Forum Discussion

mattyj's avatar
mattyj
Explorer
May 15, 2021

Question about a Ford F 350 Drw

We are going to be getting a new TC and fairly new Truck probably in the coming year, I plan on retiring on 12/31/21. (If I make it) My wife loves the Adventurer 901 DB with a full wall slide,California King mattress and the U shape dinette and me too. I know it’s a heavy camper and it needs a DRW , my question is can a Ford F3 50 dual rear wheel handle any Truck Camper out there? Or are there certain campers that need even more then a F3 50 DWR can handle?

60 Replies

  • True that the differential is the same Dana model on the 2021s. Page 52 shows the rest of the story. The F450 Axles are bigger with more splines and the brakes are much larger with almost double the liner area for the rear with also bigger caliper pistons.

    https://madocumentupload.marketingassociates.com/api/Document/GetFile?v1=5641565&v2=111920091727&v3=60&v4=aab797d46fa16d22dd60927744e1b23cba1ecf1722b9a82790d1e244&v5=False

    I think the 9900 RAWR on the F450 is understated. If it is right for the F350 DRW with bigger axles, bigger brakes, and more tire capacity on the F450, I think that is a reasonable conclusion even for the 2021s that the F450 is more capable even though the stated payload is less.

    To be clear, you pay for that capability with a rougher ride and more expensive tires, and no ability to air down.
  • mattyj wrote:
    Interesting,I guess if I get an F350 with a gvwr of 13300 lbs I should be within weight limits for a 4500 camper wet. I think a Drw extended cab 4x4 8 foot bed with a diesel will weigh about 8500 lbs


    Easy. My Arctic Fox was maybe not 4500 but close, on short bed 3rd Gen Ram 2500.
    Gvw of less than 14k on any newer dually is also artificially low for some reason.
    Plus all the weight is on the rear axle essentially. So keep rear axle under 10klbs and all is good.
  • Looking at Fleet Fords weight specs shows a 2021;
    F450 DRW 4wd 176 wb 6.7 diesel 14000 gvwr 9900 rawr 8587 base weight.

    F350 DRW 4wd 176 wb 6.7 diesel 14000 gvwr 9900 rawr 8133 base weight.

    That why Ford folks on Ford diesel forums and the specs above tells us the the F450 is 450 lbs heavier than the F350 drw. Payload advantage goes to the 350 drw.

    Both have the same Dana 256 front axle and the Dana 300M rear axle with the 9900 rawr that will carry the load in the bed.
    Fleet Ford specs shows the F350 drw has a 270 Lbs in the bed payload advantage. fleet ford

    Many new gen F350 drw (in my above configuration) rear axle can weight in the 3700 lb range leaving around 6200 lbs for a truck camper.
    A lighter F350 drw super cab 164" wb can get you another 200 lbs or so of payload.

    Now if you move up to the F450 cab/chassis with a custom hauler bed you get those big 12880 lb rear axles that can carry any TC you want. My neighbor lady has a Ram 4500 cab/chassis/custom haulers bed. She says her Rams rear axle comes in at 3880 lbs with around 8100 lb money payload depending on how much fuel she has in the tanks.
  • Interesting,I guess if I get an F350 with a gvwr of 13300 lbs I should be within weight limits for a 4500 camper wet. I think a Drw extended cab 4x4 8 foot bed with a diesel will weigh about 8500 lbs
  • Based off of pretty much any of the criteria, a drw truck can handle most all the big campers, but getting near the with the big triples.
    Figure max weight of about 6500 lbs total payload on the rear axle.
    But just like a 4000lb + camper on a srw truck, the next bigger truck will do it more effortlessly from a chassis/axles standpoint.
  • The GVWR is usually the same on the last few years models. Nearest we all can tell, the GVWR is pretty artificial. But, the F450 Pickup model weighs more given heavier suspension and tires/wheels that give the F450 much larger diameter brakes. That leaves less weight for payload if you simply calculate GVWR-GVW. It’s not much though on similarly configured pickups. Last time I looked it was 200-300 lbs.

    However, the F450 has higher rated rear tires and axle on most years. That along with the heavier suspension overall means will comfortably handle larger TCs and more payload than a F350 DRW.

    There are also chassis model F350s and F450s. They typically have quite a bit higher GVWR. It seems most people are going with chassis models to haul the largest TCs.
  • My mistake, I see you have A 14,500 pound gross vehicle weight rating, maybe it was a typo I saw a 2011 ( I think it was )F4 50 with a 10,000 pound gross vehicle weight rating, and then I read somewhere that they were meant for towing more than for hauling. My mistake
  • jimh425 wrote:
    Some people will say that the largest triple slides are too heavy especially if you will tow.
    . I see you have an F4 50, is it true that F4 50 has a lighter gross vehicle weight rating than an F3 50? But it’s towing capabilities are a lot greater?
  • Some people will say that the largest triple slides are too heavy especially if you will tow.