Hi,

I am new to the forum and diesel trucks, and looking to buy a 2017 Superduty either 250 or 350, Platinum.
i will will towing a 24’ enclosed bumper pull car trailer.
The trailer and contents are approximately 9000#.

My current truck is a 8.1L big block Suburban gasser.

I tow very infrequently, but when I do, I want to tow safety and properly.
I will keep the truck completely stock.

Since towing is very infrequently, ride quality as a daily driver is also very important.

So, can you advise whether a 250 or 350 is the best choice for my situation?

Thank you very much for your expertise and help.

 

I'm shopping now too, about to put in an order once I get to see Dark Marsala in person.

Have you gotten to drive them back to back?

-bill

 

Bill,
I have not found any Platinum's locally, but I did drive an F-250 King Ranch.
I test drove the Ford the same day I test drove a GMC Denali 2500HD.
The KR, in my opinion, was superior to the GMC in all respects (ride, technology, etc), not the seats though.

Anyway, that's why why posted the 250 vs 350 question because I haven't driven a 350 yet.
Don't know if the 350 is a better choice pulling the 9000# loaded trailer. Maybe so, but not if the ride is much worse.
Any thoughts on that?

So, I guessing you are ordering a 2018 because you don't like the Brunello?
Where are you located?

 

The 350 will "pull" that trailer exactly the same. What you get in upgrades is mainly focused in the rear suspension (axle and rear leaf springs), everything else is identical. I pull the same size trailer as you have with my 250 Lariat and it is fine. The rear does squat a fair amount with around 12-1300 on the tongue (cabinets in the nose full of junk) but not terribly. I do use an Equal-i-zer weigh distributing hitch which helps level the front out a little when connected. Other than that, up to whatever you can find. The 350 will be only slightly more expensive but I've heard some say insurance, and even tag registration, is a good bit more due to the weight rating. Maybe worth checking with your carrier before making a decision. If everything else is the same, buy the 350, it rides nearly the same and has the extra capacity should you ever need it, legally.

 

That's very good information...........thank you.

When I towed with my 8.1L 2500 Suburban, I don't think the rear squatted at all.
I think my tongue weight was roughly the same as yours.
I use a Blu Ox weight distribution/ sway hitch.
That's why I was wondering about 250 vs 350. Sounds like the 350 may not squat as much.

So if the 350 ride is comparable, your recommendation is a good one.
The problem is there are no 2017 350 Platinum's locally to me, equipped the way I want.

I'll check regarding the cost of registration fees and insurance costs.

Thank you very much.........

 

Very minimal price difference between F250 & F350 with same options. Just go with the 1-ton for the additional payload capacity. I wish I had listened when I was told the same when I bought my my GMC 2500HD Denali in 2014... but then again had I of listened, I wouldn't be the owner of a 2017 F350 Platinum. :-)

 

How do you like the ride of the 350 Platinum vs. the 250?

 

I went with the F250 due to ride quality. With the F350 comes a stiffer rear end, and stiffer suspension in general. I also believe that the ride height is a little taller in the rear of the F350. I drive it on the highway, and tow occasionally. I bought it for nearly the same reasons, to tow more safely, and have the power when I need it. I am happy with the F250!!!!

 

Test driving the Fords… I couldn’t tell much of a difference in the 2017 F250 & F350, and hard to qualify the differences between my 2015 GMC 2500HD Denali CCSB and the 2017 F350 Platinum CCSB. The GMC had 18” tires, Z-71 and an IFS. The Ford F350 Platinum has 20” tires, FX4 and a solid front axle. I was prepared to find the F350 a much stiffer ride… but in reality that isn’t the case. On my morning commute, there is a set of tracks that crosses the main road and the 2500HD would buck if I went over at anything more than 20MPH (in a 45MPH zone). The F350 just rolls over it at any speed. Same result with an area of Freeway where there is a height difference in pavement as it goes over a river. Maybe it is the larger tires, or the super comfy seat in the F350, but not missing my GMC at the moment (it was my 4th GM truck, 2nd with a Duramax & no issues with any of them).

 

I'm in Bozeman, MT. So, I'm in a truck market, but our Ford dealer doesn't really hold a ton of inventory outside work truck spec. Not a problem for me this time of the year because they and the GMC dealer did have enough inventory that I could get into a 2500/3500 and then 250/350 all back to back. First, I was amazed at the difference in trim levels and tech. To be perfectly honest, the Denali, all loaded up, can't be fairly compared to anything above a Lariat. The quality of the KR and Plat interiors is unparalleled in any truck as far as I have seen. It was for exactly the same reasons you list that I pretty much immediately decided that if I could afford a KR or Plat I pretty much wasn't going to be considering the GM products. Funny you say that you liked the GM seats better, but I have a feeling you may not have tried the multi-contour seats yet? They're really very nice.

So it was left to the Fords. After my drive I could definitely tell the difference between the 250/350 ride quality, but I didn't really think it was that drastic. --That said, I have been driving European tuner cars for about a decade. Right now I'm in a '01 Audi S4 Wagon tuned to ~400whp...not a great daily here in MT, and I get the same mileage as I would in a SD, lol. Anyway, that coupled with the fact that I now work with a developer and can actually use some towing capacity and end up on dirt roads at least 4 days a week.... here we are.-- Anyway, back to the trucks. After I drove them, I made the move of talking to my wife about the purchase. She wasn't that interested, but I basically insisted that she go solo to the dealership and drive the two back to back with the sales guy. It was REALLY nice to have a second opinion. She was much happier with the ride in the 250, which I took to heart. I did one more test drive of the 350 and hit a dirt road just for reference. Once that was done with we borrowed a CCSB 250 KR for the night and made sure it fit in the garage check out livability stuff, etc. That night I went and hit the same dirt road and that settled it for SURE. Unladen on a dirt road in the 350 was just plain uncomfortable, but in the 250 it was totally reasonable. But again, I see conflicting opinions below, so it's probably a personal thing.

Back to your situation. Based on my experiences shopping, I'll say the following might help you sort some stuff out.
1. Did the KR you drove have the ultimate package? That changes the seats from the more basic (but still nice) Lariat style seats with a single lumbar to the 'Multi Contour' seats. They're pretty sweet, have 3 lumbar bladders at different heights and do some massage thing that's aimed at helping increase circulation on long days. These seats are standard on the Platinum, but part of the KR Ultimate package. truly, if you're stepping into this price point, I'd go for them. Spec'd identically, there's really only a few hundred dollars difference between a KR and Platinum.
2. Don't order a Platinum until you get to check one out in person. The most striking difference is this: The KR feels like a western themed truck. It's a little kitschy, but it's funky cool, ESPECIALLY with the new KR interior. The Platinum feels like a European luxury car. The leathers are so different that it really affects the touch and feel of everything. Personally, we already own a European luxury car, and I don't need my truck interior to feel like that. I also suspect that the KR leather might wear better, or at least when it DOES wear it'll look more appropriate in the long haul than the Platinum interior. Finally, there's the issue of how much paint v. chrome you want on your front end. I've been told by many that the chrome bumpers are much easier to keep clean, and in my experience vast stretches of mostly vertical painted front end are tough to keep clean, keep the paint prepped, etc. So I'm not sure your opinion on that, but it might ought to be considered that some of the stuff that they do on the Platinum (depending on what you plan on doing with it) to make it more lux, also has the affect of making it more high-maintenance to keep clean, etc.
3. If you're shopping now and ordering might be in your future, get yourself a copy of the build packet from Ford. It lists the major changes and updates clearly. You can't build a 18 SD on ford.com yet, so all those online builds are slightly out of whack with what you can actually order.
4. If you can, drive similar trucks on 18s and 20s. This is the true reason I think I'll end up with a KR instead of Plat. I found that the ride quality of a 250 on 18s was the best. Nothing helps soften a suspension like some sidewall. That is... unless you have a one ton running 80psi rears and 60 upfront.

As far as my order, I just got stuck in the time period before you could see many 18s on the lot, but after you could buy a 17 on order. So since I'm not in a hurry, I'm going to wait it out and see. This kind of purchase for me is usually one that'll stick around fo a long time, so I don't see any reason to take a chance that I don't like my interior.

Originally, I got myself all riled up to buy the best spec'd SRW possible, but then I realized the ride was compromised for a DD and that if I want to tow more than a 1 car racing trailer, I'm getting a dually. For me, in order to be a daily and a tow rig, I have to prioritize my daily comfort over the ability to tow that higher threshold that the 350 SRW can do. One of the few people I consulted who isn't cultish about his trucks told me something very valuable when I talked it out with him. He said this : The only reason to buy a 350 SRW is if you are going to live towing at the top of the 250s capacity, but can't run a dually for whatever reason. His thought process is that 5th wheel/gooseneck heavy work is best left to a dually, and the difference between bumper pulling with a 250 v. 350 is pretty negligible. Ultimately, if work ends up involving heavy towing, we'll buy a work truck dually that can do that work. But for my daily, there's no reason to pretend I'm going to be using it as anything other than transportation most days. I mean, really, who wants to spend 70k on an uncomfortable daily driver?


Hope some of this is helpful.
-bill

 

Many opinions out there for sure. I have the 350 Platinum. Love the truck. Ride between the 250 and 350 was minimal at best for me. If I would have been blindfolded I do not think I could have differentiated between the two. But, that is me. I really like the Platinum trim. I have never been a huge fan of the KR. My belief is the KR leather looks worse for wear than the Platinum after time.
What is great is that there are so many options available and one can pretty much tailor a truck to his\her personal preference.


Sam

 

The funny thing for me when it came to the decision to get rid of my 8.1L Chevy gasser, and looking to step up to diesel is that I was never considering a Ford.
I went to a large local dealership that sells most car/ truck brands looking to test drive the Denali 2500HD. But a good 'Ford' friend of mine suggested test driving the Ford............I don't think I even ever sat in a Ford before. Personally I thought the GMC would blow the KR F250 away in every department. In my opinion, I was very wrong, as Ford are much nicer and better, now I know why. Now I'm only considering the Ford Platinum 250 or 350 Ford. I'm glad I remained open minded.

Regarding the seats of the the KR I drove......it was the ultimate package with the better seats. It wasn't that the GMC was more comfortable, it was that the GMC seat leather seemed tighter on the seat cushion, while the KR seemed a little loose. So having previous GM's with high mileage my seat leather always seemed tight, while I am concerned that the Ford leather may look more stretched out as the vehicle ages.

The reason I am now choosing the Platinum over the KR is really visual......I really don't like 2 tone exterior and I really don't like the large KR logos on the seats and consoles. I think I would get tired of both. I thought the leather color was good though. Since I keep my trucks for a long time, I'm thinking that overall the Platinum will age better and look better over time..............all just my opinion.

So the only question that I had was the 250 vs 350 question in my original post.

There is a dealer about 45 minutes from me with MANY 350's and some 250's diesels in stock, so I'm going to try to go Saturday and test drive..........and I'll report back here.

Now the new question becomes, do I wait for the 18's and order what I want. Since I want a white Platinum and don't like black interiors, my only choice in the17's is the Brunello. I think this color its OK, but as mentioned the 18's have the new dark Marsala (not available in person in a F150 as far as I know)............maybe it is nicer than Brunello, maybe not.

Also I don't believe with the 18's you get any discounts so I'd likely be paying $8- $10k more............
So I have to weigh that now.

Thanks for all the comments...........all who responded, and more comments are welcomed and appreciated to help me decide.

 

I hear what you're saying about the KR leather on the seats. I noticed exactly what you're talking about and for what it's worth, haven't seen that bunchy loose thing going on in any of the Platinums that I've seen.

The Ford super duty comparison matrix was one of the most helpful things I found along the research I did so I figured I'd link it on the off-chance that you hadn't seen it yet. As far as I'm aware, the 17 & 18 capacities stay the same for bumper and gooseneck towing, so it should be safe to use regardless of your decision to purchase off the lot or order.

2017 SuperDutyCommercial Fleet Specifications | fleet.ford.com

Have fun on your test drives, that should make for a good day. Oh, if they have anything in stock in magma red, have a look. It's pretty wild and nothing like any picture I've seen of it.

-bill

 

Ok, yesterday I test drove two 2017 Platinum diesel crew cabs, both white exterior with black interior.
1 was a 250 crew cab with short bed, the other was a 350 crew cab long bed.

The options for both were the ultimate package, 3.55 locking axle, FX4, supplemental rapid heat, engine block heater, snow plow package, rear inflatable seat belts, roof clearance lights, and uplifter switches.
The 350 also had the 5th wheel prep package (I don’t need this but it was ordered this way.....maybe better for Resale?), and of course the much larger fuel tank.

They both rode very nice, very powerful, and quiet.
I drove the 250 short bed first and thought it rode great......no complaints at all.
Then I drove the the 350 long bed. It also rode very nice, very powerful and quiet. I thought the 250 rode only slightly better, but my son, friend and the salesman both said the 250 and 350 ride quality was the same. Maybe it was in my head since I knew it was the 350. The salesman said the long wheel base makes the 350 ride comparable to the 250.

When I look at the 350 long bed from the side, it is a LONG truck. My son and friend thinks the long bed looks way better and more proportional compared to the short bed. I’m OK with either one. Then I say to myself it is only 16” longer in both wheelbase and overall length. But I’m afraid maybe it is too big.

So I think I’m leaning towards the 350 long bed.........what does everyone think based on my test drive experience?
i would appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Finally, I went there wanting the Brunello interior, as I generally don’t like black interiors. ALL of this dealers trucks, and he has a very large inventory of 250’s and 350’s, are all black. His answer is that black sells and Brunello is not a good seller.
He only orders Brunello if someone wants it. If I really wanted that , he would find one and bring it in. To tell you the truth, in person the black looked nice.


So that it.......I would appreciate your thoughts on all of this.

Thanks

 

I have a 250 Lariat so I can't speak on the 350. I tow the same trailer you are going to be towing. A 24' enclosed with a jeep wrangler and a couple of 4 wheelers, weighing in around 9k-10k lbs. My truck is an FX4 with 20's. I use a 6 inch drop without a weight distribution hitch. The truck sits dead level and the trailer is really only noticeable when going over bumps and things when it might lunge occasionally. I rarely tow and use it more as a commuter, I aired the tires down to around 55 to help with the ride and for the most part rides pretty smooth. However, I do avoid washboard type terrain.