F450 - Too Much Truck?

[Sprigelz]

Looking at a reasonably priced used F450 King Ranch (dual rear wheel) to throw a TC in the back and live in full time. Is the F450 too much truck and considered un-necessary in your opinion?

[Lou Schneider]

Welcome to The RV Forum!  Don't worry, there is no such thing as too much truck.   

Seriously, though - you'll be able to carry any camper you want to put on it without having to worry about payload as you load all of your stuff in.  Some truck campers are pretty heavy to start with and really aren't suitable for anything less than a dually F-350.  There isn't that much difference between an F-350 dually and the F-450. 

If you're planning to go too far off the beaten path, be aware a dually needs more clearance and has less traction on slippery surfaces than a truck with single rear tires, especially if it's 2WD.  It's counter-intuitive, but doubling the surface area of the tires on the drive axle places less weight on each tire, lessening the truck's ability to dig into slick surfaces.

And check the costs of insurance and registration compared to a smaller truck, just to make sure there aren't any surprises.

[AStravelers]

The last time I checked a couple of years ago, there was no difference between the cargo capacity between the F350 and F450 pickups.  The difference was the towing capacity. 

Note: I am referencing the F450 "pickup" truck.   The F450 chassis (no pickup bed) does have a greater carrying capacity. 

If you are looking at a large truck camping, be sure you check the weight of the camper.  The very large campers weigh 3500-3900 pounds before you load fresh water, all your gear, passengers, black & gray water, etc. 

By my estimates it is easy to have a total cargo (camper, water, passengers & gear) coming up to 5500-6000 pounds. 

So "no you can't have too much truck"!

[COCJ]

I agree that there is no such thing as too much truck! I have a 2015 F350 Dually Crew Cab Diesel hauling a 2015 Lance 1052. When I bought this truck, I looked at the F450 and it actually had less payload capacity than the F350 but way more towing capacity. Even with airbags and a bigger sway bar I still feel like the suspension is lacking for a big camper with two slides. Thinking about maybe changing the rear springs. As far as power the, diesel has no problem hauling the camper and towing my ATV trailer up the mountains.

[BigLarry]

In my opinion, it depends on how you plan to use it.  If you plan to use it for a daily driver and occasionally tow with it, you may not care for it.  I have a good friend with an F-450 and he loves it for towing, but he does not like the  harsh ride and the 4:10 gears for when driving around unloaded.   His wife passed away last summer and is considering buying a 3/4 ton truck with something it will pull comfortably. 

[VallAndMo]

Hello folks,

Interesting info, that a F450 actually has less payload capacity than a F350, both being DRW; this seems quite counterintuitive to me. The fact that the former has more towing capacity doesn't seem to me to make up for it, as in all my 5thWheel weight simulations, the real limit was the total payload and/or individual GAWRs. This makes it seem as the F450 is actually a worse choice for RVing...

Cheers,
--
   Vall.

[AStravelers]

The chassis cab F450 DOES have a greater GVWR than the F350.  With dually tires on the F350 the GVWR is 14,000 pounds and the F450 ranges from 15,000 to 16,500 pounds.

In the below link are the details.  You have to scroll way down past the towing capacity listing to find the GVWR.

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/chassis-cab/models/f450-xlt/