Seeking Advice For Build Options 2011 F350 Diesel

[troutchasers]

More likely than not will order our 2011 F350 DRW Diesel King Ranch from dealer soon. We are looking for advice on items we may have missed. Also trying to determine if we should buy certain items after market rather than from the dealer (spray in bed liner, navigation system, mudflaps, rollup tonneau cover, below rails toolbox right behind cab, bug deflector).

We will order the heavy duty alternator, dual alternators. Should we consider the camper package? What are OWL tires?

Any other "wish I had done it different" thoughts out there that anyone may wish to share? Thanks for any suggestions and advice. It is appreciated!

Cheers,

[Hooker]

A dually should not need the camper package. OWL...Outlined White Letters. I rotate mine (all seven) and you cannot do that with custom wheels or OWL tires. The other items should be priced checked against what they would cost by somebody other than Ford.

[Parts Ed]

I work at the local Ford dealership in town and I can tell you that it is cheaper to order things on the truck from the factory ie: spray in bedliner, SYNC system. Bug deflectors, splash guards/mud flaps are at your discression (sp?) Not sure if there is a Dual-Alternator set-up on the 6.7L----Yes there is. Camper Package would get you upgraded shocks, springs, sway bars.
BTW OWL= Outlined White Letter Tires

Hope this helps,

Ed

[camper4]

I recommend two options. Rino spray in liner and trailer/truck plug placed inside the bed of the truck instead of under the bumper.
Enjoy the new TV!

[mlh]

Get the auxiliary instant heat. It will start heating your truck and defrost your windshield before your engine even starts to get to get warm.
After you get your truck get some Laxoil NF to take care of your seats. It will not darken your seats like most leather care products will. KR leather is not like other seats. It doesn't have a coating on it to protect it. What ever you do, do not put Armor All on them. I will rot them.
Lynwood

[jmi]

Hi,
I live in Wisconsin so heat is really important!

The big thing I found out related to the 5th wheel hitch prep. My understanding is currently Reese is enforcing patents on the hitch that fits that prep package meaning there is doubt on the other hitch mfg being able to leverage the kit. If your not interested in the Reese hitch you might be better off not getting the 5vr prep as any other hitch is going to mount using their adapters.

I had the dealer show me his book on the hitch prep, it had pictures and really looked well designed. Next question was the capacity of the hitch, turns out its a 25K hitch (designed to leave a flat bed when removed). Confirmation of the 25K hitch capacity is in an email from Ford customer service. In my case I ordered the hitch from Reese/Ford, its all warranted and will definitely haul my Monty 3665RE around.

Here is the configuration I ordered 2/14.
F350 DRW Diesel 4x4 Lariat Ultimate (Seat Heaters, Nav, Tailgate Step, Moon Roof)
3.73 Limited Slip Diff
Camper Package $???
5th Wheel Prep $370
Reese 25K Hitch $1600
Spray In Bed Liner $450

Interior
All-Weather Floor Mats $75
Rapid-Heat Supplemental Cab Heater $250

[thor]

price what the after market price is and the factory price is then decide from there.

[washley1]

I agree with most of the posters above. also, if you are going to keep the stock tail gate, I would recommend the optional tail gate step and hand hold. It makes climbing in and out SOOOOOO much better...at least if you are over 60!

[CamillaMichael]

quote:Originally posted by washley1

I agree with most of the posters above. also, if you are going to keep the stock tail gate, I would recommend the optional tail gate step and hand hold. It makes climbing in and out SOOOOOO much better...at least if you are over 60!

Agree with Walt...and personally, I would go with the optional spray in bedliner and fifth wheel prep (of course, if you go with the fifth wheel prep, I believe you are pretty much stuck with Reese's top-of-the-line hitch...which would be fine by me, but if you plan to install a hitch you already have, you should probably make sure it is compatible with Reese's under bed mount system).

[ExPatNW]

We have had our new F350 SRW CC Long bed for about 3 weeks now. Have not towed yet - although I cannot wait!

We ordered ours as a Lariat, with the following options:
Fifth wheel prep - which includes an electrical socket for the trailer in the bed (nice).
Reese 25K hitch to match.
Ford Spray liner - my Ford salesman prefers Line-X (which I had in my previous truck) but then you have to take it to get it done etc. I opted for the factory installed liner - perhaps a little thinner than Line-X but frankly for the use I am going to put the truck its totally fine.
Aux Heater (which then requires you to have the heavy duty alternator)
Tailgate step - would not be without this and I am less than 60!
We did order ours with the camper package and off-road package.
Ours has the 355 rear diff with electronic locking
We also had the 20" wheels.
Chrome package with 6" steps.

Think that was it - DW insisted we have it in Pearlescent white - to match the Monty. Had to give in on that. $495 for the pleasure.

While I have not towed yet, you can tell it’s incredibly powerful. I get can 18mpg on the freeway - may be more (on winter fuel right now). Get 16mpg around town/freeway. Hoping for 11+ towing - but will have to see how that goes.

Hope this helps.
Chris

[8e3k0]

For a dually, items like; 3.73 ratio limited slip is worth the extra $291, code X3L, Camper pkg gives you the needed stabilizers/ spring upgrade, code 471 at $133; Also upfitter switches are worthwhile if adding any electrical circuits after, code 66S at $104. The heavy duty alternator, code 67D at $62 is sufficent for RV towing. If your doing contractor work that requires a lot of 110 volt consumption then go the dual alternators. Other great items as mentioned earlier are; tailgate step, rapid heat supplemental heater, and at a minumum the 5th wheel hitch prep. I think the King Ranch pkg. is well worth the extra money also. A great truck: Enjoy!!!

[troutchasers]

Appreciate the feedback! Does Ford offer placing the electric trailer plug in the bed rather than under the bumper? I guess I can ask the dealer. Will reconsider the aux heat, tailgate step and camper package. I obtained the manual for the high end nav/music/voice phone command package. Of note, you can only input 25 POI's into the system. 10G drive and only 25, I don't get it. The Sirius Travel package (traffic & weather) looks inviting. I'm using a laptop and MS Streets/Trips with a GPS dongle now. I'm sure it won't be able to get Sirius. 2K for a closed GPS system seems a bit over the top. Still deciding.. Thanks for the opinions, especially the tailgate step.

Cheers,

Robert & Kerri

[mlh]

Let us know what you get on your truck.
Lynwood

[8e3k0]

Yes, the 7 pin plugin in the bed is part of the optional 5th wheel/gooseneck hitch assembly. With this combination you will still have the plugin on the hitch at the rear bumper.

[Fire5er]

I have heard that it is much cheaper to go with the aftermarket GPS units then to order from factory. Also as quick as technology changes having the factory installed Nav system your GPS will be out of date within a few years.
The one thing I was wondering about ordering was locking or Limited slip rear axle?

[jmi]

quote:Originally posted by Fire5er

I have heard that it is much cheaper to go with the aftermarket GPS units then to order from factory. Also as quick as technology changes having the factory installed Nav system your GPS will be out of date within a few years.
The one thing I was wondering about ordering was locking or Limited slip rear axle?

It is cheaper, this is true. What is different is traffic updates with the satellite Sirius. Have one of these in another car and it routes around traffic and the map shows where the traffic is bad. Most smart phones can show the same maps, just not as handy. A decent Garmin can load all the POI you need including the bridge Heights. Here is a sample posted in another thread http://lowclearances.com, I asked the Ford dealer and we did not believe it would be possible to use these.

[troutchasers]

The top of the line Nav system for the F350 has what is called SYNC technology. It has a 10G drive, GPS, the ability to load music via CD's, run your Ipod (USB) and to utilize Bluetooth to have your cellphone operated right from the steering wheel. It has voice recognition, who knows how reliable it is. I called and talked to the Ford SYNC people. You are indeed limited to 25 "slots" on the GPS, call them POI's or call them "destinations", it will only hold 25. The POI's that come with the Ford have food, gas, safety etc etc, but they are fixed.

One feature that does sound appealing is the ability to run a line out from a laptop to a line in jack on the Ford system. So, in theory, you can run your laptop (which fits snugly into the consol and rests on top of it nicely)running MS Streets and Trips (unlimited POI's) and run voice directions into the sound system of the truck.. "In Theory...."

I already have a Sirius account which I use quite a bit. The weather, traffic and gas price updates would be appealing. Maps have to be bought from Navtek and I'm sure they don't even smooch you when you write the check for updates.

Could plot long distance trips on the laptop and use the F350's GPS for daily use. One of the dreams I have is to visit many Civil War battle sites around the country. Have a great civil war roadtrip book and have inputed POI's for most all the major and minor battle sites, along with notes, into MS Streets and Trips. Figure it would be a great template to see a great deal of this beautiful country and learn a bit at the same time.

That and our fly rods should keep us busy for awhile anyway.

Cheers,

Robert & Kerri

[ExPatNW]

Wanted to add to this thread. On the Nav System. From what I have been told, its a little unfair to compare a Garmin (external) unit to the onboard nav unit. There are times when you cannot receive a GPS signal, but with the onboard system, GPS is its primary but not only method of determining your position. It also uses data from the car, such as steering input and speed to update your position even if the GPS signal is lost for a while.

Most of the time we get a GPS signal, although I have noticed that in the mountains here in WA state, we do sometimes seem to lose the signals.

The nav system is not cheap - but its very nice. The phone integration is useful for us too.

[Ren]

Im jumping into this pretty late, but sometimes even ordering a vehicle you cannot deem exactly what goes into your truck. IE... the NAV comes with the Lariat premium interior package... so your going to be stuck with some of the options that you can or cannot make.

I scoured the net for mine and got a pretty screamin deal on it. It has more stuff on it that I thought I would ever need... like the backup camera.... but it is dang sure nice now that Im used to it. It makes backing up in the dark soooooo much nicer. Same thing with the heated seats... I always thought... who would ever need those. But when you pull your back and it hurts.... its sooooo nice to put some heat on your back in a nice comfy seat for the trip.

I would recomend the camper package, as it adds heavier springs up front, the fifth wheel prep package adds rails under the bed for the elite series 5th wheel hitch and wiring for the plug, lariat interior package, fx-4 package ( adds skid plages over transfer case and fuel tank), integrated brake controller, uplifter switches so you can power some add on goodies like fog lights, cb raidos..ect.., Mine also came with a sun roof... I thought to myself... who needs a sun roof on a TV?. But I think it will come in handy checking clearances...branches... ect...

Please PM me for any and more details. Enjoy your shopping as its one of the fun parts! Good luck!