In search of a better truck for towing the M6060 and folding cutter.

[McMXi]

I recently read that the liquid de icer used in some states is causing issues with aluminum corroding. Normally aluminum builds a oxide that protects itself but the chemicals in the new de icers cut through that and attack the base metal. Seeing damage on big rigs that are using aluminum in those states at this point.

There a significant differences between big rigs and pickup trucks and cars in terms of the number of hours on the road each year exposed to all sorts of things, not to mention the types of coatings on the aluminum. Many big rigs have polished or brushed aluminum parts such as fuel tanks and steps that rely on the naturally occurring aluminum oxide layer that forms to protect the base metal. Most passenger vehicles using aluminum body panels will have coatings on them to prevent or at least reduce corrosion. Some of those coatings are proprietary, and no doubt some use a combination of anodizing, etching primers and paint.

Aluminum wheels have been used on cars and truck for decades, but they typically have a clear coat or paint to protect the substrate from corrosion.

 

[Sidekick]

There a significant differences between big rigs and pickup trucks and cars in terms of the number of hours on the road each year exposed to all sorts of things, not to mention the types of coatings on the aluminum. Many big rigs have polished or brushed aluminum parts such as fuel tanks and steps that rely on the naturally occurring aluminum oxide layer that forms to protect the base metal. Most passenger vehicles using aluminum body panels will have coatings on them to prevent or at least reduce corrosion. Some of those coatings are proprietary, and no doubt some use a combination of anodizing, etching primers and paint.

Aluminum wheels have been used on cars and truck for decades, but they typically have a clear coat or paint to protect the substrate from corrosion.

Yes aluminum has been used for years but the current liquid de icer formulas have only been used a couple years. Time will tell. My new 2018 Chevy truck frame rusted almost through in less then 2 years and Chevy blamed it on current de icing materials used in our area so it definitely is a problem with their steel. My new Ford ranger has zero rust in the same conditions and time period so Ford definitely has the coatings right.

 

[McMXi]

On a side note, once again B&W didn't disappoint and I'm reminded why I have three B&W tow and stow hitches. The gooseneck hitch kit showed up today. It appears to be typical B&W quality, and the local Ford dealer chipped in $100 towards the $300 cost since I used the maximum allowable credit card payment when I bought the truck and I get 2% cash back. It'll be a few months before I get to use it though, but now I'm ready to pick up a gooseneck trailer at least, and without having to drill, cut or weld anything! So this is how that feels.

I already know which trailer I want, and there a few available locally, but I'm going to wait a few months and try to sell my 22ft hydraulic tilt trailer first.

That's it for a while other than I did buy two gallons of pre-mixed coolant that @biketopia mentioned from the dealer and it cost almost $60!! So nothing else to add until I've put some miles on the truck and pulled the boat, the dump trailer and the tractors around. Thanks to everyone for putting up with this thread, and thanks again for all those that suggested an F-450.

 

[JasonW]

I have the same kit for mine. Scored it used probably a year before I even had a gooseneck trailer.
It’s nice to have the handle so you can pull it out without getting grease on everything.

 

[BBFarmer]

I plan on adding a bit of coolant once I figure out what it takes.

We use the Motorcraft coolant on all the newer stuff. Ford went through a coolant shuffle over the last 5 years or so from green, red, orange, yellow, gold, and now back to a yellow, we didn't want to mess with the universal stuff and so far it's worked out just fine, even when converting over to the new standard.

Possibly vc7b or vc13g. I mainly end up using mostly the vc13

Aint ran into nothing that new yet though.

 

[biketopia]

Possibly vc7b or vc13g. I mainly end up using mostly the vc13

Aint ran into nothing that new yet though.

I believe both of those specs are for the "gold" coolant, the current standard is yellow. These are the two numbers from AllData that it calls out.
WSS-M97B57-A1
or
WSS-M97B57-A2

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/home/our-products/chemicals-and-lubricants/ac-and-engine-cooling-products/engine-cooling-system-products/yellow-prediluted-antifreeze-coolants.html/1000

 

[McMXi]

Possibly vc7b or vc13g. I mainly end up using mostly the vc13

Aint ran into nothing that new yet though.

This is the stuff that the Ford parts department handed me when I told them I wanted pre-mixed coolant for a 2024 F-450. It's VC-13DL-G and yellow as you can see on the label and has specification WSS-M97B57-A2.

My '02 takes a gold coolant in the form of VC-7DIL-B.

 

[hedgerow]

McMxi All I can say is to enjoy the pickup and I sure wouldn't be scared of it. Over the years I have bought many low mileage trucks that folks life got in the way and they needed to move them. One the last ones I had was a 10 year old F-150 5.0 V8 four door that was loaded with twenty thousands miles on it but it had a few bumps on it from the eighty five year of gentlemen that had drove it and passed. Got a good deal on it and for me it made a nice every day farm truck, drove it another hundred thousand miles with only general maintenance. I have used the BW hitches for years and really like them. That 450 will do the job you need and more.

 

[McMXi]

McMxi All I can say is to enjoy the pickup and I sure wouldn't be scared of it. Over the years I have bought many low mileage trucks that folks life got in the way and they needed to move them. One the last ones I had was a 10 year old F-150 5.0 V8 four door that was loaded with twenty thousands miles on it but it had a few bumps on it from the eighty five year of gentlemen that had drove it and passed. Got a good deal on it and for me a made a nice every day farm truck, drove it hundred thousand miles with only general maintenance. I have used the BW hitches for years and really like them. That 450 will do the job you need and more.

Thanks and I intend to. I don't have any anxiety re this new truck and stupid comments from miserable members only serve to show how stupid and miserable they are.

I've owned a '98 Jeep TJ for almost 24 years that I bought in Hawaii. I bought it used with 19,471 miles on the odometer on May 5th, 2001. It was first sold on May 20th, 1998 then changed hands on October 12th, 1999 with 6,463 miles on the odometer. Must be a problem vehicle right? Someone only had it for a year and 6,500 miles, and the second owner dumped it 18 months later with close to 19,500 miles on the odometer.

I'd better get rid of it before it blows up since clearly it's a problem vehicle!

P.S. +110% on the B&W comment. They're not cheap but they are really well made, and made in the US too.

 

[McMXi]

Another sidetrack. When I was at the Ford dealer yesterday, the salesman I dealt with (really nice guy) mentioned a Super Duty that was in for service with a retro paint scheme. He texted me this photo of the truck. I think it looks awesome, and reminds me of a farm truck from the '60s and '70s. Interesting roof rack too.

 

[Jsjac]

I like the color. We have two f350 s that color.
We have had a few of the 6.7 diesels and had very good luck with them.
We use the for our business. We tow with them about 25% of the time.
The one I am driving now has around 46,000 miles on it and it's lifetime mileage is almost 21mps.
We average about 60,000 miles per year so we wear them out before the rust/corrode out of service.
You will be very happy with your new truck. Looking forward to seeing it moving your tractors around.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Another sidetrack. When I was at the Ford dealer yesterday, the salesman I dealt with (really nice guy) mentioned a Super Duty that was in for service with a retro paint scheme. He texted me this photo of the truck. I think it looks awesome, and reminds me of a farm truck from the '60s and '70s. Interesting roof rack too.

View attachment 149736

I wonder if that is a wrap, not a paint job.

Wrapping in the snow states is something I've considered with my 2017 F250. 2017 is the first year Ford went to aluminum in the Super Duty, I think. But...

After a few winters in Wisconsin, my body panels look excellent. Literally like new.

But I clay-bar it annually and wax it every few months.

Bad day on a country road 1/2 mile from home...
Outriggers on county snow plows make it so you can't see the asphalt road edge. Once a tire falls off the pavement, you're sucked into the shoulder. In my case here it was a frozen swamp. My LX2610 was no help, it was just my heated transport vehicle. Winched the truck out. No damage to the truck at all. Just my pride was hurt. All four tires on ice. Even with the rear locker engaged it just spun the tires like they were floating in air. Ford aluminum body panels are top notch in my experience.

 

[McMXi]

I like the color. We have two f350 s that color.

The color has been growing on me for sure, as have other features on the truck as I discover them.

A bit of an update regarding towing and protection.

Towing

Ford says that the max gooseneck trailer weight for the F-450 is 33,000lb, but that's really only the case for a specific truck model and under specific circumstances. You'll need an F-350 regular cab dually with either the 6.7L diesel or the gas options to get the payload capacity suitable for a 33,000lb gooseneck trailer. I've been pouring over truck and trailer specs with the hope that I make a "buy once, cry once" decision when it comes to a gooseneck trailer. So here are the specs for this F-450 which is a crew cab, 4x4, H.O. engine and 8ft bed:

GVWR: 14,000lb
Curb weight: 8,627lb
Payload: 5,373lb

So once you account for a full tank of fuel and driver, the available payload is around 4,750lb. Now consider about 20% of the GVWR for a 25k gooseneck trailer is being supported by the truck, the max trailer weight is 23,750lb which is a long way from 33,000lb. A typical 30ft gooseneck trailer weighs about 6,000lb so this leaves a load weight of 17,750lb. I'm not complaining and don't have a problem with these numbers since I can comfortably put the M6060 and folding cutter on a 25k gooseneck, or the M-1078 for that matter. But it is interesting when you start to look at the details.

What I'm left with is that a 25k gooseneck with 10k tandem dual axles with 14 or 16 ply tires is the way to go and would be the best match for this F-450.

Front end protection

I have aftermarket front bumper/brushguards on my '02 F-250 and '98 Jeep TJ to help protect the vehicle (and occupants) in the event of a deer or bigger jumping out in front of me. Montana has one of the highest car and truck comprehensive and collision rates in the country. Supposedly this is due to the very high per capita rate of collisions with deer, elk, moose and even cattle! I want to get something on this truck before I put much in the way of miles on it.

I found a "local" company that makes really stout and well thought out front bumpers. They're called TDK (Throttle Down Kustoms) and they're in Moore, MT. I think I'll be ordering a bare steel bumper from them next week with the idea to paint it myself .... maybe Kubota grey. Here's an example on a red Super Duty that looks like a later model.

I like the provision for front parking sensors and the adaptive cruise control which my truck has. I'll be keeping the cost down by having the cutouts for two sets of lights added but won't be buying lights at this time. When I do buy lights, one set will be fog lamps to replace the factory ones that get covered up (I'll remove them), and the other set will be driving lights. There's an option for winch mounting, light bar tabs, and a receiver but those are not priorities to me at the moment and I can add later if desired.

This is one of the best looking brushguards I've seen and it's made of some stout 3/16" and 1/4" plate. I think it was @biketopia who mentioned removing the front valence. I guess it will be gone once this bumper is installed.

 

[McMXi]

I wonder if that is a wrap, not a paint job.

Wrapping in the snow states is something I've considered with my 2017 F250. 2017 is the first year Ford went to aluminum in the Super Duty, I think. But...

Hard to say if it's paint or a wrap. The salesman who sent me the photo said it was painted, but I don't know if he assumed that or knew that for a fact.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

The color has been growing on me for sure, as have other features on the truck as I discover them.

A bit of an update regarding towing and protection.

Towing

Ford says that the max gooseneck trailer weight for the F-450 is 33,000lb, but that's really only the case for a specific truck model and under specific circumstances. You'll need an F-350 regular cab dually with either the 6.7L diesel or the gas options to get the payload capacity suitable for a 33,000lb gooseneck trailer. I've been pouring over truck and trailer specs with the hope that I make a "buy once, cry once" decision when it comes to a gooseneck trailer. So here are the specs for this F-450 which is a crew cab, 4x4, H.O. engine and 8ft bed:

GVWR: 14,000lb
Curb weight: 8,627lb
Payload: 5,373lb

So once you account for a full tank of fuel and driver, the available payload is around 4,750lb. Now consider about 20% of the GVWR for a 25k gooseneck trailer is being supported by the truck, the max trailer weight is 23,750lb which is a long way from 33,000lb. A typical 30ft gooseneck trailer weighs about 6,000lb so this leaves a load weight of 17,750lb. I'm not complaining and don't have a problem with these numbers since I can comfortably put the M6060 and folding cutter on a 25k gooseneck, or the M-1078 for that matter. But it is interesting when you start to look at the details.

What I'm left with is that a 25k gooseneck with 10k tandem dual axles with 14 or 16 ply tires is the way to go and would be the best match for this F-450.

Front end protection

I have aftermarket front bumper/brushguards on my '02 F-250 and '98 Jeep TJ to help protect the vehicle (and occupants) in the event of a deer or bigger jumping out in front of me. Montana has one of the highest car and truck comprehensive and collision rates in the country. Supposedly this is due to the very high per capita rate of collisions with deer, elk, moose and even cattle! I want to get something on this truck before I put much in the way of miles on it.

I found a "local" company that makes really stout and well thought out front bumpers. They're called TDK (Throttle Down Kustoms) and they're in Moore, MT. I think I'll be ordering a bare steel bumper from them next week with the idea to paint it myself .... maybe Kubota grey. Here's an example on a red Super Duty that looks like a later model.

I like the provision for front parking sensors and the adaptive cruise control which my truck has. I'll be keeping the cost down by having the cutouts for two sets of lights added but won't be buying lights at this time. When I do buy lights, one set will be fog lamps to replace the factory ones that get covered up (I'll remove them), and the other set will be driving lights. There's an option for winch mounting, light bar tabs, and a receiver but those are not priorities to me at the moment and I can add later if desired.

This is one of the best looking brushguards I've seen and it's made of some stout 3/16" and 1/4" plate. I think it was @biketopia who mentioned removing the front valence. I guess it will be gone once this bumper is installed.

View attachment 149923

View attachment 149924

I have the Westin grill guard on my 2017' F250 SD. Honestly, I only bought it because it was the cheapest winch mount available. I wanted a HD winch mount set up that wasn't 3 thousand dollars. I have used the winch a few times with the Westin winch mount and grill guard combo, and it is solid. The grill guard is a plus or minus depending on personal looks.

The Westin set up is more commercial or governmental and not designed for looks. But it works well for me. Smaller deer and coyotes will be destroyed by it without damage to my truck.

I can post a pic tomorrow.

 

[Bmyers]

The color has been growing on me for sure, as have other features on the truck as I discover them.

A bit of an update regarding towing and protection.

Towing

Ford says that the max gooseneck trailer weight for the F-450 is 33,000lb, but that's really only the case for a specific truck model and under specific circumstances. You'll need an F-350 regular cab dually with either the 6.7L diesel or the gas options to get the payload capacity suitable for a 33,000lb gooseneck trailer. I've been pouring over truck and trailer specs with the hope that I make a "buy once, cry once" decision when it comes to a gooseneck trailer. So here are the specs for this F-450 which is a crew cab, 4x4, H.O. engine and 8ft bed:

GVWR: 14,000lb
Curb weight: 8,627lb
Payload: 5,373lb

So once you account for a full tank of fuel and driver, the available payload is around 4,750lb. Now consider about 20% of the GVWR for a 25k gooseneck trailer is being supported by the truck, the max trailer weight is 23,750lb which is a long way from 33,000lb. A typical 30ft gooseneck trailer weighs about 6,000lb so this leaves a load weight of 17,750lb. I'm not complaining and don't have a problem with these numbers since I can comfortably put the M6060 and folding cutter on a 25k gooseneck, or the M-1078 for that matter. But it is interesting when you start to look at the details.

What I'm left with is that a 25k gooseneck with 10k tandem dual axles with 14 or 16 ply tires is the way to go and would be the best match for this F-450.

Front end protection

I have aftermarket front bumper/brushguards on my '02 F-250 and '98 Jeep TJ to help protect the vehicle (and occupants) in the event of a deer or bigger jumping out in front of me. Montana has one of the highest car and truck comprehensive and collision rates in the country. Supposedly this is due to the very high per capita rate of collisions with deer, elk, moose and even cattle! I want to get something on this truck before I put much in the way of miles on it.

I found a "local" company that makes really stout and well thought out front bumpers. They're called TDK (Throttle Down Kustoms) and they're in Moore, MT. I think I'll be ordering a bare steel bumper from them next week with the idea to paint it myself .... maybe Kubota grey. Here's an example on a red Super Duty that looks like a later model.

I like the provision for front parking sensors and the adaptive cruise control which my truck has. I'll be keeping the cost down by having the cutouts for two sets of lights added but won't be buying lights at this time. When I do buy lights, one set will be fog lamps to replace the factory ones that get covered up (I'll remove them), and the other set will be driving lights. There's an option for winch mounting, light bar tabs, and a receiver but those are not priorities to me at the moment and I can add later if desired.

This is one of the best looking brushguards I've seen and it's made of some stout 3/16" and 1/4" plate. I think it was @biketopia who mentioned removing the front valence. I guess it will be gone once this bumper is installed.

View attachment 149923

View attachment 149924

Did you use the online Ford towing guide webpage? You enter your VIN, it then gives you the towing specs of your truck. The online calculator lets you play with the different configurations and weights for your vehicle. As you noted my 20K gooseneck ability quickly drops down when I add in my payload that I'm carrying. The realistic towing ability gooseneck is more like 14K for the my F250 configuration.

 

[McMXi]

Did you use the online Ford towing guide webpage? You enter your VIN, it then gives you the towing specs of your truck. The online calculator lets you play with the different configurations and weights for your vehicle. As you noted my 20K gooseneck ability quickly drops down when I add in my payload that I'm carrying. The realistic towing ability gooseneck is more like 14K for the my F250 configuration.

I didn't know that the online calculator existed until you mentioned it. Oddly enough, when I input the VIN and typical values for passenger weight, fuel, etc., the max conventional tow trailer weight is 30,000lb, but the max gooseneck trailer weight is 27,960lb. This is where numbers can be deceiving and the nuance of towing is lost.

Ford's calculator uses 10% tongue weight for conventional tow (max 3,000lb), and 15% tongue weight for gooseneck tow (max 4,194lb) but they're assuming that the tongue weight on the truck acts the same way, which is doesn't. Would you rather have 3,000lb behind the tailgate of the truck, or 4,000lb in front of the rear axle? I know which I'd prefer.

 

[Jsjac]

I think the brush guard would look very good painted the color of your new truck.

 

[Siesta Sundance]

I didn't know that the online calculator existed until you mentioned it. Oddly enough, when I input the VIN and typical values for passenger weight, fuel, etc., the max conventional tow trailer weight is 30,000lb, but the max gooseneck trailer weight is 27,960lb. This is where numbers can be deceiving and the nuance of towing is lost.

Ford's calculator uses 10% tongue weight for conventional tow (max 3,000lb), and 15% tongue weight for gooseneck tow (max 4,194lb) but they're assuming that the tongue weight on the truck acts the same way, which is doesn't. Would you rather have 3,000lb behind the tailgate of the truck, or 4,000lb in front of the rear axle? I know which I'd prefer.

I see farmers/ranchers hual stuff around here exceeding those weights.

Today was the first time I saw some oil equipment being moved with an 18Whlr pulling and another 18Whlr as a pusher. The trailer had like 60 wheels on it and I never could figure out the cargo was on the trailer. I should have taken some pictures.

 

[McMXi]

I see farmers/ranchers hual stuff around here exceeding those weights.

Today was the first time I saw some oil equipment being moved with an 18Whlr pulling and another 18Whlr as a pusher. The trailer had like 60 wheels on it and I never could figure out the cargo was on the trailer. I should have taken some pictures.

I have no intention of getting near the limits (as shown in Ford literature).

Since I put down a deposit on a Kaufman 30ft gooseneck trailer this morning I figured I'd better test out the installation of the B&W hitch kit rather than assume that it'll drop in and show up in Nebraska with a problem. Needless to say, the fit is excellent and I'm more than pleased with the setup.

The hitch is rated to 30,000lb and once again, I won't be near that. The rubber center plug/cap from B&W is a nice touch. It's softer than the Ford one so easier to remove and install.