Suspension Question

[Bud]

Hi all. New here. Joined because I will be getting a 7.3 very soon and need an answer to something that I was told. I'll try and make this short and to the point.

I just purchased a 37 foot 5th wheel and was leaning toward a 1999-2002 F-350 to pull it with. A guy told me not to rule out the F-250 model as it is the same as a 350 except for the suspension which can be beefed up to handle the 5th wheel. True or not?

Also, opinions on duallys or not would be helpful. I'm leaning toward not having a dually due to the expense of 2 more tires.

Thank you. I look foward to your thoughts.

Bud B. in New Mexico

 

[SuperCab]

37 footer is pretty big... do you know what it weighs? I would guess once you look into weights and towing capacities you will rule out the F250. As far as a dually it is two extra tires but man are they stable compared to a single wheel. Again, getting the needed towing capacity may steer you towards the dually too

 

[smokey]

With that big of a trailer I would go with a F350 dually.
I don't like dually but for that setup a dually will be needed.

 

[Bud]

Thanks Frank & Smokey. The trailer max GVWR is 18,750. I guess I'm still wondering about the difference between the 250 and 350. IS it just the suspension and if so, can the 250's be beefed up to match the 350's?

Bud

 

[SuperCab]

I don't know specifically for this year but there are smaller brakes on the 250 in a lot of generations. Also differences in chassis strength, axle capacity depending on the year of the truck and how it was spec'd when purchased originally.

But that is a hell of a heavy trailer... I will dig up the spec sheet and post if I can but I don't know that any 7.3 truck was ever factory rated for that trailer weight.

 

[SuperCab]

This is for 2002 model year Super Duty. None of the options yielded a gross combined weight rating (truck with trailer) of over 20,000lbs

Not to say it can't be done or that it hasn't been done.

 

[Sparky83]

the fist gens were seriously underrated for what they could do.. as far as the base components go.. the f250 and f350 are built exactly the same... the only difference in them is the blocks in the rear under the springs... F250 only have a 2" block.. the f350 has 4" (2x2") block in the back.. depending on the equipped package you may or may not get the helper springs for the rear leafs... for the weight your looking at pulling a diesel is definitely going to be the route to go... as far as the dually vs srw.. it always seems to come down to users preference.. but i can tell you after being in my friends SRW f250 and my dually f350 just driving around town.. you do feel a difference in stability with the duallys.. (if you believe the specs) SRW topped outs about 9,900lbs where the dually is 11,200lbs.. but also depends on the truck conf.. cab and chasis they end up being even at the 11,200...

tow ratings max out the combined rates to 14K but with a 5th wheel they can go a little further.. keep in mind though these trucks weight just shy of 7000 lbs by themselfs.. and after pulling a 32 ft camper before id say definitely get 4wd... while not needed for the towing it comes in handy when the campground turns to mud..

the F450's are rated to 15,000 and the F550's 17,500-19,000...

The numbers stated here were for the first gen SD... the F450 and F550 had the 7.3 as the primary option with the 6.8V10 as the gas option... the 7.3 in these trucks were specd to 275hp 525 tq... the downside to both of these though is youll be spending alot of time at the pumps filling up as my neighbour said with his 450.. he could pass everything on the road but the gas stations..

 

[dan.wink.5]

Remember to also consider the legal impact of pulling a trailer above a trucks rating.

In the west, you can (and will) be pulled over and inspected with a large 5th wheel.

In the event you were to become involved in a wreck, you would likely be cited at fault and ticketed.