I had an F250, extended cab with 8' bed. The extended cab didn't have the passenger room we wanted. Now a F350, crew cab with 6.5' bed. Difference in turning radius is notable and in the PNW an important consideration. Ride quality is a bit stiffer with the 1 ton but so what, its a truck not an SUV. Then consider ferry travel where you pay by overall length with over 50' taking a big hit.
F250 or F350??
I own a dealership so I have had the great fortune of trying both. The 2011 and up F250 with a 6.7l diesel will pull a hole in the wind. Great truck...quiet, easy to drive but a little weak in the back. The F350 with dual rear wheels is much more stable. This truck will not wiggle in the back..even when a tractor trailer sneaks up from behind. I have towed 16 different Airstreams, anywhere from a 23 foot Flying Cloud to a 30 foot Classic without sway bars and absolutely no problem. On the other hand the F250 with a 23 foot Flying Cloud tended to mis-behave in a cross wind and required pretty constant attention in curvy, mountain driving.
The downside to the F350 with DWR's is obvious....it is a bear to park, a little awkward in city driving and without 4WD will get stuck easily.
If you use it for towing primarily, the F350 would work best and you will not believe the difference in stability.
I have never driven a F 350 however I can attest to the pulling power of the F250 with the 6.7 diesel. At least to me it is more then ample to pull the 25 foot front bedroom FC. Just came back from Florida and got caught in sleet and rain in NC. The truck was extremely stabled at 60 MPH and did not sway when 18 whelers past me bye. It is also quite powerful going up grades
Our F350 makes a great tow vehicle. The one ton option is very low cost adder as it simply adds the additional overload springs. The license fees are much cheaper for a one ton truck in Minnesota, so the 3/4 tons are rather rare up here. One ton resale may be better as they are good fifth wheel pullers. I recommend the 4wd option for pulling out of wet, muddy campgrounds and sand or snow of course. The electronic locking differential is not worth it unless you are a farmer or contractor that traverses deep mud now and then. It truly locks the rear axles together and is only good for 20mph. I have only tried mine a couple of times.
Our F350 makes a great tow vehicle. The one ton option is very low cost adder as it simply adds the additional overload springs. The license fees are much cheaper for a one ton truck in Minnesota, so the 3/4 tons are rather rare up here. One ton resale may be better as they are good fifth wheel pullers. I recommend the 4wd option for pulling out of wet, muddy campgrounds and sand or snow of course. The electronic locking differential is not worth it unless you are a farmer or contractor that traverses deep mud now and then. It truly locks the rear axles together and is only good for 20mph. I have only tried mine a couple of times.
David
The electronic locking diff can also be activated when in 2wd (actually only 1wd).When you put your right rear wheel onto a wet or soft shoulder simply pull switch and go.
A four wheel drive is actually only 2 wheel drive( LF & RR).Locking diff gives you 3 wheel drive which will save you on occasion.Priceless when needed.
Moflash, you are correct. My old E-350 van was a "one wheel drive wonder". I would get it stuck every winter. It was helpless in low traction situations. I even had trouble backing up my Airstream up the hill on my gravel lane. I remember my father in law saying how he stopped at a red light in San Francisco and had smoky wheel spin when trying to get started again on a steep grade.
The e-lock would solve these situations. 4wd is even better. You might as well equip your new Super Duty with the equipment that will get you out of low traction situations.
I would say folks in the lower half of the USA don't have as many low traction situations and 2wd open differential is probably very adequate.
And yes, welcome tbstill! There's nothing more controversial than tow vehicle threads and you can inject some facts in the conversation based on your background. We get pretty passionate about our favorite brands.
Well if you want a truck to pull and stop get one like mine. Total price was 98,000.00 with the service body. Use an airhitch to stop the transfer of shake from the truck to the trailer and if you put in the right amount of stuff in the truck rides great. 11.9 MPG and mine can fit into a normal parking spot in a shopping plaza. Mine is custom built and would not worry a bit about going downtown without the trailer. I have a 55 degree turning radius and can almost turn around on a 2 lane street. I will be fulltiming in about 2 months with a 2015 Classic fully loaded. I will not have to worry about storage ever(I hope). I am also going to be a mobil mechanic so I will also have all of my tools and supplies needed with me.
Now I like ford alot but i read that they are now heating the tailgate so when you have to push it in the winter your hands stay warm. (Just a joke people)
[QUOTE=beetlebob;1591902
Now I like ford alot but i read that they are now heating the tailgate so when you have to push it in the winter your hands stay warm. (Just a joke people)[/QUOTE]
They also have drink holders and headphone jacks as an option.....
We went with a SRW F350, only because we also have a truck camper. To the best of my knowledge, the only major difference between the 250 and 350 is a $900 extra spring. Had we gone for the F250, we would have added airbags for the camper, so the cost would have been roughly the same.
We also bought the Class V Air Safe hitch to pair up with the Equalizer. Other than it being HEAVY, it works great. The additional length from the Air Safe also makes it possible to open the tailgate.
On our trip to Death Valley, we averaged between 12-14 mpg, depending on terrain and traffic. Best mileage was 28.3 (;-)) unloaded. That was unloaded, and between Beatty, Nevada and Furnace Creek. Down hill for close to 20 miles ;-)...
On new Rams I believe the one tons have higher load rated tires than the three quarter tons. Might be wrong but you nay want to check your tires because of the truck camper weight. Friends three quarter tires were under rated for truck camper so he bought the tires that were on my one ton which were higher rated and one width wider. This might apply to Fords. Peace, jim
We went with a SRW F350, only because we also have a truck camper. To the best of my knowledge, the only major difference between the 250 and 350 is a $900 extra spring. Had we gone for the F250, we would have added airbags for the camper, so the cost would have been roughly the same.
We also bought the Class V Air Safe hitch to pair up with the Equalizer. Other than it being HEAVY, it works great. The additional length from the Air Safe also makes it possible to open the tailgate.
On our trip to Death Valley, we averaged between 12-14 mpg, depending on terrain and traffic. Best mileage was 28.3 (;-)) unloaded. That was unloaded, and between Beatty, Nevada and Furnace Creek. Down hill for close to 20 miles ;-)...
Thank you for your information. Since we have an equalizer who set up the complete hitch. Did you have any issues with the drop needed on the hitch. Our TV has air suspension and we needed a longer drop to get it level once the air suspension kicks in
The mods I did to my Dodge can be done on a Ford, too.
I installed the Curt 15049 rear hitch (tongue weight rating of 2,550 pounds and tows 17,000 pounds) which had a receiver opening below the factory receiver that was cut off the truck. After installing the Kellderman level ride air suspension system (air bags front and rear), I needed a two inch drop on the Propride hitch (I ordered the adjustable hitch head) and the trailer rides about 1/4" nose down measured from the front to the rear of the 31" Classic.
Since there was an air compressor installed for the suspension system, I added an air chuck beside the license plate for an air hose to top up the truck and trailer tires as needed.
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WBCCI Life Member 5123, AIR 70341, 4CU, WD9EMC
TV - 2012 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins HO, automatic, Centramatics, Kelderman level ride airbag suspension, bed shell
My 2008 F-250 came with E rated tires and I doubt they would change due to the towing issue. You can order different tires on a factory custom order, but I believe they are all E rated from Ford on the 250/350.
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2008 F-250 4X4 Lariat V-10
2002 Airstream Classic 30' w/SO #2074
2007 Kubota 900 RTV
1996 Ford Bronco
2007 Lincoln LT
added the Titan 50 replacement tank for our 2015 F350. Range without the trailer is 910 miles. Have not towed yet, but have put about 3,500 miles on her and the tank is a nice addition. ONLY drawback is when you fill it up it's a lot more money at each fill up and if the pump hits $100 most shut off and have to re do the credit card thing again.
You actually do get more besides the extra spring with the F350. Sterling rear axle is heaver duty(bigger ring gear and housing). Dually even bigger but with a Dana axle. Taller spring blocks 4 inch vs. 2 inch. Higher payload weight rating. Receiver hitch is still light even if you get the 2.5 inch. F350 GVWR might impact registration cost depending on where you live. Don't skimp on the hitch, no matter the size of the truck properly tuned weight distribution helps towing control and stability.
yep, that 50g replacement tank was a great idea and a worthy addition. out this way, i often times had to either stop short or hold my breath about the next available diesel. now i can plan well in advance regarding where i will choose to stop for fuel.
not sure about the comment on the hitch being 'lite' as the one on my F350 is a class V.
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