Tow/Haul

pnichols wrote:
What one "gains" with the E450 chassis over the E350 chassis - with an RV coach's raw weight that doesn't require it - is (at least for my model year):

1) Larger brake swept areas.

2) Thicker frame steel.

3) Increased transmission fluid volume.

4) Hydraulically assisted power brakes instead of vacuum assisted.

5) Wider rear stance.

6) Lower rear differential ratio.

All of these differences provide long term advantages and are well worth the extra dollars we had to pay for the E450 chassis under a small Class C. I advocate "buying a heavy duty vehicle and using it in a light duty way" as the best way to help ensure safety and long term reliability with lesser maintenance.

There are ways around the less mileage and rougher ride of the E450 chassis, but very few affordable ways around having a lighter duty chassis to begin with.

Not quite...

According to the Ford website for my 2011 E-350 (Compared with the E-450) chassis:

The brakes are exactly the same.

The frame sections are larger on the 450, .02" thicker. :R

The website does not address trans fluid volume but it is the same trans.

Yep a wider stance.... but not by much.

Like I said you need the lower rear end to do the work the 450 was designed to do but on 24' or less it is just overkill that reduces ride quality and mileage with no appreciable benefit. Carrying around the extra weight to support a job that that you will never need it to is simply a waste. Your reliability and maintenance will be no better with a 450 than a 350, If anything the 450 has to work harder than a 350 to just get on down the road.

My 350 has 3,368# of payload, 1,450# of which I don't even use fully loaded and it has the 55 gallon fuel tank. Advocate for the 450 on small C's all you like it is still overkill. We usually agree on most issues but ranting that your 450 is superior to the 350 is an inaccurate generalization.... and as I frequently point out:

Opinions and YMMV.

:B