I'm going to turn my ordered 2022 F-450 into an SRW. Is there anyone here on the forum that's done this? I have the gist of the build figured, but the details are all subject to change.

I can't do much of anything until the truck gets here. I'm planning on 365/80r20 tires (43/14.5r20) and about 6" of lift/suspension. 6" is not set in stone, It'll mostly be about maximizing wheel travel, without having to hack into too awful much. If the truck shows up this fall/winter I'll probably put some 295/65r20's (that I already own) on the reversible super singles and run those this winter. Then hopefully I can get the suspension built next summer. The rear will be a big progressive leaf spring pack from Atlas or Deaver, and a set of long travel airbags. Having those 295's on wheels will be a big help while trying to figure out the long arms and the fender modification situation. I've seen the few guys that are doing these builds leave the rear dually fenders and then add either wider bushwhacker style fender flares, or a set of 6" baja style fiberglass front fenders from MCNEIL RACING INC.

I want to do the fronts and the rears. Not sure how the body shop will make these fit a long bed, but I'm sure if I'm paying, they'll get it done for me

I wanted a plain white truck and massage seats, this combo forced me into a King Ranch with the chrome package. I did not really want chrome, and I might yet change it. But maybe it'll get the chance to stick around. Really depends on the wheel choices. I've never seen a chrome set of bead locks, but maybe it's a thing? I need to make some calls and see what the different wheel manufacturers that make these super singles suggest. I really don't want to be constantly shining up polished aluminum. I've seen some mention of different clear coats including a powder clear? Any insight there?

Back to the suspension, I'd really like to go kinda nuts and get some 3.0 or bigger shocks, but we'll see what the budget looks like when the time comes to make an order. It may make more sense to just go with some 2.5's or multiple 2.0's at each corner.

Here's some inspiration




^^^ I think these trucks are both on 335/80r20's (41/12.5r20)

Other mods will include a 110 gallon severe series transfer tank from ATI, and a Retrax Powertrax Pro XR. Eventually some additional lights, a headache rack, custom bumpers, and a winch or 2.

 

There has been talk before https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...es-wheels.html

 

Thanks for the link. Not a very hot topic around here I see. Well come hell or high water mine will become an SRW pickup. Seems like there would be a few guys here who had done this already, but I guess the people doing these sorts of things are all those Instagram types. No time for the old dinosaur forums.

Anyhow, give me a year and it'll be well on it's way. Assuming the 22's start shipping in a reasonable time frame.

 

I initially thought about going this route with my '22 F450 but have since decided against it. Most people who do these conversions don't seem to keep the trucks long. If you read in between the lines of what they say (Facebook comments), the driveability of these trucks doesn't seem so good long term. A couple of them even said that if they were to do it again.... they wouldn't. It's rare and unexpected to get that honesty from them when they have what appear to be really awesome trucks.

There's also the learning curve of tire pressures. Some have noted catastrophic tire failures on the highway. This has been rather inconvenient as most don't carry a spare. Those who do, lose a considerable amount of real estate storing that thing. So what do you plan to do with this truck?

The general consensus seems that the Michelin tires are much better than the Continentals. Stazworks wheels are way better than anything out there, and everyone who's dealt with DBL would never, ever do it again. A few choice expletives are also said in that same sentence. I've had a lot of billet wheels chromed over the years. They look awesome for a while...then look like hell after that when the chrome pits and flakes. These were done by reputable companies, but in the long run, chrome wheels need nearly as much work to keep them looking good. A chromed multi-piece wheel will be a nightmare long term. Stick with polished. Stazworks can build your wheels and leave them raw, or you can have the polished. Unfortunately, the wheels nuts and bolts do look rather raw (though he's confident in the coating), and your stock lugs would still likely be exposed. This might also not look good long term against a nicely polished wheel. I'm still considering the Stazworks 20x9 dually wheel setup.

Serviceability of tires when you're on a road trip, not to mention availability, could also be a challenge. Think about how you'll use this truck.

Since you know about the Macneil fenders, then you probably know the considerable amount of work required to make them fit right and look good. The fenders are cheap, but if you're not doing the fitment work, the labor is not. Nonetheless, I've seen no other fenders that look half as good - the rest all look like dog meat.

Don't waste your time with 2.0 shocks. Not even if you're running 48 of them. 2.5s are minimum. Dual shocks front and rear may work for you, or even a King coilover setup in the front plus a 2.5. I've noted a lot of hack suspension companies, so be careful, or your headaches will multiply.

Going with 43s you might not like the 4.30 gears. Your options are limited. If you're tempted to go with DBL, due your due diligence (they actually have those gears made by a reputable company).

Finally​​​, what do you plan to do with this truck? I keep coming back to that point, because I have mostly concluded that going this route would cause too many challenges for my use to not make it worth it.

 

Lots of good points. What do I plan to do with this truck? Anything and everything. Haul a big fifth wheel (towed a lifted fifth wheel before and it worked amazingly for me). Use the truck to haul for our business. Occasionally use it for recovery offroad. Road trips. Push it in the desert when I'm feeling froggy.

I'm going to build and or spec everything myself. I have no problem with trial and error. It can be frustrating, but it's the nature of the beast. It's always better to get things right on the first shot or soon thereafter, but it is what it is. I have talked to DBL and I have thought of using their gears and possibly their tire recalibration device (whatever they use). I'm also hoping I might be able to utilize HPTuners to work on shift points and whatever else I might be able to do with their tool.

I had basically already told myself FOX 2.5'S will be my bottom tier shock, but I'm not going to rule out the possibility of having to use 8 - 2.0's for a while If I need to. I'd rather not of course.

I've run 3.73's in my 2005 Dodge Ram Cummins with my 6 speed manual on 35's and 37's forever. Many people have told me it wouldn't, shouldn't, and doesn't work well. It's been awesome in pretty much every way. My experience leads me to try it again. My only hope is that if I end up abusing my 10 speed transmission someone will be building quality upgraded units by such time.

I've resigned myself to the fact that the fiberglass fenders are going to cost me a fair amount. Again, it is what it is.

Staz works has been on my radar for some time. I always wanted to get some nice 8 lug wheels from them. It pleases me greatly that they are proficient in the 10 lug realm. I figured chrome would be out, which means I'll most likely ditch all the chrome and go with either black wheels and body color everything else, or go with the full on storm trooper look if I can stomach it.

I can't speak for those people you mentioned who would not choose to do this again, but I suspect they are quite a bit different than me. Not that I'm special, but I'm used to building my own stuff and making it work. Building custom 4wd's is pretty much a career change for me. My wife gave me the go ahead a while back and it's been a slow start to the process, but it's coming along.

I bought my 2005 Dodge Ram in late 2004. I fully intended to keep it another 15 years after a megacab longbed conversion. But I broke my transmission last year during a project and went tire kicking. Thought my 2020 F350 was going to be just enough truck to last me a good chunk of time, but I got caught up in the "surprise, your truck doesn't weigh what we said it did, therefore you can't haul what the door sticker says you can" situation. After hitting the scales I realized there was no way I wouldn't be over on my rear axle no matter what I did if I wanted a big fiver. So down this SRW F-450 rabbit hole I've gone.

 

The 2nd picture you posted (Tiney Home Hauler) he is very helpful if you message him on instagram. He also has all of his mods on his website.
I went down this rabbit hole a few months ago in anticipation of my '22 F450 Platinum. I just love the look of the super singles.
I bought a 2018 Ram 2500 Mega Cab 6.7 a few years back and sent it to AEV to turn it into a Prospector XL. Loved that truck and the way it felt "OEM", AEV does a really goo job.



That being said I haven't found that kind of company for an F450 super single conversion yet, and unlike you I do NOT have the mechanical ability or time to spend on a build this big. I also love how duallys drive and don't think i would be happy with a 42" military mud tire.
Closest thing I have found that would suite my needs is a BuckStop Truckware. They built a truck with 38" Nitto Ridge Grapplers a few months back that didn't require gears, or a massive lift. I thought this was a good compromise that gave me most of what I am looking for.
You can find more pictures on BuckStopTruckware Instagram. Or LiquidSpring Instagram.

 

I know that story. My upcoming 450 is to replace my 2006 Ram/Cummins, also on 3.73s. I've been running 34" tires. And despite a lot of major upgrades, including stacked boxes, upgraded CP3 and Industrial Injection Phat Shaft turbo for towing and a fully built Goerend transmission, the truck just doesn't do it when loaded. Of course, loaded means 15k trailer and the truck weighing 9800#, before even connecting the trailer. Yes. Overloaded. The day it was all weighed is when I finally concluded I needed a bigger boat...or, uh, truck. While the setup is fine on flat highway, Southern California hills aren't kind to it. Oddly, I've been truck shopping since 2016, but I was always looking at what was coming down the pipeline in the next whatever period of time. I still want to wait for the full 2023 refresh, but I'm sure something else would again be on the radar.

I hope that when you get it built, it meets your long-term expectations.

 

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/...super-singles/

I would think the spare mounted on the front, as shown in the article, would give you some issues with airflow to the engine. Maybe that’s why he has it mounted so far away from the grille. Not my thing but everyone needs a money pit.

 

I won't be mounting a spare like that. I figure on big towing trips I'll haul a spare or two in or on the trailer. Around home I'll just not worry about it.

I don't know about everyone needing a money pit, but life is short and if you want something I say go for it.

 

Get a F350 and put a 450 bed on it or the flared fenders..seems a lot more simpler than re doing the drive train

 

You might not understand what's going on with doing this swap on a 450. There are no drive train modifications needed. The wide front axle on the 450 is perfect for this - way better than the narrow 350 axle. Also, the 10 lug 450 axles are better suited as more wheels are readily available. This is because nobody really does this swap on 8 lug trucks.

By the way, the 350 and 450 dually beds are the same.

The conversion basically consists of swapping the wheels and cutting up the fender area for clearance and installing wider fenders (for cosmetics as well). Some people do suspension lifts, some people keep it nearly stock or install merely a level kit to keep the center of gravity low, but that's no different than any other truck.

 

I have a 2020 SRW F-350 right now. Problem with it is that I'm at about 3600lbs on my rear axle with just my family loaded in the truck. That only leaves me 3630lbs of additional weight carrying capacity on the rear axle. Door sticker showed 4513lbs of payload capacity, which should have been a comfortable enough cushion for a decent size fifth wheel.

The F-450 conversion gets me:

Bigger brakes
10 lug wheels with extremely high capacities
Better turning radius
9900lb RAWR vs 7230lb RAWR
And lets not forget single rear wheels

 

This.

I'll be interested to see how goofy (or possibly not) the truck looks on super singles and 295/65r20's (35"x11.5"). Might change a mind or two.

 

If I understand correctly on your 2020 model, isn't that the ones that had the wrong sticker, and your actual capacity is significantly lower once you get the updated sticker?

I understand axle ratings don't always align with GVWRs.

i was so close to pulling the trigger on a F350 SRW CCLB as well because that number seemed so good. Though I had already committed in my mind to get a 450, but I was so glad I did when I saw the recall on the weight rating stickers.

 

Correct. And I bought mine off the lot solely based on that promised payload. GVWR I'm not too concerned with, my F-450 will be registered at 16,000lbs. But the main reason I purchased the F-350 was to be all legal, so to speak. I towed way over every limit there was with my 2500. The new truck was supposed to help me avoid that, but Ford's snafu put me right back where I was.