2004 F550 Crew Cab w/ pickup box
 

Can anybody tell me anything about owning a truck like this? Is it the worst ride imaginable outside of towing? If you are towing 2-3K under the legal limits of a late model F350 DRW, would moving up to a truck like this just be overkill?

There was a cheap one in the Detroit craigslist awhile back. 12K or so.

I used to drive one like that for work, except mine had a 6spd manual. hauled a 35ft tandem dual GN with it and a Baja H2X. Never knew the boat was back there, even stopping. I loved it. But got rid of it before the 6.0 gave me any problems. The 6.0 powerstroke is the only weak link that id be afraid of. Even that is fixable. It will pull pretty much anything. I didnt think it rode too bad empty. a 550 I think comes with 4.88 rear end gears. I dont ever think you can go "over kill" when pulling things...thats like saying your being "too safe"

I have an '02 F550 4x4 pick up conversion with the 7.3L and 4 speed auto trans. Mine has an air ride rear suspension and the leaf springs are gone so not a direct comparison, if anything I'd think a leaf spring truck would ride rougher than mine?. I bought it used to replace an '06 F350 crew cab dually because I didn't trust the 6.0 for heavy towing and also wanted the bigger chassis, brakes, and suspension of the F550. After having it for a year and a half here's what I've learned.............I love it as soon as I hook it up to a heavy trailer but HATE it for daily driving. I hadn't gotten rid of my '06 F350 when I got this and so far still haven't. I end up using the F350 for a daily driver and the 550 for towing but it's kind of stupid to have two crew cab duallys. With that said I will get something else to replace the 350 as a daily driver before I'll drive the 550 every day. Maybe I'm just getting old or maybe it's the horrible roads in New England but I've driven it a bunch unloaded trying to get used to it and I just can't get myself happy with it. Like I said though, hook 10k + lbs to it, everything changes and I LOVE the truck. I even thought about dropping a big concrete block in the bed with my forklift for when I'm driving around empty but that just seems like too much of a redneck solution :) Also the turning radius sucks with the leaf spring front and 19.5 wheels and tires. I've been driving some type of crew cab dually as my daily driver since the mid '90s so I'm very used to having to park one of these in a spot designed for a Hyundia and even I find it to be a PITA.

Here's my advice after having "been there, done that". If you do get the truck bring the tire pressure down to around 65 psi when not towing to make the ride better Do an EGR cooler delete or Bullet Proof Diesel EGR cooler upgrade if it hasn't been done already. Bottom line is the 6.0 has a bad rep but it's been around long enough that there's lots of knowledge out there are fixes available for everything now. Also on my truck I've found tailgate related parts wearing out quickly probably due to the rough ride. The '05 - '07 F450 / F550's ride better with the change to the coil spring front suspension and I've seen some pick up conversions out there. The '08 and newer F450 pickups ride very nice for what they are.............pretty comparable to my '06 F350 actually. I actually bought a complete Dana "super 60" front axle from an '08 truck to do a swap into mine with either coils or air bags in the front to help with the ride and turning radius but haven't gotten around to doing it yet. If I could find the right truck and right deal I'd replace both of my current trucks with an '09 or '10 F450 and probably be happier overall.

Good luck with it
Pat

Diesel Power mag had a story about a Cummins swap in a 2005 after several 6.0 meltdowns. That's the way I would go instead of trying to fix a badly designed motor.

I don't recall asking about replacing a perfectly good engine, but thanks for the great advice. I guess taking an engine out a a badly designed truck and putting it into a well designed truck is not a half bad idea if you love the Cummins that much.

Thanks for taking the time to type that all out Pat. I really appreciate it. It kind of sounds like an 05 or newer F350 might be a better choice for me for all around driveability.

No problem...................I wish I found someone with first hand experience when I was looking at buying mine. Don't get me wrong, the 550 really is an awesome truck and I do really like mine for towing.........just not for everyday driving. Now that I have the option I chose the 550 every time for towing over my 350, even towing lighter stuff. If you're towing up to around 15k you should be fine with a 350...........more than that and you'll want the 550............or a newer 450. Good luck with the search.

Pat

I own a 2002 F450 and absolutely love the truck. I have to say that the unloaded ride is STIFF. I am used to it, but expect to get complaints from your wife and passengers. I replaced my factory 225/70/19.5 tires with 245/70/19.5 tires and lowered them to 75psi and that did help. The turning radius in the 1999-2004 trucks is horrible, it literally takes a 40 acre field to turn these things around, this was changed in 2005 with a wider front axle that turns sharper. Also these trucks were available with 4.88s or 4.30s, you'll want the 4.30s if you plan on highway driving as my truck turns 2500rpm @ 75mph with 4.30s, the highest I would recommend revving these engines for any extended period of time. The brakes on these trucks are just AWESOME.

These trucks do what they were designed to do very well, and that is haul heavy loads. The front end components are beefed up greatly over the 1 ton trucks as are the brakes. You will love this truck when hauling but will hate it if trying to use it as a daily driver in any metropolitan city.

Hey Bathtub,

What brand and model of tires did you end up getting for the truck? Do you have factory 6" wide wheels and the 245's fit OK? I need new tires for mine and have been thinking 245's or even 265's instead of 225's to see if it would soften the ride a little and also take some effective gearing away. I'm pretty sure that the 265's will be to wide for the wheel.

Thanks, Pat