Modding an F-350 up or an F-550 down for TC
Given that you can get the same engine in an F-350 and F-550, which do you think would be better - beefing up the suspension and brakes on an F-350 so you don't need a custom bed, or buying an F-550 a...
Forum Discussion
wintersun wrote:
With trucks I have always found it cheaper and usually much cheaper to get any heavy duty upgrades from the factory as compared to waiting and doing it later with aftermarket parts and shop labor. And with a truck I have had enough experience with frame and frame attachments over the years to want to be sure the frame will handle the load both on and off road. It is why for our heavy duty truck I went with the GM fully boxed frame which in the 2500/3500 class trucks is the best available.
DRW adds leveraged stress to the frame and increases torsional twisting a great deal more than SRW axles. Going to a DRW I would be looking at a F-450 or better and check that the frame is truly beefier. I doubt that the F-450 is any better than the F-350 in terms of the frame and subcomponents in general and I would go the extra step up to the F-550 platform.
With the F-550 one opens up another can of worms in terms of whether to get a box conversion and have a standard camper setup with its lower centery of gravity or to have a flatbed setup which add more weight and be tippier but provide more storage options.
Going to a F-550 and a 11' camper I would be also checking out Class A and B+ motorhomes as well.
Frame width on a F350 is 37" on a F550 34". I just can't imagine mt 11 foot caribou ever feeling tippy on my 99 F550. I did get a little roll and sag on my 94 F350.
