Re: F-350 or F-450
 

hotties again

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

JC......where do you boat at??

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

Yep,
I recently bought a 550 (for my last employer).
I wnt for the big truck over the 350 because of the brakes/chassis. That truck handled weight better than anything I have ever driven. It cruised effortlessly at 65 with 13-14k load. The 550 was a bit stiff, so I'd say the 450 would be the best choice.
These guys are right though... Cruise speed is no more than 65. The diff between 65 and 70 is about 5 mpgs!
It had 4.88 gears and would run 80 without complaining, but you could almost watch the fuel gauge move. (Note, I drive a GM454 as a daily driver, and I thought the Ford got bad milage)

I think the Duck has the right truck for serious pulling duty.

Now the next issue...
I ordered myself a new F350 Supercab SRW 4x4 6.0... It is going to be an '04.. Have any of you guys seen the new body coming out??? I'm wondering if I should pull my order and wait on a new '05... The truck is to be built on the 10th. what should I do?????????????

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

The '05 will have a new dash, slight modifications to the styling, but most important it will have a coil spring front suspension, rather than the leaf springs used currently. Lots of strong opinions on both sides, but I've read that the coils reduce the turning circle by something like 3-5 feet - that could *really* help around the ramp...

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

I would get the 450 or 550 for liability reasons. A 350 will be very questionable if you have an accident or problem due to the "legal" capacity of the truck. I used to tow 15,000lbs behind my '99 F-350 Dually (PSD) and it handled it--until I realized I should have a bigger truck for "legal" reasons. Also, Hot Duck had an excellent point about the brakes and the 19.5' rim size. You can always improve the power with aftermarket products. It's better to be safe than sorry!

BTW--- I traded in the '99 PSD for a '03 PSD (6.0 Excursion) and had too many problems with the new 6.0 so I traded it also---I just bought a '04 GMC 2500HD (Duramax/Allison combo) and LOVE it. I wouldn't go back to Ford again after having this truck. I

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

Do you know where can see pictures of the 05' ?

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

Yeah ,hot duck knows ! He had a 650 too I beleive .... I forgot they had the better gears now . My first one had 5:19's and then 4:88's . They suck !!

Hot duck if you are getting that much milage with a 450 , do you want to sell it !?!?!? :eek: And yes , STOPPING IS A GOOD THING ! :D Of course if your trailer does it's job you could stop that 45 apache with an f150 !

2112, you can move up in engines in the 650's to CAt or Cummins. you can get up around 300-350 hp and the torque is through the roof !! 10 times the power of a pickup engine . and they still get desent mileage (10-12) . But you can gear them to run 90 or better !
One of ours had a 300 ,turned up to 350 & pulled a 45' horse trailer that weighed around 26,000 loaded ! It had a 6 speed automatic and we set the cruise at 85-90 running through the mountains ! NEVER touched anything .just let it run ! And got 10 mpg doing it !

Oh, and we can always add a little more power on top of that if you need it ! :rolleyes:

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

We had the use of a 650 Supercrewzer for a race during the 2001 season and it was awesome! (picture below) We were running the Top Gun then and that truck handled it like it was a 10' dinghy back there! If it didn't cost nearly twice what the 450 cost, I may have gone that route. Of course, for a little more cash than the Supercrewzer, we could step up to a medium duty Pete or a Freightliner or even a toterhome. I would love to have a Pete like the one pictured below! If only I could honestly justify it and money were free! :D

I thought that this truck would get really bad mileage too. I was shocked when we brought it home from the dealership in NC. I stopped to top off thinking that there was something wrong with the fuel gage! Speaking of fuel, I had the dealership install a second fuel tank from Transfer Flow before I took delivery. The truck now carries 74 gallons of fuel! It is great! I personally think that it is the best option on the truck. Other than that, I have only changed the air box, added an exhaust brake and changed the exhaust. I am planning to call you (Boot) in the near future for some computer upgrades though!

As for selling it, the only thing I would sell it for would be to get one of the trucks mentioned above. We'll see how she handles the Apache. If it does OK then I am good to go. I really like this 450 and it is still nearly new. It is almost 3 years old, but it just rolled 20K miles! The only thing I really use it for is towing the boat and the car trailer. Other than that, it only gets driven once a week or so, just to keep it going. I am lucky that I live 1 block from work, so I just walk every day. I am also lucky that, as Asst. Fire Chief, I have a take home vehicle to use 24/7. (picture below) This is great because the city pays the gas and maintenance on it and I can take it anywhere within 60 miles of the city. Now that's a good deal.

That is very true! The Apache trailer and the trailer that is under the Gladiator both have disc brakes on all three axles. Let me tell you, the truck stopped as well while pulling that Gladiator as it did when it was empty. Those trailer brakes were incredible. The brakes on the car trailer, however, leave a little to be desired. They work pretty well, but the drum brakes on that thing cannot compare to the brakes on the boat trailer! Either way, I still like having the added safety measure of the bigger brakes on the truck!

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

I Have A 2000 550 With 150,000 Miles For Sale. (wild Thing Truck) I Just Bought A New 5500 Kodiak With The 300 Hp.

Re: F-350 or F-450
 

WILDTHING TAZ : How about a few pics of the Kodiak! If you have the boat I am thinking about, you guys seem to do a lot of traveling for poker runs. Is this why you decided to step up to the Kodiak from the 550? One last question. Will you have to stop at weigh stations with the new Kodiak?