F 350 compared to F 250 for towing n hauling. Or even 450

[Greg5OH]

i've done big too. think 40ft three axle with 18speed gearbox behind 625hp. this is pulling a 65' long three axle conventional with a 53' ****** trailer pushin 80k. we are at a gross combined of 130k/lb coming out of the city of San Francisco. with over 100feet of truck, nobody around you is happy at all.

this gave me wood.

 

[1466IH]

people take their cdl test with pick ups and g necks around here all the time and then use a single axle little dump truck to get the air brake endorsement doesnt make sense to me how taking the test like that can qualify you to run 80thou with a big truck though

 

[towcat]

people take their cdl test with pick ups and g necks around here all the time and then use a single axle little dump truck to get the air brake endorsement doesnt make sense to me how taking the test like that can qualify you to run 80thou with a big truck though

those guys keep me employed

 

[ironworker40]

Also if we are talking about obs trucks pay attention to if it is an light duty f 250 with semi floating rear axle or a hd f250 with a full floating rear axle. Payloads are way different

 

[92F350CC]

Back when I used to tug a travel trailer around, I was generally pulling it with an 86 F250 6.9. It was a regular cab 4x4. It did OK, but when I upgraded to my 92 F350 crew cab, it became a lot more stable towing(although going from a diesel to a 351 was a bit of a compromise). I attribute this to the both the suspension as well as the length of the tow vehicle. Never had a 350 regular cab to try a more direct comparison though.

 

[Moretorque]

The 350's pull way better than a single wheel rear, I do not like the idea of paying for 2 more tires but the 4 wheel rear is vastly superior for towing period. I learned from this truck if your are towing over 5000 pounds forget going from a 150 to a 250 and bite the bullet and go 350.

Way less rear sway and the truck has way better traction for stopping and so forth. You can tow alot more without a braking system on the trailer.

Although the newer 250 with the bigger rims and tires may be a different story?

 

[92F350CC]

The 350's pull way better than a single wheel rear, I do not like the idea of paying for 2 more tires but the 4 wheel rear is vastly superior for towing period. I learned from this truck if your are towing over 5000 pounds forget going from a 150 to a 250 and bite the bullet and go 350.

Way less rear sway and the truck has way better traction for stopping and so forth. You can tow alot more without a braking system on the trailer.

You do know that not all 350's have dual rear wheels, right? Mine is an SRW.

And I would never upgrade my truck so that I can tow a trailer without having a braking system.....that's crazy. I can't remember what the threshold was(Maybe 1500 lbs), but any trailer above that weight should have brakes.

 

[Moretorque]

You do know that not all 350's have dual rear wheels, right? Mine is an SRW.

And I would never upgrade my truck so that I can tow a trailer without having a braking system.....that's crazy. I can't remember what the threshold was(Maybe 1500 lbs), but any trailer above that weight should have brakes.

I edited the last post and we will say a duel rear wheel tuck. I run electric brakes but they are a pain to keep up. In FL it is flat and no snow. It would be area dependent as far as running brakes on a trailer mandatory.

My F 150 is plain dangerous with a trailer. realistically my older style 150 was only safe with a load of 3000 ponds with no brakes.
I hear the newer 150's are better?

 

[92F350CC]

Yes, the newer half-tons are better. Most of them are rated to tow around 10,000 lbs with the right configuration.

In fact, now that I think about it, half-ton, 3/4 ton, and one ton are definitely outdated terms at this point, as each is capable of much greater payloads respectively at this point than they were 30 years ago.

EDIT: Also, the terrain doesn't matter much to me whether or not a trailer should have brakes. Momentum is momentum, and a trailer can still push you around on flat ground as well if you get going fast enough, esp if somebody pulls out in front of you or hits their brakes and you have to make a panic stop.

 

[Moretorque]

The only time my F 150 was dangerous is when it was wet. With hills and snow no way I would operate with out the electric brakes in top notch shape.

 

[ironworker40]

I think you are right about the brakes . trailer brakes and load levelizer hitch should be mediatory over 3000 lbs. i towed a 3500 pound trailer with a 2000 f 350 with the tongue weight right(set with a trailer scale) and after 500 miles we put the load levelizer bars on and it was like having a whole new rig. at that weight a f 350 shouldn't have needed it but it made a huge difference.

 

[chris142]

A trailer yhat weighs 10k requires a cdl with the exception of an rv trailer. An rv trailer can weigh 15k w/o a cdl

 

[jrad235]

350's have a D60 front and 4" blocks in the rear. 250's have D50 and 2" rear block... Only difference in Pre-97

F250's don't have overload springs.

 

[Moretorque]

A trailer yhat weighs 10k requires a cdl with the exception of an rv trailer. An rv trailer can weigh 15k w/o a cdl

I like it when a RV camper crashes on the interstate and it looks like a house got ran over sitting on the highway with all kinds of like house gear and pots and pans and stuff strung out all over the road. Have you ever seen that? it is so cool looking.

 

[FarmerFrank]

Before my days of owning 3/4 and 1 tons i use to pull a 16ft car hauler with my bronco. I never had a load over 5000lbs behind it but it still sucked with the extremely short wheelbase of 105". Shorter than some cars. my 86 250 i added one leaf in the pack and it made a world of difference in its payload and towing. i always run "E" rated tires and have had 10k trailer and load combinded (16k gross) and not once has it swayed on me. Ladder bars take away any wagging the dog too. If you want to get serious add a set of air bags and try to make the truck squat then