Tell Me I Haven't Lost My Mind Please

[Overtaxed]

....a F450 is just a little bit more and OMG, the turning radius dances around the 150, 250 and 350's...juat saying...

Exactly my thought process. Was looking at F350DRW already, the 450 was <1K more (same specs), tires last longer, bigger brakes, better turning radius. Lower payload though, if that matters to you (it's another artificial payload number though, like the 250, it's lower payload than a 350DRW to stay under 14K, there's NO WAY a 350 DRW actually carries more than a 450, but, if "legal" is a requirement and you have a massively heavy trailer, than a 350, without question, can legally carry more in the bed, no matter how stupid that might be).

The one downside of the 450 that I've seen so far, it tramlines terribly. High pressure, low pressure, towing, not towing. It likes to follow cracks in the road. My 250 did not, a 350 may not, and that would be a big upside for me; but a lot of that is because of where I live, within 20 miles of my house in any direction, there are a TON of tramlines on the highway. Get beyond that, I rarely/almost never feel it, so I suspect that this is isolated to me and my AWFUL section of 85 that's under construction (which is why the problem exposes itself, instead of the lines being between the lanes, because of closures, they are in the middle of the lanes now, which is what causes the tramline).

[MdidleAgedRVer]

I just purchased the same exact truck. I'm glad I went with the 350 over the 450 for a few reasons as well but mainly the ride quality and the ability to have TPMS. The B&W Companion hitch slides right in the 4 pucks with ease. The only issue that I have ran into is trying to track down the trailer camera and trailer TPMS package. Not sure if the 2019 package will work perfectly or if there are small changes on the 2020. The dealerships have no clue and keep telling me to watch the ford accessories site. Hoping to get that installed sooner or later.

[MdidleAgedRVer]

The turning radius on the 2020 F350 was greatly improved over the previous years' F350s. Not sure how it compares directly to the 450 but I believe they are on the same playing field when it comes to turning now. This was one of the biggest issues I was looking at when deciding between the 350 and 450.

[[email protected]]

I just pulled the trigger on a new F350 Platinum dually. Pick it up next weekend.

I'm excited about it, but also scared to death that I screwed up. I'm sure most of you know what those things cost.

Not really asking permission here, I'm just saying:

This is cool!
What have I done?!

There's only one thing I can think of the did wrong, you didn't get an F450. ; )

[SF-SGM]

You are correct. This truck has the fifth wheel prep so the pucks are there. Just need to figure out what to put in them. I should start another thread about this but since we're talking about it....

I've heard good things about the Companion so that's on the list. I'm also considering a Hensley trailer saver. Someone here has one but I can't remember who; I hope they weigh in. That would be a beast of a hitch but here's my thinking: This whole setup is working toward full time living in the RV and if that happens I don't see ever needing to take the hitch out. If the trailer saver is as good as I hear it is, it might even extend the life of the home on wheels which would justify the cost of it.

I bought a Companion to put into my third F 350 (which has the puck system). Why? Bcause the old style hitch that was one piece got to be too heavy for just me to lift out and my wife isn't tall enough to help. With the Companion I can easily split it into two pieces and lift them out without any help. And I like that you can actually see the jaws open or closed.

[GeoffnCheri]

I just pulled the trigger on a new F350 Platinum dually. Pick it up next weekend.

I'm excited about it, but also scared to death that I screwed up. I'm sure most of you know what those things cost.

Not really asking permission here, I'm just saying:

This is cool!
What have I done?!

You have not lost your mind...Please

[cookinwitdiesel]

One quick note on fifth wheel vs gooseneck, the gooseneck is every bit as secure if not more so vs a 5er. It autlocks when you drop onto the ball, can't come off by accident - no levers or pins or anything. Takes a hair more effort to hitch up, but nothing onerous in my opinion. My GooseBox rides way better than my Curt A25 did and was actually easier to hitch up, since working the jaws/arm/pin on the A25 was a pain.

[SolarPoweredRV]

One quick note on fifth wheel vs gooseneck, the gooseneck is every bit as secure if not more so vs a 5er. It autlocks when you drop onto the ball, can't come off by accident - no levers or pins or anything. Takes a hair more effort to hitch up, but nothing onerous in my opinion. My GooseBox rides way better than my Curt A25 did and was actually easier to hitch up, since working the jaws/arm/pin on the A25 was a pain.

Glad to hear an opinion from someone who has pulled with both a conventional 5th wheel and a GooseBox.

Can others who have experience with both also chime in with your experiences? I'd love to hear your experiences and comparisons.

[Calbar]

One quick note on fifth wheel vs gooseneck, the gooseneck is every bit as secure if not more so vs a 5er. It autlocks when you drop onto the ball, can't come off by accident - no levers or pins or anything. Takes a hair more effort to hitch up, but nothing onerous in my opinion. My GooseBox rides way better than my Curt A25 did and was actually easier to hitch up, since working the jaws/arm/pin on the A25 was a pain.

Glad to hear a direct comparison too. I have never towed a 5th wheel or a gooseneck trailer, only a bumper pull. At some point we may upgrade to a 5th wheel so I pay attention to topics dealing with hitches and 5th wheels so that it/when we decide to move up I can decide what is going to work best for me. Thanks for the direct comparison. Re-enforces what I have been thinking as well.

Rob

[cookinwitdiesel]

Glad to hear a direct comparison too. I have never towed a 5th wheel or a gooseneck trailer, only a bumper pull. At some point we may upgrade to a 5th wheel so I pay attention to topics dealing with hitches and 5th wheels so that it/when we decide to move up I can decide what is going to work best for me. Thanks for the direct comparison. Re-enforces what I have been thinking as well.

Rob

I honestly wish I had made the choice to go GooseBox from the dealer. Now I have a $1200 Curt A25 sitting in my garage I need to sell