Answering the challenge made by the Ram 3500 in torque and towing capacity, Ford revealed the news that the 2015 F Series Super Duty lineup will include a more powerful diesel engine with enough boulder-tossing torque and space shuttle-towing capacity to maintain dominance over Truck Mountain.
AutoGuide reports the lineup’s new source of power comes from a 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel pumping out a best-in-class rating of 440 horses and 860 lb-ft of torque through the rear or all four wheels. The compacted graphite iron engine, complete with larger turbo and new injectors maximized for improved response, allows the F-350 to tow up to 26,500 lbs with a gross combined weight of 35,000 lbs, while the F-450 smashes the towing scale thrown down by the Ram with a capacity of 31,200 lbs via gooseneck, 26,500 lbs via fifth wheel; gross combined weight comes to 40,000 lbs.
Under the body, the Super Duty line also received extensive upgrades to the chassis, brakes, suspension, and for the F-450, commercial-grade 19.5-inch wheels and tires.
Oh wow, the biggest accomplishment I see here is that ford is actually keeping a diesel for longer than 3 years.
Also I think its a little disingenuous to place the F450 against the Ram 3500. It seems expected that the 450 could out preform a 1 ton.
Still waiting for factory 1,000 ft/lb…. That’ll be the day.
How big do you think the badging will be on the truck that first breaks the 1000 ft/lb mark? The diesel branding badge will take up the whole door, right?
Oh my, it would just be a large decal going down both sides.
“Suck on this”
“_1_0_0_0_” “Lbs/TQ”
A pissing Calvin will be on the standard equipment list.
I hope its a pissing Calvin made of chrome.
I as thinking factory installed truck nuts.
They’d have to be Brass Truck Nuts. With 3 balls. One for each 0.
It’s almost a race by now. How many decades before new sheetmetal ,from the a-pillar and back, is introduced in the superduty range will ford hit 1000 ft*ibs in the same trucks? My bet are two decades. Seriously ford, your a real vehicle manufacturer not pepboys.
Torque is measured in ft*lb, not ft/lb. ;)
Well, we all know you need 1,000 lb/ft of torque to get a big screen TV home from Best Buy…
I have no earthly need for such a truck, as pictured. However, something deep inside me WANTS such a truck. I don’t think it will fit in my driveway though. I guess I could live in it instead of having a house.
Yep, we all want what we want. Now, for me, this silly thing is probably LAST on my automotive wish list, but I suppose a Torch Red C7 ‘Vette isn’t exactly rational either…and oh, my, do I want one.
It’d waste that rig, though…but come to think of it, some pizza delivery kid in his mom’s Sonata turbo could blow it away too.
I would never purchase an F-450. I would, however, actually buy a C7 or a new Mustang. I think I’ve convinced my wife that a sports car > 2nd child.
Saw an article about “American Utes” in the Melbourne , Sunday Papers.
They were not too happy about the ride and finish(Silverado 2500) but were impressed by the 1000nm of torque, saying the understresed engine can be tweeked to give you a lot more.
They said perfect vehicle for Caravanners and people with medium sized horse floats.50% just use them as cars.
Seriously? An actual automotive press commented on the ride quality of a 3/4 truck?
Someone needs to revoke whatever credentials they have.
And the finish is rather a dumb criticism, its a pickup, a work vehicle, what do they expect a leather dash with a pez dispenser?
@Hummer,
To the market that may buy it, Grey Nomads it means a lot.No it is not a “work” vehicle” it is a SUV that can pull more confidently 3500kg. US 3/4 and 1 tons get limited to 4500kg(9,900lb) bumper pull. 10 tones (22,000lb)if pulling a 5th Wheeler.
As far as whats in the vehicle, they want everything and more. Convertors do have a bit of difficulty finding the right combination at the right price for conversions. Yes these are current 2013 models. Because the US Tier diesel regulations does not meet current Euro V regulations, only limited numbers can be imported.
The F-450 pickup is a 1-ton with the tow package. The F-450 pictured is a commercial grade, medium duty F-450 with 19.5 wheels and heavy duty everything.
The ’08 to ’10 F-450 civilian/commerical pickup only lasted 3 years. Too many consumers complained about its rough, buckboard ride, poor fuel economy and crazy expensive tires. It was speed limited to 81 mph and that was huge problem for many. Never again.
The frames are different between the ’08-’10 trucks and the current ones, but the GVWR and GCWR (not to mention the axles) are the same. Seems to me like a win if you can get the same capability without the medium-truck problems. The only complaints I hear about the change are from people who complain that 17″ wheels look too small.
Oh, and one other detail which was in the linked article… the 19.5″ wheels and truck tires are coming back for 2015. Not sure if that means the governor will be reduced to 80 mph again.
Probably. The tires are only rated for 87 mph.
@Hummer – The F450 originally was a true medium duty 1 1/2 ton truck. Buyers whined that it was too heavy and with its commercially rated tires wasn’t rated for 70+ mph speeds.
Ford’s response was to basically turn the F450 into a tow oriented version of the F350.
The F450 should be viewed as a max tow F350.
I have yet to see specs for this truck but IIRC, the F350 has a higher cargo capacity than the F450.
So basically the F350 should be the F7/8ths
=)
@Hummer – more like 8/7ths ;)
There’s only one way to get more power out of the same displacement: more boost pressure, hence the bigger turbo. Ya’ gotta wonder how this latest powerstroke engine will stand up to it, given the dismal track record of the previous two versions.
Well this one isn’t built by Navistar, so its completely different. Its basically an update of the current engine.
Those were International engines, although International blamed Ford for the problems with the engine. This engine is designed by Ford and seems to be pretty good so far.
International is Navistar.
Considering the 6.0 and 6.4 were International motors and the 6.7 has been in house built by Ford I don’t think you’ll see a correlation.
The 6.0 was a clusterfuck, but it can be resolved with a few upgrades. Not much wrong with the 6.4 in the ’08-10s. I’ll take one of those over the 6.7 in my ’13 King Ranch any day. You can jack up the power WAY higher.
The issues with the 6.0 and 6.4 were solely the fault of Ford Motor Company. Navistar didn’t have near the issues with those engines in their applications. Ford insisted on tuning the engines to be very high strung so they looked good on paper (performance and reliability were not important to Ford).
Both the 6.0L and 6.4L had far more fundamental design flaws that accounted for more failures than the type of application could ever account for.
Ford’s application had nothing to do with the leak prone HP oil system of the 6.0L that caused endless stalls, hard starts and no starts.
Ford’s application had nothing to do with the endless injector problems on the 6.0L.
Ford’s application had nothing to do with the horrendous cooling system problems on the 6.4L.
Ford’s application had nothing to do with the HP fuel pump problems on the 6.4L as well as the lousy wiring harness design.
Just to name a few.
Not to forget the leaky/plugged EGR cooler, and the numerous DPF regeneration-related issues (low fuel economy, fuel in oil, etc).
Or the need to pull the cab to work on the engine.
As one who has owned a few 1980s-90s diesels, I can’t run away fast from these newer ones.
I could never forget those problems. Those were probably the causes of the worst failures, but I left them out because they actually could be attributed to Ford’s specific application of the engine.
“The 6.0 was a clusterfuck, but it can be resolved with a few upgrades. Not much wrong with the 6.4 in the ’08-10s”
There is a lot wrong with the 6.4L. While the 6.0L had many smaller failures, the 6.4L is prone to many catastrophic ones. I advise anyone looking at them to run away, or if they own one sell asap.
Agree this seems a bit disengenuous of a comparison. The F350 (1-ton model) does not out tow the Ram 3500 (1-ton model). Bringing in heavier duty basically chassis cab 1+ ton trucks is not apples to apples. The Ford F450 does in fact “out tow” the Ram chassis cab, but at that point we’re in a commercial class of “Medium Duty” trucks above and beyond the 1 ton “Light Duty” trucks.
Who cares? You can’t buy a Ram 4500 pickup; Ram doesn’t make one. If you want to tow with a factory pickup (rather than a chassis cab retrofitted with a pickup bed) then the F450 will have the highest rating.
Seems apt to me, yeah. It’s a factory pickup and you don’t need a CDL to operate it.
It’s not a chassis cab truck, it’s a pickup from the factory.
(Plus, all I can find says that the F-450’s GVWR is the same 14,000 pounds as the F350 and Dodge 3500 – and thus it’s “technically” a Class 3 Light Duty truck.
The classifications are increasingly un-representative of reality, eh?)
It’s quite true that you don’t need a CDL to operate the truck, but one thing everyone seems to fail to mention when discussing these super-duty trucks is that any combination of vehicles whose GVWR (i.e., truck + trailer) is greater than 26,000 lbs. requires a CDL. I don’t know what the GVWR of an F-450 is (probably around 12,000 lbs), but basically, this means than any trailer that’s RATED for more than 26,000 – Truck’s GVWR legally requires a CDL to operate.
@Sigivald, @smartascii
Technically you may not need a CDL BUT you may need an endorsement to your existing licence.
In BC where I live anything over 4,600 kg (10,120 lb) requires either a “house trailer” endorsement or a “heavy tow” endorsement. A CDL is required for air brakes based on weight.
There are other jurisdictions that are similar. IIRC California has similar laws.
What scares me are the bucket list types heading North to Alaska with Greyhound bus sized motorhomes or pulling monster 5th wheel trailers.
I think this truck has a 40K GCWR.
RAM has had 1+ ton Chassis cabs for years
http://www.allpar.com/trucks/ram/2013-chassis-cabs.html
But chassis cabs are not pickups.
Cool, I need one because a couple times a year I may have to tow a pop up camper or pickup some fertiziler at Lowe’s!
I’ve seen more than a few F-350’s or other one-ton pickups driving around unloaded, but I’ve literally never seen an F-450 pickup not on the highway pulling a fifth-wheel. I suppose if you’re buying a pickup that _starts_ at over $50K, you’re gonna use it for its intended purpose and very little else.
Those trucks are expensive. The people who actually need them (maybe only a few times a year) can’t always afford another car to cruise around in.
Where I live, I RARELY see these duded-up, $60,000 heavy-duty trucks used for anything but trolling around town on a Saturday afternoon.
On a Saturday afternoon, you unhook the work trailer, give it a wash, and you’re off. Why own a strict work truck AND a BMW that sits around most of the time, for tooling around? That’s why $60,000 work pickups sell so good.
I see your point but if you’re really into [real] BMWs, no truck can fill this need.
You’re right, but truly dedicated pickup owners would never own a BMW. High end work trucks are similarly showy, because of their luxury, tax bracket and arguably, style.
Truly dedicated truck people don’t know what they’re missing, then…
The F350 would rip the booty flopping Toyota Tundra in half.
The F350 would flop its booty far more than a Tundra, because the Ferd PR boys neglect to mention while doing their Tundra hit pieces that their precious super duty uses a c-channel frame just like the Tundra.
Classic Toyota Tundra flex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db2IaA9yn4o&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Again, Ford marketing BS. There is nothing wimpy or weak about the Tundra’s frame.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Tundra under normal use, but the flex in the test is pretty severe. Unless the frame was intentionally weakened it is hard to call the test BS.
84,
Google “Toyota Tundra bed bounce” or visit any Tundra forum.
Gee, a competitor’s truck does poorly in a simulated test, one that will never be done in the real world, that is conducted by a competitor.
Toyota could just as easily create a test where the F150 looks bad, maybe a door closing competition to see the sheet metal on the F150’s doors flop around. Built Ford Tough, right????
As for bed bounce, ALL trucks bed’s flex and bounce, that’s just the way it is. My dad’s Silverado bounces around more than anything and I’ve seen older Ford pickups where the frame is actually bent and the bed and cab don’t line up anymore. But according to experts on the internet, the big 3 are the best in the world at building trucks and Toyota sucks. Nevermind the fact that the one that “sucks” is the one that sells the most trucks globally and in much harsher conditions than any Ferd or Chebby will ever see.
84, Let the guys at the Tundra forums that all trucks do this. Might want to let Toyota know they can cancel the TSB for bed bounce. I will agree that anyone that says Toyota trucks or cars are junk don’t have a clue. My first new truck purchase was an 85 Toyota X-cab. Sold it 10 years ago to a friend that still drives it.
I still have some friends that still work at the local RV dealership. Which I worked at for 5 years. And my friends still say they can’t use a new Toyota Tundra to deposition the trailers. “To much flex in the rear for 30ft trailers”. But they can still use a standard F250 or 2500 Silverado. Yet the Toyota dealership swears there Tundra frame equals an F250. Yes the Tundra is a great truck for picking up some mulch at Lowes. But not for any towing or hard work.
I don’t care what your friends say. Who made them experts? The Tundra is THE ONLY truck SAE certified for its tow ratings and pay load ratings. If you tow something within that tow rating, the Tundra will do it. No manufacturer’s made up BS tow ratings, unlike others. End of story. But I’d love to hear your some more ancedotes about how you have this friend, who has a sister, who has a boyfriend that tried to tow with a Tundra and sucked at it.
Meanwhile, my dad’s 2005 Silverado 2500 Duramax can’t go in a 2 cm puddle of mud without getting its miserable self stuck and it can’t go more than 25,000 miles without going through intermediate steering shafts and front hubs. Like a Rock. Meanwhile, my ’94 Toyota pickup with more miles on and 11 freaking years will still be chugging along while that sorry piece of crap Chevy is taking up valuable real estate at Pick N Pull. His next truck won’t be from Government Motors.
Maybe your dad should learn how to drive or buy some new tires for his truck. You can read anything on paper with will make you look like genius. But try pulling a 26 foot or greater trailer with a tundra. Its not a smart thing to do. And heaven help you if you try going up a slight incline. Because coming down will be scarier then going up. Yes picking up some mulch or just driving it around to show people you like to support the Japanese is great for the tundra.
I suppose if Toyota made a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup, then there could be some sort of valid comparison.
I’ve witnessed it myself in downtown St. Paul following one on rutted out snowy/icey roads. I have never in my,life seen a 1/2 ton PU bend and twist soo bad. When I saw one parked I took a look for myself at the frame. Man thqt’s wimpy. Anyways if your gonna compare an F450 to a 1/2 ton why pick the biggest wuss on the block?
All wrapped in a 1997 body, now with more chrome and higher Ford logo.
And don’t forget $60,000 or so. Any bigger, and this thing would need tugboats to get it into a parking space at the grocery store.
I’ll pass, thanks.
this thing would need tugboats to get it into a parking space at the grocery store…
For an extra $10,000 it comes with a “Harbor Pilot” who is a salty old soul. Your children learning to cuss like a sailor is thrown in for free.
Shamus is good with kids. He has a teaching degree with a concentration in early childhood development. Can’t have kids learning swears out of order.
And you know you’ll need to drive it with at least two kids: One on the hood and one in the bed to serve as linehandlers when mooring… er parking.
So what is the word on the street about the 6.7 Power Stroke?
I thought it a nice bit of engineering when it was first introduced, but I didn’t want to be on the bleeding edge of a new engine.
I’ve heard almost univerally good things. The new engine was eating tires early. I think the TSB said, “800 ft*lbs of torque may shorten tire life.”
Hah, that was one of my favs. It really just affected the Pirelli Scorpions.
Add the “Calvin pissing on the Chevy logo” thingie on the back window, a pair of hairy rubber nuts hanging off the hitch, Tea Party stickers, and a bed that’s never used, and you have the ultimate status vehicle for my neighborhood.
Not Tea Party and keep the government out of medicare/social security stickers as well?
I would like to see what will come in 2018 for Class 3 and up.
This is a nice truck, I like the torque.
Can the vehicle SAFELY tow this much weight? It seem much magic tow dust is ussed in the US pickup market.
It can safely tow that weight. I haven’t driven a 2015, but I never felt like the 2013 was on the ragged edge, even when towing near its limits. They are very comfortable trucks while towing.
Magic tow dust indeed. The US Big Three have agreed to use SAE J2807 to calculate their tow ratings for 2015 half-ton trucks. No such luck yet for 3/4 ton and up.
It scares me a bit that 1-ton tow ratings have jumped by about 40% in a couple of years with few or no changes to the trucks’ brakes.
And I certainly don’t want your typical yahoo with no CDL and no driver training sharing my freeway while towing a 30,000-pound trailer. They are scary enough when they pass me with their 10,000-pound fifth wheels going 95-100 mph, trailer twerking like Miley. I miss the days when diesel pickups with big trailers couldn’t physically exceed the speed limit.
@dal20402
In Australia this truck is only allowed to tow 9 900lbs (4.5 tonnes) off a hitch at the back of the truck or approx. 20 000lbs with a 5th wheel arrangement.
Is it way over rated?
That sounds a lot like the ratings for the current US truck. I don’t know if it’s overrated; I’ve never towed anything that heavy with one. (Although I do have the CDL that is now required to take full advantage of this rating). I just know it’s a bit scary when the ratings increase that much with few apparent changes in the hardware.
Freed Mike, you must live in quite the neighbour hood.
Let’s just say that on the right wing scale, the average denizen of my community falls somewhere between John Birch and Francisco Franco.
It is what it is.
@FreedMike – in that sort of neighbourhood, usually the only thing on wheels is the home they live in. Everything else is on blocks ;)
There must be some sort of cosmic significance to the fact that tornadoes like trailer parks. LOL
Exactly the opposite, actually. An overabundance of one percenters (and people who think they’re one percenters).
This notion is absolutely ignorant. The poorest of Americans is richer just from handouts, to the majority of the rest of the world.
Idiots categorizing people as a percent rather than human beings usually tend to place their 99% stickers on the back of their Luxury CUV’s at starbucks, like they’re gonna stick it to the man so hard that capitalism will just fall apart.
….except for apple, …and starbucks
@Hummer
I don’t know what part of America you live in. I haven’t seen that.
Do you perceive someone is getting you ‘ain’t’.
This truck will really haul tons of air in its cargo bed as the yahoos who buy them commute to work. It will haul that single 2×4 home from Home Depot like nobody’s business. Anytime the owner overhears someone talking about moving into a new apartment or home he will jump into the conversation to volunteer his “professional” services. Anytime someone gets stuck on a snowy road he will volunteer to pull them out but may cut you in half with the tow rope or knock out your rear window when it snaps because lets face it, he really doesnt know what he is doing.
Kudos to Ford for making the automotive equivalent of a large penis for those lacking and charging serious coin to all those who do not need a truck. There is a sucker born every minute, someone has to take their money.
I must not run in the target demographic’s social circle, because everytime I see a 1 ton truck, its being used for something a 1 ton truck should be doing. I’m on construction job sites and in industrial areas more than most though.
I think this must be the same type of person that didnt realize the excursion was big because of its underpinnings.
Ya tow with them knucklehead.
Unless you’re the kind of person who thinks they need a Suburban for two kids, like some folks who live down the street from me.
A Yukon XL for the two kids and a diesel Sierra for air hauling, sounds like the perfect American family. :P
Suburban is the perfect family vehicle, comfortable for large trips and highly reliable.
Excursions are 3/4 through and through and show their F250 underpinnings very fast, that is one hard riding SOB.
@thegamper – as opposed to all of those Beemers, Porsches, and Mercs????
I’m glad to see that big-ass pickup trucks are the “noogies” of the automotive world to some. Oh how some people wring their hands and gnash their teeth over them! Why they even get their little tighty-whities in knots! Peoples rides are like their shoes; you may think they’re ugly, but are you gonna buy the replacement? No? Then all you’re doing is attempting to be too clever by half. Next.
Yes it’s one big arze truck that has a towing capacity that can be just as good or better then any other pickup. But, it has one thing to offer Chevrolet does not. It’s not made in Mexico as in the Chevrolet Silverado’s. American workers that use these big trucks want an American made product. Yes it does make a difference to American’s that care about America.
Gotta love being able to erase last years numbers and writing in whatever you want.
But, in reality, the only way it appears impressive is when it is compared with trucks a step lower than it.
Cheat and lie, it’s the Ford way.
At least Ford does not pretend it’s made in America as in the Mexican silverado. Ford F-series is made in America. Chevrolet should put an addendum to every commercial that touts being an American truck.
I thought my F-150 was a large vehicle, but I was parked near an F-450 last year while shopping at Lowe’s and my god that thing was huge. Just a flat out monstrosity. I couldn’t imagine towing 13 tons with a vehicle like this.