Offshoreonly.com - heavy towing with f450

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jassman (Post 2304214)

Ive driven both today 4.30 and 4.88 tday at the dealership. I couldnt tell the difference just driving around except when on freeway, the rpms sounded slghtly higher at the same speed on the 4.88's. I wish they offered the 4.10 like I have in my 07, that would help the gas mileage delima....I believe Im going to get the 350 with the turning radius option as in the 450 and possibly 3.73 gears. I drive that Saturday. Jeff

How much does your boat weigh on the trailer? There is a huge difference between the 350 and 450 tow rating.

Forget about tghe 450 unless you want to buy mine. They get 5-7 Miles per gallon and only 8-10 empty. I will sell mine for 40K, its an XLT 2WD with only 1500 miles. Roger

A good friend of mine has a 4x4 diesel 2008 model and tows small trailers for his glass business. He gets 12 mpg mostly around town.

The f450 is the greatest tow vehicle produced so far. It is quiet, solid, and tows better than any of the mediums and can also be a daily driver. If anyone has torn apart a Spicer of Meritor axle from a medium or heavy duty they'll know what I'm talking about. Also, it's offered in true all wheel drive with limited slip differential (positraction for you old timers). This is a HUGE difference from the ridiculous chain wheel system on the medium freightshakers. Any true truck (excluding delivery trucks that aren't really meant to tow) with an N14 Cummins or a C15 or even C12 Cat gets 6-7mpg HIGHWAY. This is the best innovation overall since the introduction of the aerodynamic heavies in the late 90's.KMA

I was just tweaking the Freightliner guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pookie (Post 2305026)

Because of this info I went out and just bought one Im glad its better than a medium...Thanks for the help, what a wealth of info on this board.:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jassman (Post 2306492)

what a wealth of info on this board.:D

Hey oldschool says it the best OSO where everyone can be an expert!:D:hitfan::violent-smiley-045:

Some may like them and some may hate them, but I love mine. I have towed the car trailer and some other stuff with it, but I have not towed the boat yet. The truck has been great and the fuel mileage is getting better all the time. I started at 8.4 and am now getting 11.5 at just over 3K miles. My Ford dealer called me a few weeks ago and said that Ford has released a new computer program to increase the fuel economy, so I am going to have them do it when the truck goes in for service.

In the mean time I have replaced the factory fuel tank with a 60 gallon tank from Transfer Flow. It doesn't help the mileage, but it does increase the range. I think that most people are forgetting that the F-450 is a purpose built vehicle. That purpose being to tow and haul stuff. Who cares about the mileage if it serves the intended purpose well? This is no different than our boats. We buy the Cigarettes, Outerlimits, Fountains, etc because of their performance capabilities. They are purpose built boats. There are more fuel efficient boats out there, but we bought our boats for a purpose. If it is fuel economy you are after, you simply need to buy something else. I don't mean or intend to stand on a soap box here, but this is just how I look at it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hot Duck (Post 2307547)

Well said, well put...Guys, there is a diference between the F-350 vs 450 which is purpose built. There is a 4+ mpg gain, especially with the 3.73's-4.10's vs the 4.30-4.88 gears in the F450. If U need the extra towing capacity you will suffer in mileage..that's just the way it is.