New 2016 F350 (Follow-Up Thread)

Greene728 wrote:
Husky makes vehicle specific mud flaps that are simple bolt on using the small bolts that the wheel liner uses. Very easy install and no drilling in metal. I have them on my 2015 Ram and only hole drilled was in the rear and it was one per side in the liner (plastic). Highly recommended them!

That's what I have. I agree, simple and effective.

I have large Rock Tamer mud flaps that are attached to the receiver. When not towing, they can come off.

Travlingman wrote:
Congrats on the new rig. Beautifulllll.

I got the Ford OEM mud flaps, fit into existing holes.

These did not provide enough coverage when towing with my F250.

Trackrig wrote:
If you drill holes to install mud flaps, you're breaking the paint and undercoating sealants allowing rust to start forming on the bare metal of the holes you drilled. If they rust enough, the screws can loosen up and the mud flaps to drop off. If you get a new truck every 4 - 5 years, it's the next owner's problem.

A lot of people will run a piece of metal, hooked to the frame rail, from one side to the other and fasten the mud flaps to it. This usually allows you to install stronger and larger mud flaps than those preformed to fit the wheel well.

Bill

Thanks, Bill. I absolutely DO NOT want to deal with potential rust issues; no-drill it is.

DutchmenSport wrote:
I had mud flaps installed on my Chevy (dully) after market. They simply unscrewed the large screws holding the fender well on, and attached them right there. No extra drilling (except through the mud flap to make the hole). Worked great! Looks factory installed. Maybe you can do the same. Not sure how your truck side is attached though.

About your WD system. By the time you fill your tanks with propane, add the battery, and load the camper, your tongue will be heavier than you realize. Here's a thought, this is something I realized just a few weeks ago, after more than 40 years of towing experience.....

If the back of the truck squats (any at all), the headlight angle will be higher! A real problem at night, but if your truck keeps the head lights on during the day too, this could be a real headache for on-coming traffic.

Another thought... if by chance ... just a chance ... you are camped somewhere, and your truck has mechanical failure and you need to get your camper pull somewhere different by another truck, with your hitch, you can still use the WD on another vehicle. (peace of mind).

Unless you are towing an open utility trailer, WD with sway control is still very much needed. You've invested so much into the new truck, and the camper, why not just go ahead and finish it right and be safe, and not sorry. You'll not regret it.

Once you get truck and camper and WD system, go for a nice ride. Then remove the bars and go a little farther. I BET before you get 2 miles down the road, you'll be putting the bars back on,.... even with a 1 ton!

The 420 lb hitch weight I originally stated is with propane, battery and loaded to camp, validated on my Sherline tongue weight scale. I'm hoping that the relatively low weight of our camper might allow us to get by with just a standard drop hitch this time.

jerem0621 wrote:
how about a big ole Congrats on the new truck.

Do you have any idea what kind of hitch you are going with if you go Fifth Wheel?

You can purchase the Reese Elite under bed rails which is the same thing that the Ford fifth wheel prep package is.

Another option is the B&W Gooseneck and the Companion fifth wheel hitch.

There are other options but the last I'd like to mention are the above bed fifth wheel "industry standard" bed rails which many like just fine.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Thanks, Jeremiah!

That's great info. I have no idea as to what fifth wheel or hitch I'll be going with. We're probably about 3 years or so away from moving up, as our daughter will probably be getting too old to care about the camping thing.

I would definitely prefer the under bed rails, so I'll check out the Reese Elite, B&W and Companion setups. Sounds like it's not a big deal to add these to the vehicle.

GoPackGo wrote:
Really nice truck there !

I got the Ford OEM mudflaps on mine. Maybe talk with your dealer ??

Before the factories came out with all their 'factory' prep kits, all the holes were drilled manually. You can always have that done. I would suggest adding the electrical receptacle on the inner fender as well; it's very handy.

2 more suggestions for you -

- When the factory shocks wear out, put on a set of Bilsteins - 4600 or 5100.

- I run Ford's diesel fuel additive - PM22A. It adds lubricity to the fuel, which is a GOOD THING.

Thanks, GP! I'll definitely check out the factory flaps. That makes sense and seems like an obvious option lol.

I take it adding the electrical receptacle in the bed isn't a huge job. I hear a lot about that PM22A. I'll talk to the dealer when I look at flaps.

FishOnOne wrote:
Man... That truck looks like a jewel.

Ford OEM or Husky has some non drill molded flaps that I've read good reports on. Also go to mudflaps.com and look around.

Thank you!

Slownsy wrote:
Twin Turbo. I think you can easily get by with joust a dropped shank hitch if your trailer tows fine, I bought and installed wheel well liners and no drill mud flaps myself and easy job.
Frank.

Thanks, Slownsy. I definitely need to get those wheel well liners, too. Did you have to take off the rear wheels for install?

nohurry wrote:
Congrats! Beautiful truck, you'll love it.

DuraFlaps are excellent, and will go on using the existing holes in the fender well. I have them and love them. Just google DuraFlaps, and you'll find their website.

I think nowadays a "standard" bed is the 8', and the 6 1/2 is a short bed. When I searched for my Ford, I just had to educate myself on cab configuration and wheel base combos. Moot point now, but yeah, you'll love having the 36 gal fuel tank the 8' box gives you. Also, you won't need a sliding hitch for the fiver.

No 5th wheel prep actually will give you more choices when you go install the 5th wheel.

I wouldn't hesitate to tow that light of trailer with just a drop hitch on that truck, but going down hills, or in windy conditions you'll want some form of sway control. Having said that, it won't hurt a thing to get W/D bars to return the trucks stance to unloaded measurements. That way your headlights won't be pointing any higher also.

Get that 5th wheel soon, as that diesel just begs to be worked hard!

Good luck, and enjoy

Thank you! I did hear about and research the DuraFlaps, but I wasn't aware they would mount using the pre-existing holes. Good info.

It's relatively flat where I live, so I'll just have to hitch up and see how my setup tows without WD. If it's needed, I'll make the purchase for sure.

Greene728 wrote:
Husky makes vehicle specific mud flaps that are simple bolt on using the small bolts that the wheel liner uses. Very easy install and no drilling in metal. I have them on my 2015 Ram and only hole drilled was in the rear and it was one per side in the liner (plastic). Highly recommended them!

Thanks for the info. I saw those Husky mudflaps, but I'm not a fan of how they contour back over the vehicle body (I hope I described that correctly). Same thing with the Weathertech mudflaps.

salem wrote:
Beautiful truck. Do you mind if I ask the specific color?

Thanks! The color is Magnetic Metallic and it was my first choice. It's beautiful when clean, which I've only seen once haha. Snow and rain have hidden the beauty for a little while, unfortunately.

Travlingman wrote:
Congrats on the new rig. Beautifulllll.

I got the Ford OEM mud flaps, fit into existing holes.

Thank you, Sir! I will definitely be looking into those factory Ford flaps.

skiles wrote:

That's what I have. I agree, simple and effective.

It's so obvious now...I'm ashamed I didn't think of this. Feel free to mock me, folks.

Bedlam wrote:
I have large Rock Tamer mud flaps that are attached to the receiver. When not towing, they can come off.

Interesting. I definitely want a set that's on all the time, though.

Bedlam wrote:

These did not provide enough coverage when towing with my F250.

There are several different mudflap options available. Do you know which ones you have/had?

Oh, any recommendations as to a website with good prices on ford accessories? I can install the mudflaps and wheel well liners, and usually most car brands have a couple online dealers with great prices that beat local dealers.

These comments are based on 4 yr. ownership of an F-350 CCSB SRW 6.7: The B&W patriot hitch is very well liked on this forum. They are also American build by a company that put its workers to work doing civic maintenance during the recession rather than laying them off. Their under bed mounts are built specific to truck model making it pretty easy for the after market to get it right. My son just had one added to his F-350 CCLB SRW and loves it (gooseneck only so far). It only creates ond hole in the bed compared to Reese’s 5 holes. I have the under bed factory Ford (actually Reese) system. Since we have a short bed, the Reese slider hitch was crazy expensive. If doing it again I would go all the way with B&W myself. The only reason that I did not was that they do not make a slider hitch for the Ford mounts.

As a rule I use WD on anything over 300 lb. tongue weight. WD not only takes effective weight off the back axle reducing squat, but puts it back on the front axle returning to its weight to original design. Returning to original design weight reduces the tendency to over steer which could lead to sway. My goal when setting up WD is to return to original weight, not more weight, on the front. My other son has an F-350 crew cab, long bed, dually. Folks will tell you that you never need WD on that heavy of a truck, and he did not use it with his camping trailer. But, he had a pole trailer sway him across 3 lanes of interstate, and then back across the 3 lanes to the side of the road before he could get control. Now he uses WD and sway control on his camping trailer. Sway may be caused by many factors and this is not implying that WD is the most important—it’s just one factor. Undoubtedly there was something wrong with the loading of the pole trailer, but if you sway on time you’ll do everything you can to prevent it.

I strongly suggest using a diesel fuel additive for insurance. I use the Ford additive since there will be no factory argument on that. OptiLube also has a good reputation. Be careful of some of these older, classic, additives—some of them contain alcohol. Alcohol, gasoline, or water are all killers of the new high pressure fuel pumps. The repair is very expensive, and Ford will not cover it under warranty if the can prove alcohol, gasoline, or water. The Ford additive claims to add lubricity (for these sensitive fuel pumps) and cetane as well as a demulsifier. The demulsifier quality helps form water droplets which will then be caught in the first filter keeping them out of the fuel pump. So, you also will want to drain the water trap once per month.

Follow your owner’s manual, but I believe that it will say vary your speed for 500 miles and don’t tow for 1000 miles. This helps all the gears set in. You may also notice that the only oil approved for heavy service, bio-diesel, and less than zero degrees is the 5W40 full synthetic. Your trailer is not really in the category of heavy service, but I like to use the best possible oil for my baby. I would leave the factory 10w30 oil in for 5,000 miles since no one really seems to know for sure if they add break in additives. There was suspicion a few years ago that switching out the factory oil too early caused some valve clatter—no proof either way.

I don't remember the model, but you can see them mounted here. The Ford flaps were too short and skinny. The Rock Tamers have plenty of adjustment even if your load or truck changes.

lenr wrote:
These comments are based on 4 yr. ownership of an F-350 CCSB SRW 6.7: The B&W patriot hitch is very well liked on this forum. They are also American build by a company that put its workers to work doing civic maintenance during the recession rather than laying them off. Their under bed mounts are built specific to truck model making it pretty easy for the after market to get it right. My son just had one added to his F-350 CCLB SRW and loves it (gooseneck only so far). It only creates ond hole in the bed compared to Reese’s 5 holes. I have the under bed factory Ford (actually Reese) system. Since we have a short bed, the Reese slider hitch was crazy expensive. If doing it again I would go all the way with B&W myself. The only reason that I did not was that they do not make a slider hitch for the Ford mounts.

As a rule I use WD on anything over 300 lb. tongue weight. WD not only takes effective weight off the back axle reducing squat, but puts it back on the front axle returning to its weight to original design. Returning to original design weight reduces the tendency to over steer which could lead to sway. My goal when setting up WD is to return to original weight, not more weight, on the front. My other son has an F-350 crew cab, long bed, dually. Folks will tell you that you never need WD on that heavy of a truck, and he did not use it with his camping trailer. But, he had a pole trailer sway him across 3 lanes of interstate, and then back across the 3 lanes to the side of the road before he could get control. Now he uses WD and sway control on his camping trailer. Sway may be caused by many factors and this is not implying that WD is the most important—it’s just one factor. Undoubtedly there was something wrong with the loading of the pole trailer, but if you sway on time you’ll do everything you can to prevent it.

I strongly suggest using a diesel fuel additive for insurance. I use the Ford additive since there will be no factory argument on that. OptiLube also has a good reputation. Be careful of some of these older, classic, additives—some of them contain alcohol. Alcohol, gasoline, or water are all killers of the new high pressure fuel pumps. The repair is very expensive, and Ford will not cover it under warranty if the can prove alcohol, gasoline, or water. The Ford additive claims to add lubricity (for these sensitive fuel pumps) and cetane as well as a demulsifier. The demulsifier quality helps form water droplets which will then be caught in the first filter keeping them out of the fuel pump. So, you also will want to drain the water trap once per month.

Follow your owner’s manual, but I believe that it will say vary your speed for 500 miles and don’t tow for 1000 miles. This helps all the gears set in. You may also notice that the only oil approved for heavy service, bio-diesel, and less than zero degrees is the 5W40 full synthetic. Your trailer is not really in the category of heavy service, but I like to use the best possible oil for my baby. I would leave the factory 10w30 oil in for 5,000 miles since no one really seems to know for sure if they add break in additives. There was suspicion a few years ago that switching out the factory oil too early caused some valve clatter—no proof either way.

Thanks, lenr. Very informative post, and from a fellow Hoosier, no less :)

Bedlam wrote:
I don't remember the model, but you can see them mounted here. The Ford flaps were too short and skinny. The Rock Tamers have plenty of adjustment even if your load or truck changes.

Wow! Those seem...well, a bit excessive for my purposes. I'm less concerned about my trailer and more concerned with the muck and ice buildup I'm getting on my side steps and truck body. I can see why serious towers would go that route though.

Wow.... that's one hell of an hitch extension but I know why you have it. Just never really seen one like that.

I purchased a new set of Rock Tamers since we purchased a new camper that has a very nice metallic paint and they do work great of protecting the front of a camper.