Anyone planning on buying a 2017 F-350?

I will be in the market to upgrade but I think I'll wait a year or two, they seem to be too proud of them at initial release and the prices are ridiculous.

My frustration is that in their rush to get 'em out the door, EACH of these makes leaves the factory with at least one or two engineered-in anomalies. Sometimes it's the transmission, sometimes it's emission related, sometimes the head bolts or head gaskets, sometimes the turbo, the DPF cracking, frame flex, HVAC, etc, and folks are often reluctant to tell the truth...And manufacture sales rely heavily, mostly on brand loyalties, not trouble free products.

Recall (the players....), the same truth fudging happened with silly SRW vs DRW wars....
There, I vented my frustration, time now for the blue pill!

I'm not much for buying the first year of anything any more although I used to buy first year for all my vehicles. :) The cost is generally higher and the quality is generally lower although I used to trade so often it didn't matter.

They seem to be giving screaming deals on the 2016s, so I'd go that route if I wanted a new one.

Might by a late 80s Chevy or GMC if I had to replace my Dodge, but won't touch anything new if I can help it :p.

It's the same way with my CTD in the chassis cab. If it results in a more reliable engine for a longer period, I'm fine with that instead playing the numbers game. My previous PSD had 325 hp and 570 lb-ft while my current CTD has 325 hp and 750 lb-ft. Both have no problem keeping the speed limit while loaded on a grade, so I do not feel like I am missing anything. I upgraded from my last truck because I needed more payload and not because it was lacking power. My CTD does have torque management which results in "dead pedal" feel verses my old PSD, but I believe the new PSD also has management which limits the initial acceleration.

My truck is not used empty, so the chassis cab tune is probably a better match for my usage verses someone that frequently uses theirs for commuting or grocery getting and has a less severe duty cycle. You need to decide if your usage would benefit from a more conservative tune.

Boatycall wrote:
I know the OP said F350, but I was **this** close to picking up a 2016 F-450 until I heard about the changes coming to the 2017. They're shedding 700lbs of weight in the body, while making the frame stronger by going fully-boxed.

The 2015, 2016 and 2017 F450 have the Dana110 rear end and 19.5's, while the 2014-2011 all have the Dana 80 and 17". The Dana 80 is rated at 10k, while the Dana 110 is rated at 14k - and includes the tires that can handle it. Add 4K for the front and you've got 18k GVW. However, Ford has intentionally under-rated the carrying capacity for what ever reasons - from what I read keeping the GVW rating under 14k keeps it out of a commercial class. The F350 with a Dana 80 on 17's, and the F-450 with a Dana 110 on 19.5's have a virtually identical GVW on the sticker.

Motor and transmission will be the same as the 2016.

I have a E-450 shuttle bus with a 14,050 pound GVWR licensed as a commercial vehicle, not a RV, and I use it as a shuttle van to carry my daughter in a wheelchair. I would have to install a bathroom, stove, and something else to convert it to a RV. The commercial license is $475 a year, while a RV would only be about $300 for 2 years.

If it was a E-350 with a 12,000 GVWR, the license would be a lot less expensive.

My actual weight when running down the road is a lot less than 12,000 pounds, so changing it would be 'great' but difficult.

Fred.

Wagonqueen Truckster wrote:

HMS Beagle wrote:


The '15 is worlds apart from my '99.

For the better?

Yes, for the most part. Not in love with the smog equipment, but it is very quiet, more comfortable, and heavier duty in most respects. Nearly double the power and torque, the transmission is 6 rather than 4 speeds and actually knows when to shift rather than just guessing. Fuel mileage so far seems about the same.

A couple of things on the '17: the chassis cab will not have a boxed frame aft of the cab. Not sure about the 450 with a bed. My concern with aluminum is not corrosion, but cracking (aluminum has very different fatigue properties than steel and some trucks with steel are cracking); also paint, very hard to keep paint on aluminum. Secondary concern is repair, costs about twice as much according the consumer reports, some insurance companies are charging more as a result. I hope that Ford will have these potential problems handled, they do have the 150 behind them so some experience. I have some experience in manufacturing high volume products, and from that I know that even if you build several thousand prototypes and test the hell out of them, when you build a couple of million and sell them to actual users you sometimes learn what you didn't know.

Bedlam wrote:
You may want to visit the chassis cabs. The frames are stronger and the F550 can be optioned with the Dana 130. Get an actual weight on that F450 (whether pickup or chassis cab) and you may find that what you want to carry may be close to its limits. Once I started looking at triple slides close to 6000 lbs when filled and loaded plus a 1000 lb tongue weight trailer hung off the back on an extension, I found the Class 4 trucks were at or past their maximum.

I did look into that. The only problem is - While they still come with the exact same 6.7L and tranny, Ford intentionally de-rates/reduces the motor down from 440Hp to 300Hp, and 860flb's torque down to 660. This was to increase the drivetrain lifespan given the heavier duty they are expected to take.

2016 F-550 Specs
Vs.
All other Superduty 2016 Specs

Can you stick a programmer on it and get it back, as well as get the gains that it would have gotten if it were a programmed/chip'd F450? I looked into that also - Yes... but there goes your warranty. All of the Mfg's now have a way of telling if the PCM has been programmed or chip'd.

Boatycall wrote:
I know the OP said F350, but I was **this** close to picking up a 2016 F-450 until I heard about the changes coming to the 2017. They're shedding 700lbs of weight in the body, while making the frame stronger by going fully-boxed.

The 2015, 2016 and 2017 F450 have the Dana110 rear end and 19.5's, while the 2014-2011 all have the Dana 80 and 17". The Dana 80 is rated at 10k, while the Dana 110 is rated at 14k - and includes the tires that can handle it. Add 4K for the front and you've got 18k GVW. However, Ford has intentionally under-rated the carrying capacity for what ever reasons - from what I read keeping the GVW rating under 14k keeps it out of a commercial class. The F350 with a Dana 80 on 17's, and the F-450 with a Dana 110 on 19.5's have a virtually identical GVW on the sticker.

Motor and transmission will be the same as the 2016.

You may want to visit the chassis cabs. The frames are stronger and the F550 can be optioned with the Dana 130. Get an actual weight on that F450 (whether pickup or chassis cab) and you may find that what you want to carry may be close to its limits. Once I started looking at triple slides close to 6000 lbs when filled and loaded plus a 1000 lb tongue weight trailer hung off the back on an extension, I found the Class 4 trucks were at or past their maximum.

Check with the stock and nope - no 2017 available and that is a dealer that keeps 50 new Superduty duallies on his lot.