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After only a few days short of 6 months, my F 450 now sits in my barn, This is my first F 450 after a string of 5 F 350s racking up a total of over 150k miles on this. There were 2 dually's in the mix, 3 King Ranch and 2 Lariat Ultimate’s. I loved them one and all. These are my company trucks as my company has grown my needs have changed and I now need an F 450.
First impressions after 65 miles: WOW this is THE King of the road, a world apart from my F 350's.
Seats: Better than the seats in my '15 KR that were the best seats ever. The new seats are softer, more comfortable and more form-fitting. Even the wife noticed immediately after she got in for the short trip out to the barn.
Handling: F 450 steering takes it to another level and why it's not on at least F 350's I have no idea. Turns on a dime.
Ride: If you have ever ridden in a buckboard its is about like that...but not to blame the truck, blame me. I ordered this truck with the "Camper" package and the "Snowplow" package. This is a purpose-built truck, bought to carry my truck camper, a Host Mammoth which was built for me and tips the scales at 4357 lbs as-built (base wt is about 39XX lbs). Loadout will take it to about 5000 lbs. I also pull a trailer for business which is under 7000 lbs. Travel weight in the cab will add another almost 500 lbs. I suspect the buckboard ride will smooth out. The F/R anti-sway bars are probably sourced from Hellwig Mfg as I have run the Big Wig's F/R on m '15 F 350 Dually with my Arctic Fox 1150 Truck Camper which added nearly 5500 lbs. The ride is as flat as my first girlfriend without her Wonderbra and drives like a rocket ship on rails around the curves and bends. NOTE: I have driven a '20 F 450, King Ranch, without the Snowplow or Camper package and it is a totally different ride. More like a smooth Caddy Escalade ride, most would love it I certainly did but as stated this is a purpose-built truck and I accept the unloaded ride. I will mitigate by lowering the psi in the tires by 10 lbs for local use.
Braking: The brakes are monsters and stop NOW. They are huge and meant for serious stopping power. If you are running heavy but it payload or pull you would benefit from these brakes. Just recently I had to do an emergency stop in my F 350 SRW. I was pulling my 5th wheel at around 12k lbs and inventory loaded in my truck and 5th wheel when added about 2500-3000 lbs. The F 350 stops good, but in that emergency stop, it was a long time stopping. As you head towards 15k the F 350 shows a bit of weakness. If you are running heavy and often the F 450 should be a consideration.
Radio: Somehow the radio sounds a bit better and even slightly louder...as tested listening to Golden Ear Ring Radar Love!
Fit and Finish: I was unable to find any flaws that would have me going back to the dealer for a warranty call. The body panels are properly aligned, the bed sits straight. I removed my Ranch Hand F/R bumpers and transferred them to my F 450. The installer came out to go over my adds and mods with me and mentioned the Ranch Hand bumpers "fitted better than on my F 350" he said, "your truck was made for Ranch Hand".
Mods: I had the following done prior to my delivery by my dealer.
Ford Backup Alarm on the truck REROUTED thru Upfitter switch # 1
Ford Fast Idle kit routed thru Upfitter switch # 2
Radar detector routed thru Upfitter switch # 3
Dashcam routed thru Upfitter switch # 4
Torklift Truck Camper Tie Downs removed from my F350 and installed on the F 450
Ranch Hand front/rear removed from F350 installed on the F450
10 Speed Transmission: This is a brilliant work of a team of engineers. Ten-speed, 6 speed, 3 speed, you will never know it is transparent to the driver. It shifts that smooth, that fast, if you do not look at the dash you will not know what gear you are in. I have not nailed the go pedal to the firewall but a positive push on the go pedal will take you on a ride to numbers that are beyond the "speed limited' which if it is then it did not appear.
Break-in procedure: As an old engine builder and racer from the '60s what we did then still applies today. I take the engine up and down thru the rpm band regularly by varying my speeds and acceleration patterns. Easy break-in by slow speeds and keeping the RPMs low does not provide a good break-in procedure. Ford calls for 1000 mi before you go heavy on the payload or tow and if you want to shorten that time a bit then exercise the engine by dancing thru the RPM band with a light foot...
Take Away: If I only knew then what I know now my first truck would have been an F 450 and skip at the other F 350's I bought in search of a better fit for my company and personal needs. But that is just me. The F 350 IMO is the best. bang for your dollar in the truck world and the reason why is that it is an F 450 Lite, The magic GVWR number of 14,000k can be found on a properly equipped F 350, that said there are a lot of things you don't get that I consider important enough to step up to the F 450 brakes and steering alone are worth the few dollars it takes to make the jump. The 14k GVWR line is nothing but an artificial line drawn by states, Feds, insurance companies, etc that may require commercial insurance, CDL, etc. I thank Ford for beating the system by holding the F 450 to the 14k number, I assure you the F 350 and F 450 are NOT one and the same! Ole saying: Don't step over dollars to save nickels and dimes.
My Dealer: McLane Ford of Fredericksburg, Texas https://www.mclaneford.com/. The owner Kenny McCarty is a retired Rancher who sold his ranch and bought a Ford dealership. They have 2 salespeople and a showroom they can squeeze 2 cars in. Its friendly, easy-going, you have access to Kenny by just walking in his office, but he will usually talk to you first. Just a jeans 'n boots place. They stick by their word and a handshake makes a deal, paperwork to follow. How good is their word? When I had a PCO for $2500 and it was confirmed with Ford that I would get it when the truck came in...well Ford backed out and said no! McLane Ford owned up to our deal and gave me a $2500 credit anyhow! YES, they just ate it. Closing the deal, maybe 5, 10 min max, no one trying to sell me "Lifetime Window Tint for $300 bucks (like another Ford dealer I know)! Matt Self matts@mclaneford.com was my sales guy, second time I bought from him. Great guy and works hard for you. No hassle, easy buy and handshake means a lot! If you are not buying your truck there you are paying too much!!!
Awesome! Love the two tone combo! Im sort of in the same boat. A F350 would be doable, but for not much more money, the benefits of the F450 are WELL worth it. Congrats!
Nice truck! You are making me second guess adding the heavy front suspension on my order... It looks to me that the reason you were not able to lock in the PCO, is because it was ordered as a stock truck for the dealership. Those incentives have to be attached to a specific customer order (type 1). At any rate, it all worked out!
After only a few days short of 6 months, my F 450 now sits in my barn, This is my first F 450 after a string of 5 F 350s racking up a total of over 150k miles on this. There were 2 dually's in the mix, 3 King Ranch and 2 Lariat Ultimate’s. I loved them one and all. These are my company trucks as my company has grown my needs have changed and I now need an F 450.
First impressions after 65 miles: WOW this is THE King of the road, a world apart from my F 350's.
Seats: Better than the seats in my '15 KR that were the best seats ever. The new seats are softer, more comfortable and more form-fitting. Even the wife noticed immediately after she got in for the short trip out to the barn.
Handling: F 450 steering takes it to another level and why it's not on at least F 350's I have no idea. Turns on a dime.
Ride: If you have ever ridden in a buckboard its is about like that...but not to blame the truck, blame me. I ordered this truck with the "Camper" package and the "Snowplow" package. This is a purpose-built truck, bought to carry my truck camper, a Host Mammoth which was built for me and tips the scales at 4357 lbs as-built (base wt is about 39XX lbs). Loadout will take it to about 5000 lbs. I also pull a trailer for business which is under 7000 lbs. Travel weight in the cab will add another almost 500 lbs. I suspect the buckboard ride will smooth out. The F/R anti-sway bars are probably sourced from Hellwig Mfg as I have run the Big Wig's F/R on m '15 F 350 Dually with my Arctic Fox 1150 Truck Camper which added nearly 5500 lbs. The ride is as flat as my first girlfriend without her Wonderbra and drives like a rocket ship on rails around the curves and bends. NOTE: I have driven a '20 F 450, King Ranch, without the Snowplow or Camper package and it is a totally different ride. More like a smooth Caddy Escalade ride, most would love it I certainly did but as stated this is a purpose-built truck and I accept the unloaded ride. I will mitigate by lowering the psi in the tires by 10 lbs for local use.
Braking: The brakes are monsters and stop NOW. They are huge and meant for serious stopping power. If you are running heavy but it payload or pull you would benefit from these brakes. Just recently I had to do an emergency stop in my F 350 SRW. I was pulling my 5th wheel at around 12k lbs and inventory loaded in my truck and 5th wheel when added about 2500-3000 lbs. The F 350 stops good, but in that emergency stop, it was a long time stopping. As you head towards 15k the F 350 shows a bit of weakness. If you are running heavy and often the F 450 should be a consideration.
Radio: Somehow the radio sounds a bit better and even slightly louder...as tested listening to Golden Ear Ring Radar Love!
Fit and Finish: I was unable to find any flaws that would have me going back to the dealer for a warranty call. The body panels are properly aligned, the bed sits straight. I removed my Ranch Hand F/R bumpers and transferred them to my F 450. The installer came out to go over my adds and mods with me and mentioned the Ranch Hand bumpers "fitted better than on my F 350" he said, "your truck was made for Ranch Hand".
Mods: I had the following done prior to my delivery by my dealer.
Ford Backup Alarm on the truck REROUTED thru Upfitter switch # 1
Ford Fast Idle kit routed thru Upfitter switch # 2
Radar detector routed thru Upfitter switch # 3
Dashcam routed thru Upfitter switch # 4
Torklift Truck Camper Tie Downs removed from my F350 and installed on the F 450
Ranch Hand front/rear removed from F350 installed on the F450
10 Speed Transmission: This is a brilliant work of a team of engineers. Ten-speed, 6 speed, 3 speed, you will never know it is transparent to the driver. It shifts that smooth, that fast, if you do not look at the dash you will not know what gear you are in. I have not nailed the go pedal to the firewall but a positive push on the go pedal will take you on a ride to numbers that are beyond the "speed limited' which if it is then it did not appear.
Break-in procedure: As an old engine builder and racer from the '60s what we did then still applies today. I take the engine up and down thru the rpm band regularly by varying my speeds and acceleration patterns. Easy break-in by slow speeds and keeping the RPMs low does not provide a good break-in procedure. Ford calls for 1000 mi before you go heavy on the payload or tow and if you want to shorten that time a bit then exercise the engine by dancing thru the RPM band with a light foot...
Take Away: If I only knew then what I know now my first truck would have been an F 450 and skip at the other F 350's I bought in search of a better fit for my company and personal needs. But that is just me. The F 350 IMO is the best. bang for your dollar in the truck world and the reason why is that it is an F 450 Lite, The magic GVWR number of 14,000k can be found on a properly equipped F 350, that said there are a lot of things you don't get that I consider important enough to step up to the F 450 brakes and steering alone are worth the few dollars it takes to make the jump. The 14k GVWR line is nothing but an artificial line drawn by states, Feds, insurance companies, etc that may require commercial insurance, CDL, etc. I thank Ford for beating the system by holding the F 450 to the 14k number, I assure you the F 350 and F 450 are NOT one and the same! Ole saying: Don't step over dollars to save nickels and dimes.
My Dealer: McLane Ford of Fredericksburg, Texas https://www.mclaneford.com/. The owner Kenny McCarty is a retired Rancher who sold his ranch and bought a Ford dealership. They have 2 salespeople and a showroom they can squeeze 2 cars in. Its friendly, easy-going, you have access to Kenny by just walking in his office, but he will usually talk to you first. Just a jeans 'n boots place. They stick by their word and a handshake makes a deal, paperwork to follow. How good is their word? When I had a PCO for $2500 and it was confirmed with Ford that I would get it when the truck came in...well Ford backed out and said no! McLane Ford owned up to our deal and gave me a $2500 credit anyhow! YES, they just ate it. Closing the deal, maybe 5, 10 min max, no one trying to sell me "Lifetime Window Tint for $300 bucks (like another Ford dealer I know)! Matt Self matts@mclaneford.com was my sales guy, second time I bought from him. Great guy and works hard for you. No hassle, easy buy and handshake means a lot! If you are not buying your truck there you are paying too much!!!
Well it’s about time. Lol 😂
I know you’ve been waiting for quite awhile so congrats on the new SD.
02-07-2020, 10:40 AM
No adaptive cruise issues with that bumper? Looks like the sensor is plenty clear of it.
