2011 F-450 with 196,000 miles/hot shot trucker

Whatever his weight is he must be legal or he would never get through a Port. There is a motivation to tow/haul as much as you can with the lightest vehicle possible. The more your dry weight the less paid cargo you can carry. Going to a heavier tow vehicle may not make sense even though it might be more durable. His additional payload must pay better than the additional repairs on the Ford. Its all about payload.