F350 to F450

[909FF/PM]

Is it possible to convert my F350 into a F450? I tow a 16K fifth wheel and I'm wondering if I can legally increase my tow rating if I replace my F350 axles/brakes/suspension with that of a F450.

[Gator0175]

I don't see why you couldn't The only possible issue I would see would be insurance classification.

[tex25025]

Originally Posted by 909FF/PM

I tow a 16K fifth wheel and I'm wondering if I can legally increase my tow rating if I replace my F350 axles/brakes/suspension with that of a F450.

I tow that weight and more with my 350 and the ole girl doesn't cry about it, why go thru the hassle?

I think there are a couple of other parts you have to swap not just those. It could be done(I would think) but it's alot of hassle and I don't see why you would need to go thru that for 16k when mine doesn't complain at all.

[94f250]

ya you can but if you dont do anything with your state or dot there not gonna know about the change of the gvw which is what matters the most. i mean if your towing then theres a pretty good chance that your gonna have to stop at a weigh station and scale in, at least thats how it is here in MA and surrounding states can be a real problem, just go and re register the truck when you do it so they know it can take it in the legal limits

[Dave]

Originally Posted by 909FF/PM

Is it possible to convert my F350 into a F450? I tow a 16K fifth wheel and I'm wondering if I can legally increase my tow rating if I replace my F350 axles/brakes/suspension with that of a F450.

Originally Posted by tex25025

I tow that weight and more with my 350 and the ole girl doesn't cry about it, why go thru the hassle?

I think there are a couple of other parts you have to swap not just those. It could be done(I would think) but it's alot of hassle and I don't see why you would need to go thru that for 16k when mine doesn't complain at all.

Judging by 9099FF's sig Im thinking he's an SRW truck looking to go DRW for the stability more than anything.

Otherwise I totally agree with you tex. I have towed that kind of weight quite often with my 250 just fine

[909FF/PM]

The truck tows the weight with no problem. My problem is I live in the sue happy state of California. I just want to be legal when I tow my trailer.

[tex25025]

Originally Posted by 909FF/PM

The truck tows the weight with no problem. My problem is I live in the sue happy state of California. I just want to be legal when I tow my trailer.

Did you move to California or were you always in California? If you've always lived in California this should have been considered during the initial purchase of the vehicle. I don't mean to sound like a bastard, but this is the type of stuff that should have been done before hand. People aren't going to know that you have the internals of a 450, if your outside says it's a 350.

Get a tag for a 350 that says you can haul 16k(just make damn sure you don't go over) and get your CDL(which you really should have if your hauling more then 26,001 combines weight I believe is the national standard and that is going by sticker weight of the truck and the max weight your trailer can handle if you don't have the rig weighed at a cat scales) and be done with. Otherwise, trade in the 350 and get a 450.

[909FF/PM]

tex25025 I agree with what you said. I bought the truck and then bought the trailer. I thought the rating on the truck was 16,500 but after looking into it further I found out the truck is rated at 12,500 for fifth wheel trailers. Correct me if i'm wrong. I weighed my truck and trailer combined and it weighed 23,500.

[358ciHD]

Since you live in the sue happy sate of cali...do you also abide by the 55-mph max speed limit warnings for auto's towing a trailer?

Why not go with the 19.5 super single tires to increase your load rating. I did that with my truck and haul a 38' toy hauler that when fully loaded weighs in excess of 20,000 plus at times I will haul either my boat which is another 5,000 behind the old girl.....

If your going to convert I would not recommend the f450 as the suspension is so stiff and you don't really need it...if you want a dually buy the adapters...toss and a drw bed and call her good! Don't go f450 unless you buy it that way!