nichols,
I have an overkill chassis. A one ton and a 3/4 ton Dodge of that era have exactly the same frame, brakes, drivetrain, body. The dualie rr axle is slightly narrower than the SRW rr axle because of the hub extensions and the wheel backspacing. My 2500 has the Dana 80/35 spline axle they use in MoHo's. I have spent a lot of time upgrading the suspension to handle a lot of extra weight. This is my 8 leaf setup on the rr axle: an overload bottom spring, a 3" lift spring, the stock 3 leaf main pack, a 3-leaf secondary pack above with Stable Loads to make them come into play sooner:
I have loaded the pickup (without the TC) up with 5000 pounds of crushed rock with no ill effects. Of course i didn't drive to New York this way, but you get a feel if it is overloaded. It wasn't.
Weight is always a concern no matter how hefty your rig is. My point was to only carry what you 'think' you will need and a little more. I can load your E-450 up enough to make it cry uncle, but to what end? By the way, an F-450 is not a 1-1/2 ton. An F-550 or with certain acoutrements or an F-650 would be a 1-1/2 ton. I have a Clark 280VO transmission in my garage that came out of an F-650. Besides, the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, 1-1/4 ton monikers are now obsolete, and have been replaced with 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500.
I think this boils down to your perspective and how much water you use. We are on the minimalist side.
regards, as always, jefe
