Out of the family??

[LMagelitz]

My goodness, with your setup, you might actually "not know it's back there". Dually, IS, BD5, with a trailer that's not terribly heavy, that must tow like a dream!

Oh, it really does! Sometimes I have to consciously slow down because I’ll find myself passing semis going 80mph, and I prefer to stay at 70. There is at least one other brand of air hitch out there, but if you get the Hensley, I’m sure you will like it. It will make it a lot easier on the frame welds of your trailer.

[LMagelitz]

I love the 450. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if I could get my hands on one. I'm not willing to beg someone to build it for me, nor pay the ridiculous prices, so, for now, I'm keeping what I have, but when the market finally gets a little more normal, I'll be interested in upgrading. The new one has a much better screen in it, higher capacity (although, I do wonder if that's just paper, did they change anything that matters?), and, biggest for me, the 10 speed transmission. One of the only things I don't like about my 450 is that it's >2K RPMs at about 62 MPH. Just would like it to spin a little slower, there's MORE than enough power, it's really over geared for everything we've ever hauled with it, and given that we're at the limits of what it's rated to do with the dump trailer, I think it's safe to say it's just flat out overgeared with 4.88s in it. With the 10 speed, that becomes less of an issue.

I wish Ford would come out with something more capable in the pickup line with air ride suspension (like Kelderman offers aftermarket, and like all semis have from the factory). That would be a really nice truck for towing the bigger RVs without moving to a semi. And it's obviously possible because you can get it from aftermarket suppliers. Sadly, very few of them can "resticker" the truck for a higher rating even after extensive suspension work to make the truck more capable. Ford wouldn't have that problem.

I had a ‘22 F450 on order, but it never got built, then it was going to be a long additional wait for a ‘23, so I bought the Chevy. I guess I’ll try one next time. The Chevy turns about 1800rpm at 70mph, which is about perfect for where it makes max torque.

Agree, wish they would come out with an air ride truck like a semi.

[Overtaxed]

I had a ‘22 F450 on order, but it never got built, then it was going to be a long additional wait for a ‘23, so I bought the Chevy. I guess I’ll try one next time. The Chevy turns about 1800rpm at 70mph, which is about perfect for where it makes max torque.

Agree, wish they would come out with an air ride truck like a semi.

Kelderman offers it; but the difference between a 5-10K option and sending your new truck to get cut up by a shop is just a whole new ballgame. Even at a 10K option, because it's factory, you'd get that back (minus depreciation, of course) when you sell the truck. If you have an aftermarket suspension, even something that looks really good like Kelderman, I have to believe it's hard to sell it and get much/anything back from it. I'd be afraid of a truck that I knew had the frame cut in the past. I can't be the only one!

[WhittleBurner]

I had a ‘22 F450 on order, but it never got built, then it was going to be a long additional wait for a ‘23, so I bought the Chevy. I guess I’ll try one next time. The Chevy turns about 1800rpm at 70mph, which is about perfect for where it makes max torque.

Agree, wish they would come out with an air ride truck like a semi.

Freightliner makes a medium duty truck the M2 106. It has air suspension and air seats. They are made for towing 5th wheelers.

[Overtaxed]

Freightliner makes a medium duty truck the M2 106. It has air suspension and air seats. They are made for towing 5th wheelers.

They are awesome trucks; I've seen a few in person (including a few at Luxe that have been upfitted by their sister company). I have 0 doubt they are the ultimate for towing a big 5er. Problem for our use, they are just too single purpose. I can only imagine driving up to go out to dinner in that thing. Or even the grocery store! No truck bed on them, which means no picking up plants or a dozen 2x4's. And lord, would you be "popular" if you parked that thing at a remote hiking trailhead that's sized for 3-4 cars (and you take all of the spaces with your semi!).

What I'd like is a "middle ground". A truck that still is the same basic dimensions of a 450, but with some of the M2 features. Air ride, GVWR around 18K lbs, maybe 22.5" tires (19.5's have been really good to us and are rated at more than enough for any RV hauling application. A 450 at 110PSI has about 16K lbs of tire capacity on the rear axle, that's WAY more than enough!). It really wouldn't take that much, the tires are already way overkill, the Dana M300 axle used is spec'ed from Dana to applications >15,000 lbs. Besides the suspension, I can't see a lot of change required to turn a F450 pickup into an "air ride" variant that could support significantly higher carrying capacity. A lot of the problem is "class ratings", when you go over 14K, finding insurance is going to be hard. You might need a special license to drive it. There are occasional restrictions on vehicles based on weight/class. Mechanically, other than suspension, the 450 is pretty close already.

[Canyonlight]

Congratulations on the new Luxe. My BIL and wife have had one for several years and have been quite happy with their Luxe. Have had a few of the "normal" RV owner issues but nothing major. Carol and I have also looked at Luxe online many times and have not ruled them out for our next RV.

As shared, I recall you joining the forum several years ago and if I remember correctly some early post/threads on your user name. You have been a valued member sharing much to help others.

Keep us posted on your Luxe experience !

Dan

[Overtaxed]

Well, picked her up in Elkhart yesterday, making our way back home now. Some early thoughts.

The F450 is completely up to task. And I say that as someone who sold a F250 with about 5000 miles on it (purchased 3 months earlier) when we got our 351M. I really thought it might be "drive it home and then buy a new truck". Not at all in this case, the 450 handles the RV well. In fact, my wife and I both think it tows with less drama in the cab than the 351 did. There's a lot different, so this isn't a "Luxe is better", in fact, it likely has nothing at all to do with Luxe. We changed everything about our towing setup, went from a Goosebox to a GenY kingpin. From a BW ball to a Hensely BD5. And from spring suspension to IS. I suspect the biggest change is the Hensley, that thing WORKS on a rough road. You can see it going up and down back there, and with the GenY kingpin, it's got a ton of travel. Net/net, I really do think it's better/easier to tow, something I did not expect at all. I wish I'd done it incrementally, added a BD5, then added a GenY, then went to IS so I could tell you what's making the difference.

I've not weighed it yet, but I suspect the pin weight is around 5K. Whatever the weight is, it puts the 450 about 1" from the overloads. I do have bags on my truck, but... I think I need bigger ones! Even with 100 PSI in the bags, I can't get it to lift up very much, not at all like it used to be with the GD (I could get it right back to stock height with around 60lbs). I have the Airlift 5000's, I might go up to 7500's so I can get a little more room in the springs (get another few inches of lift before the overloads engage).

The thing that stands out most to us right now is something silly but important (to us). It's so quiet. I cannot believe how quiet it is inside. Right now we're in a packed campground and I see kids running around outside, likely screaming, and I can't hear them at all. It's stunningly quiet compared to our GD. Now, to be fair, our GD didn't have dual pane windows, and I know that makes a big difference (we should have gotten them, we camp in the winter all the time!). One thing this RV has that doesn't seem to be available on any of the "normal" brands is soft touch walls and ceilings, I suspect that also makes a difference. But, net/net, it's really, really quiet.

Finally, biggest gripe so far? Well, I just had to make an emergency propane run this evening because we didn't have any (we bought used, so the tanks only had a tiny bit left). It's almost May, why do you need propane right now?? On demand hot water heater. It works fine, but, no propane, no hot water. I never had a problem with our standard hot water heater in the GD; and, if you put on both heating sources at once, it was near impossible to run out. I'm just not sure what problem the on demand heaters are trying to solve. In a house, I get it, endless hot water is nice and they can cost less to run. But I just don't know why people would select them for an RV; perhaps someone can tell me why they hate their conventional water heater so I can feel a little better about running around for an hour to find propane when it's 70 degrees out.

My wife's biggest:

Pro: It feels more stable inside, even on the hitch, it's really solid. On the ground, it feels more planted. Also, great storage space. However, compared to the 410, it feels more closed in because of all the cabinets.
Con: Master bathroom is tighter than our 351M was, feels a little tight.

[FT4NOW]

Are you going to share some pictures?

[Overtaxed]

Are you going to share some pictures?

This thread is worthless without pictures? It's OK, you can say it.

We're in a park right now with WiFi out of the 90s, I'll be home tomorrow and see if I can get some better shots up, but here's one that I managed to download.

[Hoopy Frood]

Pretty color.