew cab will have a payload rating around 3100 (loaded platinum long) to about 3600# for a low option short bed. Once you add the 125# hitch, several hundred pounds for passengers, etc., you'll likely be way over your GVWR. I suggest weighing your pin (via a sherline scale) as the trailer will be loaded, add your driver, passenger, hitch, and anything else that will be on your truck wheels, them decide.

 

Way to much pin weight for a SRW.

 

I suspect a SRW truck with rear air bags would pull this load and handle it pretty well. But for such a heavy trailer, a dually would serve you better. You'll have 14k GVWR, and over 5,000lbs of payload on a well-equipped Lariat, King Ranch, or Platinum.