Ford Pre 2008 Frnt axle 4500# VS 2008-on heavier axle 5000#?

[Baja_Man]

Been trying to narrow my decision down on a Class C. Now we have found that the later models (2008-on, I believe) have the heavier duty front axle rated at 5000#. The pre 2008 has the 4500# axle, I believe. The 2008 also has the 5 speed trans I believe.

A few questions....

1. What are the correct years for heavier front axle and 5 speed trans?

2. Is the heavier axle and 5 speed trans a MUST for someone looking to purchase a used unit in the $35K range? In other words, should my focus only be on the models that have the heavier axle and 5 spped trans? The pre 2008 units are not much lower priced than the 2008-on models.

Thanks!

[OldRadios]

Yes, that is a stupid place for the plugs and I had the same problem. I picked up a couple of low profile Philmore right angle plugs. In the way no longer and no pulling the dash apart.

low profile Philmore right angle plug

[pnichols]

ron.dittmer wrote:
As pretty as our older oval flowing dash board is in our 2007, it's not fun to have my wife's electronic gadgets plugged into the 12V outlets which makes shifting gears tricky for me. The plugs stick out so far that I can't shift gears without giving it special thought. I have been considering adding a 12V outlet close to the passenger which would immensely help me out.

I just plug one of these into our E450's dash 12V outlet. The plug from this fits so far into the 12V outlet that the shift lever does not interfere. The two pigtail outlets can be used as is to provide two outlets for cab electronics .... or another one of these pigtails can be plugged into one of the first pigtail's outlets to provide a total of three outlets. Since they're on short cords they can reach across over the top of the doghouse so the passenger can easily plug electroncs into it from the passenger seat:

http://www.roadproonthego.com/sp/12volt-2-outlet-platinum-series-fused-cigarette-lighter-adapter-wit...

[carringb]

MWOwner wrote:
Speaking of adding 12v outlets in the dash. Where would be the best place to tap into 12v under dash? Preferably, switched.

If you pull the dash panel, the dash support already has a hole in it to the right of the radio. I presume this was added included for a possible 12v outlet because there is already power there. I did not check it it was switched or not.

Also attached to the steering column support is a rectangle plug. This is the "Modified Vehicle Power" tap it. You can get the pigtail from Ford, and both switched and un-switched power is available from this connector.

[MWOwner]

Speaking of adding 12v outlets in the dash. Where would be the best place to tap into 12v under dash? Preferably, switched.

[Lumpty]

On my 2010 chassis unit I still ended up installing an upsized aftermarket front sway bar. That add, as well as Bilstein shocks and an alignment made big tracking and stability improvements, and I'm a small 24' no-slide box on an E450. 4,500lb NCC!

[Oldme]

We bought an older 2000 E450 24'Class C.

Trips to New Orleans area from Ga. have been easy.
No problems with front end or drive train.

We had the unit looked over and brakes serviced
at an independent truck center that has been in
business since 1970. He found NO problems with
39,000 miles on it.

If you are looking for a longer, heaver vehicle
with more capacity for people and items then the
newer models may be worth it to you with the extra
capacity of the 5000# axle may be worth it.

You also mentioned E350 vs E450.
One thing you will find is the E450 has a wider rear track
than the E350. That is why the E450 RVs are 100" wide.

[ron_dittmer]

My opinion on the chassis upgrade introduced for 2008.

First of all, it's better, period. So what I say next, keep that in mind.

The question is, would the rig you are considering benefit from the improvements. For the biggest & heaviest of rigs, I would say "Yes" to increase the extra load of people and supplies you want to haul along. But shorter/lighter rigs, then maybe "Not So Much" spending a lot of money for those 2008 improvements.

Our 2007 E350-V10 chassis rig is short and 9200 pounds, fairly light weight so having the 2008 E350-V10 chassis with so much extra cargo carrying ability would simply translate into a bit of a rougher ride.

I personally would consider a 2009 chassis before a 2008 to get the more functional updated Ford interior. As pretty as our older oval flowing dash board is in our 2007, it's not fun to have my wife's electronic gadgets plugged into the 12V outlets which makes shifting gears tricky for me. The plugs stick out so far that I can't shift gears without giving it special thought. I have been considering adding a 12V outlet close to the passenger which would immensely help me out.

Here is our 2007 dash board. Note the location of the two 12v outlets, both in a bad location for shifting gears.

[carringb]

Baja Man wrote:

From the post above, it should be the V10 without the spark plug problems. What axle issues would I encounter with a 4600# axle?

Very unlikely for a 2001 to have plug issues. Besides, it's not the end of the world. They can be repaired in place.

As for axle issues.... The main benefit of the 5k axle is it allowed RV makers to build floorplans on a longer wheelbase for better stability. Of course, some just made an even longer coach.

The 4600# does have some wear issue. Mainly the sway bar bushings and radius arm bushings, which need replacing about every 100k (the rubber OEM sway bar bushing should be upgraded to polyurethane for in immediate improvement). Ball joints on an RV may only last that long too. Also brake won't last as long, however most RVs run into storage problem before wear problems, so that may not matter as much.

[OldRadios]

I purchased a 2006 on a E450 chassis recently. Paid under 30K for it. Drives and handles fine. There are thousands of pre 2008 E's on the road. I would not worry about it, just watch your weight which you should do anyway. Only thing I was looking for was the E450 and not E350 as I wanted the wider wheelbase.

If you look carefully you should be able to find a clean low mileage mid size C built in the mid 2000s for under 30K. I kept watching for a month and found one. You will have to look and be ready to purchase quickly when you fine one. Getting close to the beginning of the season though so prices will be inching back up. Middle of winter is a good time to buy.

[Baja_Man]

Another reason I ask is we may want to lower our budget down to $25K which puts us looking at late 90's early 2000 models.

I will be looking also be considering a 2001 Jamboree 31 with 35K miles on a 2000 E450 chassis. One owner, always stored in covered parking, very clean.

Just not sure about this year/model with the lesser rated axle. Would it be a 350 or 450?

From the post above, it should be the V10 without the spark plug problems. What axle issues would I encounter with a 4600# axle?

It has a cabover window which I am not found of (potential spot for leaks), but at a price between $20-$25, it may be something we have to live with.

Is it worth the extra $15K for a 2008 with the updates? We will use on one cross country trip per year (3 weeks) with all remaining trips local 4-7 day trips(CA, AZ, NV, NM).

Thoughts?

Thanks

[carringb]

PS - upgrading the front end on an older E-series is pretty painless, with the exception of freight costs if you can't pickup a take-off axle in person from one of the 4x4 converters.

[carringb]

J-D has is right on the dates. '05 for the TorqueShift and '08 for the front end.

Besides larger ball joints, it also replaces the radius arm donut bushing with hyme joints. Less binding, much longer wear life. Also the upgrade includes larger brake calipers, or on the E350, also larger rotors as all E-series adopted the E450 rotors in '08. The new sway-bar design also is a big improvement because it eliminates the consumable thru-axle bushings in favor of hard end-links.

[j-d]

I think you answered your own question. If you can get the latest for about the same price, why not do it?
1. The 5-speed 5R115 "Torqshift" is a nicer-driving transmission. We have 4R100 and have driven the 5R. To me it isn't the extra gear, but the overall shifting behavior of the 5R that sets it aside
2. That heavier axle has substantially larger brakes and I believe it also incorporates stronger ball joints. Old axle is rated 4600#. New has an improved front sway bar. I'd say the need depends on the front axle loading of the specific coach you're considering. You WANT a well-loaded front axle, say 75% or more of its rating, to have good handling and tracking. Recent weight on our coach showed 95% and I'm planning to replace the 4600# axle with the 5000#.
3. And you missed one: The "early V10" from 1997-99 was well known for sparkplug thread problems which were "corrected" starting 2000 (CHASSIS model, remember, may be earlier than COACH model), BUT some of the corrected heads (called Performance Improved or PI) were not machined correctly and problems lingered in a small portion of the engines. If you get one new enough to have a Torqshift, you're also beyond the years where some PI heads were troublesome.

2008 chassis and up gets you into all the above improvements. I believe 2005 and up gets you all but the axle.