Ford aluminum trucks

The total weight savings didn't go towards reducing the overall weight of the truck. Ford did spend some of that weight savings to go back into upgrading other components to make them more robust (specifically the frame if I recall correctly).

The switch to aluminum probably did save them close to 700lbs but they probably put 200 to 300 of that back into the truck in other areas.

JIMNLIN wrote:
Its odd but looking at Fleet Fords body service specs doesn't show much difference in gvwr payloads/dry axle loads between a '15 vs '19 trucks.

GVWR is a “chosen” number. You have to go back to 2010 trucks to get a GVWR greater than 14000 for a pickup style Ford. My 2010 F450 has a 14500 GVWR.

Its odd but looking at Fleet Fords body service specs doesn't show much difference in gvwr payloads/dry axle loads between a '15 vs '19 trucks. fleet ford

2019 F350srw crew cab 2wd 176" wb 6.7 diesel 7289 lbs dry weight.
2015 F350srw crew cab 2wd 172" wb 6.7 diesel 7316 lbs dry weight.

Like someone mentioned the aluminum F350 srw may have a heavier/stronger frame/other components that negates any payload advantage.

I wouldn't think either truck would have any issues hauling a heavy TC around. Now a plumbers truck would have different results.

3 tons wrote:
What would concern me about aluminum is the higher cost to repair it, and a possibly higher insurance premium...But I can’t say for certain...

I moved to different state when I bought new truck, so hard do compare insurance premium. Nobody ask me about it, but knowing that insurance industry knows more about your vehicles that you do- it might be higher.
Cost of repair? Who repairs dented fenders those days? Get a new one.
I dented plastic dually fender extension pretty bad and it come right back to original shape. Had only buff off some paint scratches.

What would concern me about aluminum is the higher cost to repair it, and a possibly higher insurance premium...But I can’t say for certain...

Don't doubt that the new(er) aluminum alloy truck beds can handle a load. Why wouldn't they? It's not like ford designed a bed that can't be used for stuff without falling apart.
I'm sure it's fine.
However just like millions of other people, I've used, seen and been around 1000s of trucks used as trucks and generally they hold up to the use they see. That said, there is a limit, be it ultimate load, or fatigue over time. Have seen and destroyed tailgates, bed sides, cracks around mounting bolts, but typically old construction trucks that see more use and abuse in a year than most of us could even think about putting on a personal truck.
Ford beds are fine, as are the rest.
What people don't consider or admit typically is the conditions that surround or precede a "random failure". I.E. "I was just driving down the road and ______ broke, bent, snapped, stopped running, etc.". Most of the time you don't get the Paul Harvey version. (The rest of the story )

Annual welding on the Dodge? Mmmmkay, whatever. Our old Dodge has been hauling a heavy truck camper off and on for 6 years now. Idk probably 30-40k miles including a trip up n back on the (in) famous Alcan and all over the state of AK for a summer. Yes the frost heaves are worse way up north. Couple X country trips, plenty of poorly maintained forest roads, etc.
And like most, I'm sure, the bed has dents in several locations from the camper. Creased the front of the bed slightly, dented the rear of the bed floor on both sides.
Looks like every other truck bed out there.

To the OP, but a Ford, buy a Dodge or Chevy. They'll all haul a truck camper, if it fits.

I have an aluminum 2016 F150 and a steel 2004 Dodge. In my experience there hasn't been a stout, strong pickup bed made in the last 40 years. The bed on my Dodge is full of dents - you can tell where every support is underneath the bed by just looking inside the bed. The bed of the F150 seems to me to be about the same stoutness.

If you want an "undentable" bed, go with a flatbed!

Ford literature can be deceiving on aluminum vs steel with the F-150 getting more air time..

Ford (NYSE:F) took the wraps off of its all-new 2017 F-Series Super Duty pickups on Thursday.

These are the brawnier siblings of Ford's big-selling F-150 pickup that was all-new for 2015. Like the new F-150, the Super Duty models have body panels made of a sturdy aluminum alloy.

Those new panels helped cut the weight of the big pickups, just as they did with the F-150. But the weight savings aren't as much as you'd think: The new Super Duty models are "up to" 350 pounds lighter than the old ones, Ford says. Ford managed "up to 700 pounds" with the F-150.

So it's easy to see why one could say a 700 pound saying instead of a 350 pound savings that include the door panels..

Ford claims to have saved hundreds of pounds. Those savings do not just reflect the aluminum bed. Of course, other manufacturers are also making weight reduction modifications elsewhere on their vehicles.

After years of use and hitting bumps occasionally, my steel Dodge Ram bed showed considerable damage. Aluminum would have been much worse. I would suggest adding a plywood base if you have an aluminum bed.

Total weight savings for a typical F150 crew cab 2015-up is about 700 pounds. YMMV. Walk through a parking lot with a bunch of aluminum Fords in there and see if you can find dents in an amount any different than steel trucks.