What are you pulling with you 3//4 diesel truck?

chevor wrote:

Excellent. I'm curious as to what major maintenance and/or repairs you have had to have done during those 603,000 miles.

Could someone please list the Ford rear axle part number differences between a 2003 F250 Lariat with camper special option and a F350 SRW Lariat with Camper special option? And the same for the 2005 versions. Thank You

We purchased our 3/4 ton truck 3 years before we bought our 5th wheel. The truck has handled the 5th wheel very nicely going on 8 years. Have less than 30,000 miles pulling the 5th wheel with this truck. Have not seen any need to change especially with Ford going through the 6.0L and 6.4L diesel engine fiasco's in spite of the weight police. Have 150,00 miles on the truck and still on the second set of tires. So the 5th wheel is connected less than 20% of the mileage. Its also my daily driver. At the time of purchase the main focus was towing capacity for an equipment trailer and did not want to deal with a dually in parking lots, etc.. Did not anticipate ever towing a 5th wheel. The towing capacity of a 2003 F250 was greater than the rated towing capacity of a 2003 F350 Dually. In retrospect I have no regrets whatsoever in spite of constant nagging of impending catastrophe from the weight police.

Me Again wrote:

rtazz17 wrote:
e fact your truck is level..

My belief is that if you haven't bought the truck yet just buy the one ton. Cost is really not much of a factor.

Sage advice for most! Chris

Sage advice, ya !!!! have said it several times

rtazz17 wrote:
e fact your truck is level..

My belief is that if you haven't bought the truck yet just buy the one ton. Cost is really not much of a factor.

Sage advice for most! Chris

rtazz17 wrote:

MrVan wrote:
Could someone explain to me why rear air bags do not accomplish the same thing as an extra leaf in the rear springs? The extra leaf in the spring affords a higher payload capability, the air bag does the same. I'm not saying the specs changed on the truck door pillar but is it not true that either way the payload capability improved significantly. And that is why the loaded truck levels out! I don't see why some RV.net members are so negatively biased about this. I'm only stating the real world payload capability is the same even though the door label may not reflect it. I'm not recommending overloading any Tow vehicle. I'm only asking if the TV is comparably configured why is not comparably capable in a real world environment.

Kind of but other factors are here as well,they will get you level but::

That number is based on factors such as frame stiffness,
tires(load range),brake capability(swept area,axle weight rating(GAWR,front and rear)and of course springs..
Im by no means a member of weight police.But technically there are other factors.Not just the fact your truck is level..

My belief is that if you havent bought the truck yet just buy the one ton.Cost is really not much of a factor.

I think some are thinking I belong to the weight police, not hardly. Just have towed with two different 1 ton SRW diesel trucks 99 Ford 7.3 and a new 2014 Ram 6.7. Night ,and day difference, but still would not want to tow with anything rated less than the new truck, at least at the weight I am towing just over 13K

Did a little research on airbags ,but was aware before, they do nothing for capacity. Also this old story about 3/4 tons being the same as 1 ton other then the old 1 leaf story , surprised that more guys with a little knowledge of these trucks would know that it is more then just the suspension, the rear axles are also different. This is mainly 2005 ,and up, at least on the Fords, and some minor difference prior to that . I would hope some will gain this knowledge and come on here ,and quiet this 3/4 ton crowd , and the l leaf spring, and air bags thing down.

MrVan wrote:
Could someone explain to me why rear air bags do not accomplish the same thing as an extra leaf in the rear springs? The extra leaf in the spring affords a higher payload capability, the air bag does the same. I'm not saying the specs changed on the truck door pillar but is it not true that either way the payload capability improved significantly. And that is why the loaded truck levels out! I don't see why some RV.net members are so negatively biased about this. I'm only stating the real world payload capability is the same even though the door label may not reflect it. I'm not recommending overloading any Tow vehicle. I'm only asking if the TV is comparably configured why is not comparably capable in a real world environment.

Kind of but other factors are here as well,they will get you level but::

That number is based on factors such as frame stiffness,
tires(load range),brake capability(swept area,axle weight rating(GAWR,front and rear)and of course springs..
Im by no means a member of weight police.But technically there are other factors.Not just the fact your truck is level..

My belief is that if you havent bought the truck yet just buy the one ton.Cost is really not much of a factor.

up2nogood wrote:
Mr van ,this might help the old one leaf notion between the 3/4 ton ,and the 1 ton difference . At least from 2005 and up.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve250 View Post
The impression I got from another thread was that the 250 & 350 axles were the same and the springs wee different...
That was sorta true way back when. But for '05-up models, the F-350 SRW has an obviously stronger rear axle than the F-250.

Quote:
But just for my info how are the axles different? I thought they were both sterling 10.5's for the srw and dana80's for the drw???
Both SRWs have the Ford "Sterling" rear axle with a 10.5" ring gear. But the same basic design rear axle can have several different weight ratings. The Ford 10.5" rear axle can have weight ratings of 6,084, 6,200, 6,430 or 7,280 pounds @ground, and probably other weight ratings as well. The differences are internal bearings, races, bushings, axle shafts, and other components.

For example, for 2006 model year, the F-250 rear axle is rated 6,200 pounds @ground. The F-350 SRW rear axle is rated 7,280 pounds @ground. One obvious difference is the axle shafts. The F-250 axle shaft has 35 splines and is 1.50" major diameter. The F-350 SRW axle has 37 splines and is 1.57" major diameter. And of course the different axle shafts require different bearings to support them.

So ignore anyone who claims the F-350 SRW is identical to the F-250 except for tires or some such. 'Tain't true since at least the 2005 model year.

Now before the 2005 model year, there was some truth to it. Some F-250s had the same rear spring pack and the same tires as the F-350 SRW. The rear axle had the same axle shafts and the same size bearings, but there were minor differences in content that resulted in the F-250 axle with a weight rating of 6084 pounds @ground while the F-350 SRW axle was rated 6,830 pounds @ground. But you couldn't see any obvious differences in the axles without measuring internal bits and pieces with a micrometer or some such, so lots of folks assumed they were the same.

I very clearly stated that I was referring to a 2003 F250 vs 2003 F350. It would be very helpful if this was taken from rhetorical generalities to actual and specific part number differences from the manufacturers Parts Catalog. I have repeatedly requested that. Until those part number differences are provided this is all supposition and pontification.

Racine96 wrote:
I was going to buy a new Ram 3/4 diesel this weekend when I got a message from the dealer that the service dept. manager was telling them not to sell it. Because the fifth wheel has a 14,000 GVWR they say is too much pin weight for it. I was surprised as we were about to close the deal. The question is are they right? What are you pulling with your 3/4 diesel? Are the coil spring rear suspension the cause for this?

The 2014 Ram Tradesman version with a 6.4L Hemi engine will tow it easily. It's listed at 3972 lbs.