Suspension upgrade for 2005 F-250

[Irlpguy]

dieselguy is right. I offered my own opinions to the OP without being critical of or in any way addressing anyone else's opinion or advise, I made no assumptions there was any misunderstanding/inaccuracies in the content of their posts.

Two members neither of whom offered any advise to the OP saw fit to bring into question my posts and I responded to that.

I apologize to the OP for allowing those posts to distract me from my intent of only trying to be helpful to your concerns. In spite of the distraction, I hope you did get some input that will assist in your decisions. Good luck.

[8.1al]

quote:Originally posted by Irlpguy


Two members neither of whom offered any advise to the OP saw fit to bring into question my posts and I responded to that.

Since I have been accused of nitpicking and criticized for not contributing to the topic here goes.

Biggjb,

I apologize for getting off topic, I merely wanted to make sure we were all talking about the same things
You have a great engine in the 7.3 but the tranny is a weak spot. You could upgrade tires and suspension but that does nothing for brakes, frame, the load capacity of the rear axle itself, not to mention legalities involved. To tow a fifthwheel weighing 16,000 pounds without exceeding any of the trucks capacities you really need a 1 ton dually.

[richfaa]

This topic, IMO, has run the course. The OP should have enough information to make a decision.

[8.1al]

You're right Rich, is there any popcorn left?

[Biggjb]

Thanks to everyone in this thread. No apologies are needed as well all should have thick skin. I have contacted my local Ford dealership and he stated exactly what everyone has already stated. To be legal it is better to bit the bullet and buy the 1 ton with dual wheels. I should also mention that I asked the same question on a Ford truck forum and to this date and time no replies. I guess it is a real legal issue that should be satisfied with a new 1 ton truck.

[Art-n-Marge]

Oh boy, here we go again. More to explain. An F-250 is called a "3/4 ton", an F-350 is called a "1 ton". After that I don't know what to call them but an F-350 dually should be called something else. Then there's the F-450 which is ONLY a dually and we call that one "a Beast".

Ironically it's been many years since the payload of a 3/4 ton truck of any brand carried only 1,500lbs (3/4 ton), and a 1 ton truck certainly carries more than 1.5 tons. Then the duallies are in the several tons. While this nomenclature pertains to the CCC, the value is higher than when they were first labeled as such.

So Biggjb, what you really want is a new 1 ton DUALLY (F-350). If you plan to tow a 16,000 lb trailer you need to estimate the heaviest pin weight being carried by the truck (between 18% to 25% or 2,880lbs to 4,000 lbs). Then make sure the whole load satisfies the truck's GVWR & CGWR. To help with this you might look at getting a higher ratio differential. The higher the ratio, for example, 3.73 versus 4.10, the higher the towing capacity. The bad news is since the gearing is higher this means the mpgs are lower. But if your priority is a powerful truck that doesn't squeak by, and enough to pull 8 tons of trailer, it will take more fuel to do so. Knowing this means you don't get surprised by it while being safe and compliant.

Then when loading that trailer the way you pack it makes a difference. Loading more gear to the rear of the trailer and over the axles will lighten the pin weight. But then you must weigh the rig to ensure each axle and wheel are carrying equally. It is a real balancing act and only the scales will confirm how you are doing and that you didn't overload the trailer beyond its GTWR either. I have done this and my pin weight is about 19% of the GTW. However, each wheel was weighed and three carry almost the same weight, but the fourth wheel (passenger side rear) is the lightest by about 300 lbs. Since all are well below the 3,000 lb wheel rating, I'm okay with this.