I have a 2009 F450 4 x 4, love the truck, just awesome! One problem; when I tow my Toy Hauler (19,000 lbs fully loaded) and I hit the sand dunes like Pismo Beach, Glamis or Dumont, I can not air down my stock tires enough and I get stuck very easily, the 4 x 4 function is almost useless with the standard truck tires the F450 came with.

I am looking for suggestion on new tries I can buy that will allow me to air down to 15-20 lbs once in the sand to increase traction. Most Duners pulling loads like mine have switched to offroad tires of some kind, however; I have seen very few if any F450's therefore can not relate to what may work.

Any advice or experience with a F450 and a good set of tires to use in the sand is greatly appreciated. They would have to have a high load rating, I do not want to be illegal or cause my family to be in any kind of danger while towing.

Thanks!

Carlos.

 

That rig shouldn't be touching the sand. Either way you slice it you're going to mess up the purpose of the rig in one environment or the other (sand vs. road).

More money than ...... here?

You need floatation on sand. You need a strong tire on pavement - especially rolling an additional 19k lbs on the highway. If you put a tire on there that will give you floatation you're up for an accident waiting to happn on the road.

Do your family a big favor and stay on the safe side. Keep the rig on the road.

 

Thank you for your advice, safety is a primary concern...I know there are tires out there that have the requiered load rating and will allow the side walls to flex or ballon out when you reduce the tire pressure to 20lbs, I just don't know what brands. I see folks doing it with F350's, C3500's and Dodge trucks, so it can be done safely.

I was looking for someone who has done it on a F450 and would have prior experience with such a vehicle, towing load and sand use.

Thanks again...

Carlos.

 

Check out Ricksontruckwheels.com They have a good selection of 19.5 tires

 

There are no 19.5 tires that you can air down below 60 PSI and not damage them while driving. I've seen one that blew up after being driven 10 miles on 20 PSI. The guy got knocked out cold, and has permanent hearing damage. Believe me, it's not worth it. You should not fool around with these tires. Your rig was not made to be driving in the sand with a huge trailer.

 

Thanks for the information, however; you did not understand my question, I realize I can not air down the 19.5" tires the F450 came with, I am looking for another size, 18-20 or ? That would allow me to air down in the sand.

As far as not going in the sand with a F450, you are incorrect, the F450 like many other trucks 4x4 and 2x2 are more than capable of operating in the sand, I am just looking fir someone who has changed from the 19.5" tires to new tires & rims for sand use.

Thanks...!

 

I didn't mean your truck is not capable of going in the Sand, I meant that it shouldn't do it with a 19K# trailer! I have an 09 F550 4X4, I know what it is capable of.

There is a company that makes a super single wheel conversion for these trucks, maybe someone can help with that. Not sure you can air them down enough pulling that much trailer.

 

You have a compounding issue here. The drag of the trailer alone due to the weight, the extra drag of the trailer due to the tires rolling through sand, and third - the added weight that the truck axle has to endure while allowing the tires adequate floatation (on pavement it would be a non-issue).

Now, take the sand out of it. What does the truck like on pavement? Hard tires and low contact area = lower rolling resistance. The reverse is true on sand.

You see? It isn't a simple matter of "tire pressure". You can air down the tires all you want, but the design of a tire that is meant for floatation vs. load-bearing is like apples and oranges.

The street tires are built to be "hard" and strong. They have to be, in the class vehicle and expected load they carry. This means they are made with a lot of metal inside them. The air is supplemental. The pressure in a load-bearing tire is much higher than that of a standard light-truck/SUV tire - for a reason. If you try to drive with that pressure and load on a regular radial you'll pop it with the first bump.

In contrast, a "low pressure tire" is meant to flex. It is intensionally designed as a weaker tire. If it was stiff, even with low pressure, the contact area would be much smaller in contrast. Again, you need a large contact area to mantain floatation.

At the load you are carrying you either need to do one of two things: scrap the idea of mixing "road use" vs. "sand use" all together, or have a completely different set of wheels and tires that all you will do with them is roll on the sand.

The load your truck is handling is much too high to mix the two. There is no such thing as a "happy medium" here.

I used to haul cars for a living in an F350 DRW with a 2-car gooseneck. I routinely rolled 20,000lbs+ gross combo. I missed a turn in the hills of Pittsburg, PA and found a partially gravel'ed lot to turn around in. That was almost a disaster. My truck sank in and the resistance was very high. As soon as I hit it I knew I was in deep crap so I kept on the petal and didn't stop. I would in no way have wanted to get out and screw with tire pressure at that point in time. I always travel with a compressor anyhow, but getting on the CB and calling for help would have done me much better than screwing with the pressure.

If you lift your trailer and put some bigger/higher floatation tires on it then it might roll easier.

Then again, you still won't be getting around the extra load on the truck axle.

 

Yes all good valid points...

I understand (not verified) that the new 2011 F450 uses 8 lug rims and 17" tires instead of 10 lug rims and 19.5" tires. I have a lot of experience off roading trucks, however; never a F450...some C3500's, and a 2004 F350, I bought the F450 to provide a safer & legal ride when highway towing a fifth wheeler at 19K lbs.

I have seen many C3500's and a few F350's pull a heavier load than 19K lbs on the highway and airdown to 20 lbs to crawl through the sand to the camp spots, it happens all the time. We are not talking about speeding through the sand, only keeping enough forward motion to assist in getting to the ideal camp spot.

One ttire example on a 2011 F450 in the sand pulling a load over 19K lbs is the BFG 255/80/17 and the 37/13.5-20 Toyo Open Country MT at a 3,860 lb load rating, looks like a good choice for a 2010 F450. The problem is that after EXTENSIVE searching there is pretty much no options out there for 20" wheels to fit the 2009 F450 10 lug rims...both these tire options will air down to 20lbs in the sand with no issues.

The reason for my post and questions on this board are to see if any F450 owners have been through the search process and what they had come up with. I will keep looking at options and make a decision shortly.

Thanks for all the great opinions; much appreciated!

Carlos.

 

Besides looking for a off road commercial tire.

This is the only thing I can think that will get you what you want in one package.

200 Series - MATTRACKS rubber track conversions systems for 4x4 vehicles

and for the trailer

Trail-R-Mates - MATTRACKS rubber track conversions systems for 4x4 vehicles

 

HEY! I ran in to that place about 4 years ago. I came out of Canada in Baudette, MN on my way to Omaha, NE. I can't remember the route I took but I was trying to get to I-29 and made a wrong turn at some point (or no turn? I can't remember now). I drove right past the place. I have pictures somewhere....

 

Any 19.5 tire will not air down they are low profile with a stiff bead if you drop the pressure to low you will loose the bead and the tire will go flat.

It wouldn't matter if you aired the tires down a F-450 will sink in sand like a stone in water.

 

I go to the same places you listed with my 2008 F450, I air down to 20 PSI truck and trailer. I have a 3000 pound side in camper and 7000 pound trailer, I think the camper on the truck helps with traction.

 

Thanks for all the Info!

 

carlos,
did find a tire/rim combo? my buddy is going through the same thing right now. his truck is 8 lug 19.5" f550