That's funny, Ford is now in the TUNING BUSINESS!

 

It's just a number, often exceeded.

 

+1 LOL

According to the article, the Super Duty is also expected to have a little frame strengthening done to it as well.

 

Tom and Karri, wow I'm gone for a few weeks and come back to this. At first I saw the new truck in your sig and though man this guy goes through trucks like underwear. Then I read a little more and realized the whole wrecked part and felt bad. Glad no one was seriously hurt (Karri, is your neck back to normal?), and seems you did alright with the truck situation! I wouldnt blame you a bit for wanting the PSD, especially the Scorpion. Heck its amazing with the current economy that Ford could even pull off building an in-house diesel from scratch! But for me unless I went used PSD was just out of the budget period, and my 10k+ towing needs are still 'future' needs currently... I was amazed though how well the truck handled with over 4k in the bed... wonder how that tundra would do!

That whole 10k package on a 350 still confuses me. I dont know why they dont just make F250 models under 10k. It seems rather pointless building a 350 which essentially is the same except for that door sticker weight, and then to downgrade it back, which again is just a door sticker thing? It also seems like gaming the system to me. If the truck isnt physically different why does just a label on the door get around so much stuff. I dont know if things have changed on the new models but for the previous ones folks pretty well determined the only physical difference was the blocks... and of course that door sticker (and technically the overloads being standard instead of an option). When I contemplated the 250 vs 350 it didnt make much difference to the folks at the dmv, they didnt have to register anything commercial on my 350 and the price difference was negligable (no diff in insurance either) and since I do more in bed hauling it just made sense to get the 350.

Anyhow hope that new truck does you well. And hope to join you some time if y'all get together again in Ohio!

 

This is different in different states.
In CA any vehicle with over 10,000 GVW is not a pickup anymore, regardless the cabin shape.
Being a truck it needs MCP number, commercial insurance, pulling into weight stations and so on.
My privately own 15,000 GVW truck was registered for 10 years under its VW of 9000. Than I got pulled over while carrying the tractor and CHP officer read the label -making me changing the registration. Than all hell broke loose.

 

This is not true. All pickups are commercial, with certain limited exceptions, but they do not need a Motor Carrier Permit or commercial insurance, unless carrying for profit. Pickups are specifically exempted from stopping at weigh stations.

A personal F250 is treated exactly the same as an F350. Registration just costs a little more if you have the higher GVWR.

 

You're right it is gamey. Having worked in the insurance field I can tell you that a number of the personal auto policies drew the line at 10k GVW. I brought this up at one point because a friend and I both bought trucks at the time and his was an F350 with GVW over 10k lbs. It technically was not an insurable vehicle because the policy stated an insured vehicle must be 10k or less GVW. So, pretty much F250 were insurable vehicles and F350 were not.

Obviously this wasn't the intent of the personal auto policy, to exclude F350 (but it was to exclude commercial vehicles being written as personal vehicles), but it was the way it was written. All F350 with a GVW over 10k lbs were technically not insurable under the personal auto policy and should not be covered under the personal auto policy (but should have been written as commercial vehicles). It wasn't the intent of the insurance company to deny claims based on that, and the policies were written so they had to be covered, but technically they shouldn't have been written at all for F350. Catch 22 because no one knew the GVW of the F350 had exceeded 10k lbs.

I then went to work for another insurance company and they too had the same policy language, your insured vehicle could not have a GVW over 10k lbs.

Anyway, I don't have an F350 so it doesn't apply to me, but anyone that has a copy of their original insurance contract should look at the definitions of personal auto, insured vehicle, etc and see if there is a weight restriction. I don't believe either of the two insurance companies for which I worked changed their policy language...but Ford did come out with a F350 with 10k lbs GVWR.

It's also that way in my state, the 10k lbs is the cut off for registation at the DMV, but they make exceptions for personal vehicles. The way the law is written though, there is a cut off between personal and commercial vehicles at 10k lbs.

 

At the risk of stirring up a debate... All pickups are not commercial, it is assumed they're personal vehicles, unless something "makes them" commercial, ie. to do work. Often times it's assumed "commercial" = "motor carrier", which is not the case. A commercial vehicle is any single vehicle or combination over 10k GVWR or Gross, being used for work. The problem for law enforcement, is that far more of these HD pickups are used as daily drivers than as work vehicles. Anything from a ladder rack, to a tool box and a 2x4 hanging out the back will tip off a trooper that it may be a commercial vehicle. Of course, a name on the side of the truck is the surest give-away there is.

With regards to not needing commercial insurance unless "carrying for profit", again, very misleading. A truck used "for work" needs commercial insurance, for example a construction contractor needs commercial insurance on his truck, as a personal policy with a commercial endorsement may not cover him in the event of a loss if the insurance company discovers the truck is being used for work, versus being just a daily driver. Even delivering pizza's in a 1 ton would make the truck a commercial vehicle.

Could you please let the state patrol here know my pickup is exempted from the weigh stations? That would be great! Cuz I get herded in regularly, as well as getting the random chats with the clowns with their portable scales. These guys that have been flying under the radar in their pickups all these years are going to have their day, as they've really been cracking down lately.

An F350 with a 10k GVWR would be quite confusing when used as a work truck. On one hand, the troopers specifically look for 1 tons versus 3/4 tons, knowing a 1 ton is over 10k, but a 3/4 ton is not; but I would hate to get harassed in a 1 ton, only to have the trooper figure out after stopping me under under his criteria... However, a 1 ton with a 10k GVWR used for work would get you out of having to comply with the various rules (fire extinguishers, triangles, medical card, post trip vehicle inspections, etc). Towing is an entirely different story, as any 3/4 or 1 ton work truck pulling even the smallest of trailers is over 10k combined GVWR.

Ace, interesting tid-bits on the insurance. Ours are insured as commercial vehicles, but interesting to know anyway for those using F350's as their daily drivers...

Tom, I hope all is well, and hope your bride is recovering quickly!

 

We were discussing California. Every state regulates licensing according to their own rules. My statement is true in CA.

 

And in New York, any "pickup" (read: truck with an open bed) is assumed (and mandatory) to be commercial if it's over 5500lbs empty. NYS DMV - Vehicle Registration and Certificate of Title

According to that, I might not even be legal to drive on the Long Island Parkways even though I have passenger plates. Worse, here: NYS DMV - Vehicle Registration - Vehicle Modifications and Registration Class

I am not legally supposed to have passenger plates whatsoever, because I have no permanent seats or "camping equipment" inside the topper/cap. Sigh. Maybe I should put bucket seats and a roll bar back there and the kids can sit back there now that the Supercab is not really big enough for long trips for them

 

Guess I was "illegally" driving through your area last weekend with my SD and 10k in tow. I know what you are saying I have 2 trucks that are registered comercially and its killer every 2 years when I have to reup the reg.

Sarge

 

Were you on a "Parkway" ? If not, no one is going to bother you - the Suffolk and Nassau county cops won't do anything about it. The state troopers on the parkways will.

 

Hey guys - its "Mrs. Crazy" again - I just thought I would give a quick update while Tom is gone on his Army training. He took the truck (and it gets to sit the whole time he is in training) so no playing with the new truck yet :-(. He was going to leave it behind for me since its the only vehicle that is semi-comfortable but I felt bad since he had just gotten it so I told him to take it. Anyway, I'm almost back to normal...well as "normal" as I'm considered to be lol. I am still going to physical therapy for my back and still out of work from all this truck mess. I still have a lot of pain in one spot in my back but the doctor is pretty sure it will go away in the next couple weeks. Hopefully he is right....i'm getting sick of this crap. No more hitting rock walls for me

 

glad to hear you are feeling somewhat better.. and sad that he didn't leave the new truck for you to play with it!!..

Sam

 

Mrs..Crazy..now that is a handle! Do hope you have a good recovery.

We had it all worked out to where we were going to break the truck in for him.