F250 instead of F350

roger5438 · Post by **roger5438** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:24 am

What did I over look or failed to consider? I see many are towing with F250's rather than F350's. I thought that the F250 was going to be overloaded, but I have never towed. To late now I have the F350 w/05 30wble. Just wondering out loud. tks roger

Future Fulltimers · Post by **Future Fulltimers** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:57 pm

I have the F250 6.0L PSD. The weights are almost the same for the new trucks. To me the F350 would have been a little more stable (w/ the dual wheels). But Charles is right, if you go bigger, you're all set.

Anson · Post by **Anson** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:44 am

I also have a F 250 SD but I have the 6.8 Ltr V 10 and it is a great truck to use but I am over on my pin weight also, there is no difference between the weight a 350 and a 250 can pull it in my opinon depends on the Tounge weight, if anyone is nerveous they should get a dually, I ended up getting the Air Ride just to get the truck level and it has worked great for me, plus im never towing over 60 Mph, just never in a hurry to get anywhere

C.B. · Post by **C.B.** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:17 am

roger5438 wrote:What did I over look or failed to consider? I see many are towing with F250's rather than F350's. I thought that the F250 was going to be overloaded, but I have never towed. To late now I have the F350 w/05 30wble. Just wondering out loud. tks roger

Roger: Just a little background first.

(1) Sons Truck: 2003 Ford F-250- CC-SB- 4X4- 6.0 diesel
(2) My Truck: 2004 Ford F-350- CC-SB- 4X4- 6.0 diesel

Differences noticed from one to the other pulling my 2003 Cardinal 33CKTS.

A) Sons truck squats in the rear about 2 -3 inches when hooked up.
B) My truck sits level when hooked up.
C) Sons truck bounces a little more after going over bumps.
D) My truck feel more stabil than his
E) What we found odd is that my daughterinlaw says she thinks my truck rides better empty or loaded.

Remember this is strickly my opinion now. I think you did the right thing getting the F-350.

For the few exta bucks that the 350 costs over a 250 I think 350 is the way to go.

Butch

F350Cardinal · Post by **F350Cardinal** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 7:07 pm

The stability of the dual wheels is a great plus. You made a good choice!! I like my F350. If it wasn't for the towing of the Cardinal I would have a F250. But for towing you can't go wrong.

nhredbird · Post by **nhredbird** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:32 pm

New to this site. Saying hi to everyone first. I have the 250 V-10 because it fits under the 5th with more clearance. From the research I and others have done there is no differance between the 250 & 350 between 99' and 04' except for the blocks under the rear springs & the GVW sticker rating. The rear springs are the same. The 350 with 4" blocks instead of 2" sits higher in the rear so when loaded with the same weight it sits level. I opted for the air bags which is cheaper and adjustable. Options as far as tires, camper packages, increased front springs can be had on either truck. The only jump I would make would be to a dually, which has 2" blocks. Good luck with the new pull toy.

2002 F-250 CC SB V-10 4:30LS
2003 Cardinal 312BH-LX

Rob & Cathy · Post by **Rob & Cathy** » Tue May 23, 2006 3:33 pm

It's my understanding that the only difference between the new F250 and F350 (SRW) is the 2-3" spacer between the rear axle and the leaf springs. With that spacer Ford gave the F350 and additional 1500lbs carry capacity. The towing capacity of the new F250 and F350 (SRW) are identical.

k151487 · Post by **k151487** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:32 pm

Check the stats, the F-350 SRW has a payload rating of 4,200 lbs which is about 1,100 more than the F-250. Our 33TS-LX has a pin weight of 2,820 and a total weight of 12,660 loaded, which is way under the trailer GVWR of 14,400. Our 2005 6.0 PS crew cab long bed SRW handles the 5er just fine and sets level. We got the 2WD so that the bed height would provide good clearance and allow the trailer to set level.

jerbunk · Post by **jerbunk** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:17 am

I agree with everyone's observations..but all seems to depend on what section of the stats one looks at..In the slide in camper section.. between the 250 SD reg cab and the 350.there is a 1252 # difference..very large..but I only looked at the specs on the 5th wheel page..here they list both in the same column..and are identical..confusing.. But I know that my 250SD diesel..reg cab has a gvwr of 8800# (book says 9400#) and I weigh 6380 with fuel and me, and anything I want to throw in the front sea....I have 2320# for hitch and pin weight..(single guy..no additions) with the 29WD I believe I am close to what I should be.. I have ordered the firestone air springs..but to improve the ride.( planning to go back using RT 10.).not for extra carrying capacity. The 350 would have given more stability, I would think, but I am not sorry I bought this. I have no engine mods and this thing pulls great...only few hills have slowed me down...and made me downshift.mostly going down .The tow/haul seems to do about everything..and have felt no need to upgrade anything..unless I could improve fuel consumption..Average about 16 not towing..and after last computer update before I left Fl..just over 10mpg for the last 4000 mi run..I understand this is average.

CritterRenter · Post by **CritterRenter** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:46 am

I have the Dodge, with the Cumins, and am very happy with it. I'm heavy on the hitch, but comfortably within limits by the owners manual (I also have a 40 gal. aux tank). The airbags make a big differance in the ride, and helps to keep stuff stay put in the trailer too.
I think the programmer I use does help milage a bit. On our 4300 mile July trip, I averaged around 11 MPG.

Chief409 · Post by **Chief409** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:54 am

Our F250 FX4 was ordered with all the tow/camper/snowplow options. With full gas and the trailer loaded and on the hitch it's sitting level.

The 6.8 V10 with the auto transmission provides plenty of power. Out here just to go anywhere we're going over a mountain pass so I wanted plenty of power, and I got it. 8,000'/7% grade mountain passes at 45-50 mph. In tow mode you also get engine braking on the downgrades.

We just completed a trip to Salt Lake City via I15. Going up we had winds in the 40 to 50 mph range, tailwind, crosswind, and what I hate, headwind. The combination is very stable in these conditions. Gas milage for this leg of the trip, was appx 7.5 mpg (5 mpg in the headwind). On the return, in calm winds I got 9 mpg. This was at 60 mph, slowing to 50 mph on the steepest grades between Primm and Yermo in both directions. It will haul these grades at 60 mph, but the RPM is 4400 which is max hp on the chart. I prefer not to flog the engine that hard, this isn't NASCAR. 50 mph works out in the 3000 rpm range. The oil, water and transmission temp stayed in the middle of the normal range at all times.

lapriester · Post by **lapriester** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:39 pm

The difference between an F350 SRW and an F250 SRW is the hieght of the rear spring blocks. Same tranny, same engine same suspension just more room/travel with the higher rear blocks to haul more load.

With an F350 dually you gain stability and carrying capacity because of the 4 rear tires. Same suspension components.

Larry

Chief409 · Post by **Chief409** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:09 am

I sorta agree but my point was between the SRW F250/350 trucks. In Ford's 2008 RV & Trailer Towing Guide the difference is 200#. I'm considering a dually F350 extended cab long bed as the next rig myself, more room in the cab, and for the safety factor when towing in case of a rear tire going flat or blowing out, as my current combination has proven stable even in crosswinds gusting to 45 mph, which happens fairly often here in the Mojave desert.

I am curious about the MPG with dullies, I'm concerned the increased rolling resistance will result in lower mileage. Information on the V10 and Diesel would be appreciated, though with a $6600 initial price tag and $4.50+ fuel, and my own experience towing with the V10 (plenty of power, even in the mountains, fair MPG after it gets broken in, or the computer got enough info) I'm not inclined to go with the diesel.

lapriester · Post by **lapriester** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:04 am

I believe a dually is the way to go for hauling a huge camper but are not cost effective or really necessary for hauling a trailer around. Cost go way up when you consider the cost of tires and the fact that you can't rotate. They also WILL take a hit on fuel economy and God knows that can be a hit these days.

As far as the difference between a diesel and V10. In todays market with todays prices on fuel and oil it's pretty much a push. I've never towed with a V10 but, I CAN tell you for certain that the towing performance in a diesel is much better than any V8 gasser I have ever owned. So much better with a few performance enhancements that you can't even begin to compare.

The cost of a diesel is substantial though. Oil chnages more often and 15 quarts of oil, higher fuel costs. THose things pretty much wipe out any savings these days you might get on fuel economy with a diesel. Then you have the smell and the noise. Compute everything and you have a push yet I still like the "feel" of the towing performance of my diesel. Something about taking any grade at any speed I choose that makes me a believer. AND you gotta' love an exhaust brake!!! I don't know how anyone tows a big rig without one.

I've never found any gasser that comes close and I doubt a V10 would either.

Larry

PaulandTammy · Post by **PaulandTammy** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:25 am

lapriester wrote:I believe a dually is the way to go for hauling a huge camper but are not cost effective or really necessary for hauling a trailer around. Cost go way up when you consider the cost of tires and the fact that you can't rotate. They also WILL take a hit on fuel economy and God knows that can be a hit these days.

As far as the difference between a diesel and V10. In todays market with todays prices on fuel and oil it's pretty much a push. I've never towed with a V10 but, I CAN tell you for certain that the towing performance in a diesel is much better than any V8 gasser I have ever owned. So much better with a few performance enhancements that you can't even begin to compare.

The cost of a diesel is substantial though. Oil chnages more often and 15 quarts of oil, higher fuel costs.

Actually You can rotate the tires on a dually and it is covered in the owners manual, at least on Dodges. Some owners perfer not to rotate due to the uneven wear between the inner and outer set. I rotate mine about every 15k and have been since 2002. I have not noticed any problems with the uneven tire wear after I rotate nor do I feel it in the ride or steering.

The fuel mileage is not that bad. I have the 5.9 and I normally get 18-19 highway (empty) if I keep it at 65. I use mine as a semi-daily driver. We have a diesel Jetta that is our daily mule.

I change the oil every 7500 miles myself. Really not that much added expense to a dually other than a couple of extra tires when you buy a set every 40-60 thousnad miles. I think they are a bit of a handfull if you were doing nothing but city driving. I think this is just another instance of personal opinion. I do not think the extra cost is that great that that should be a limiting factor in owning a dually.

What it boils down to is some folks want a dually and some folks do not.

Cardinal RV Club

F250 instead of F350

F250 instead of F350

Re: F250 instead of F350