We currently are towing with an F-350 CC LB DRW truck but are considering moving up to an F-450 for all the reasons that have been discussed on this and other forums.  Currently we do not plan to have a chase vehicle when we go full time so will be using the truck as our only means of transporation for daytrips and resupply runs to Walmart etc.  My question to those of you that have used both F-350 DRW's and F-450's for an extended period of time, is it your experience that the F-450 gives about the same stiff ride as the F-350 DRW or is it an even rougher ride empty.  Secondly, has anyone installed or looked into installing air-ride seats in an F-450 to make it a more reasonable people hauler? 

My brother in law stepped up to the 450 and it is a rougher ride for sure. It sure pulls good though!! Good trade off.

We went right to the F450 and love the ride with or without the 5ver.  It pulls great and has plenty of room for all.  Ours is an '08 w/ B and W companion hiitch.

We have the 350, but have friends with the 450. The ride is a little stiffer, but can be modified with air bags. It's quite expensive though, from what I understand. To my mind, the truck you need should be dictated by the weight of you trailer, within the bounds of the specifications. The 450 is more expensive, will get less miles per gallon and I would imagine the maintanance costs will be higher. Why buy it if you don't really need it?.

I would agree with Fred...If you are towing upwards of 16K I would choose the 450...I believe the 359 tops out around 17K.  Not sure you want air bags for ride vs. load capacity.

My 2006 with the 4:30 rear end and the tow package is rated to tow 18,200# with a GCWR of 26.000#. I'm not familiar with the specs on the newer models. The manufacturers publish the specifications of every model, length and rear end configuration. As has been mentioned many times previously on this forum, DO NOT TRUST A SALESMAN.

I have scaled our rig and we are currently at the GCWR of 26K for the F-350 and that is packed lightly for weekend trips. The placarded max GVWR of the fifth wheel is 20K which we will probably achieve when we go FT (planned for late 2010 to mid 2011), so the F-450 appears to be inevitable. I did install airbags on the F-350 due to pin weight of the fifth wheel not in an effort to improve ride. The ride with the airbags and towing is fine, the ride with the airbags and not towing is unchanged (stiff). FWIW. Local Ford dealers tell me the order book was closed about 2 weeks ago on 2010 model year trucks. New order book will open within the month for 2011 F series with the new Ford Scorpion 6.7 Ltr Ford built diesel engines.

 When we bought our F-350 CC DRW it came with D rated tires. Which gave it a great ride loaded or unloaded. When we replaced the tires the shop put on E rated tires which gave a harsher ride when unloaded. But they could handle a heavier load.
  I added air ride to the rear with an adjuster to smooth out the ride when not pulling the camper.(30ft Jayco Designer) That work great, DW quit talking about the rough ride.
  If we get a 5er for our fulltime abode, we'll most likely get the F-450 and add air ride frount and rear.

The first question to ask yourself is: Am I buying a vehicle to tow with, or ride around in? If you intend to tow heavy, the only solution is to buy the 450 series of tow vehicle. If, on the other hand, you intend to use the vehicle more for driving unloaded, it might be a mistake. The 350 series might be heavy enough to tow with, but the ride is only marginally better than the 450 series. Read, very marginally. Since it is your money, you have to make the decision based on what your goal is. Happy travels.

There are too many people on the road towing unsafely. I believe people should think of the safety of thier family and others on the road before comfort. I have been using my Frieghtliner as an only vehicle for about 2 years and it works. It doesn't ride like a car but in my opinion no truck does. I drive most of the time but my wife does drive some of the time. My trailer weighs 17500, that is why I am not pulling with a 350. This is my opinion and my decision, I want to be legal and safe. I based my decision on what I have learned from 'Life On Wheels" and other RV safety information .

FYI. I have done some checking into aftermarket air-ride seats for Ford F series trucks. Appears the cost would range from $650 per seat (fabric) to $1000 per seat (leather) plus $300 for the air compressor. This does not include shipping or installation.

Fred, I finally caught on to what you were saying in your first post above. When you mentioned airbags I thought you were talking about the $300 bags that set over the axle to relieve weight off of the springs. I now understand that you were talking about an air suspension system. You are correct they are pricey @ $2500 for the rear installed and $2000 for front installed. My understanding is that there is significant improvement in the ride with just the rear installation. If anyone is interested Kelderman Air Ride is one of the companies that manufactures and installs these systems.

Yes Bill, that was what I was referring to. You control it with a small compressor, and you can really adjust the ride quality. We were led to believe it was about $6K installed. A little too rich for my wallet though.

I have owned a 350 for over 2 years and it is no where near a smooth ride. I didn't buy it to "cruise" but to tow. I am currently looking at a 450 simply for the safety factor and we are looking at getting a heavier 5ver here in the near future. We test drove a 450 Saturday and it is not any smoother of a ride but will definitely be a lot safer towing what we are looking at getting. Safety First!!

The ride between the F-350 vs F-450 will be different. Totally different Trucks. I also agree with Allan, in reference to towing unsafe. They are many RVer's towing over the pin weight and or the GVWR. We do tow a Chevy HHR but I have no problem driving the Freightliner as a matter of fact I look forward to taking the FL out every week just to keep all system up and running. As for ride the only real improvement for a 1 ton Truck is air ride seats. Everything is Air ride on the FL, such as seats, suspension and Cab. But if you dump the air out of the seats the great ride goes away. We had a GM 3500 DRW and Mor/Ryde did install the RL suspension, however only used it for about 600 miles and traded the GM 3500 for a GM 4500 with air ride seats, and suspension, a great riding Truck, the Chevy Kodiak 4500 is one of the Trucks I really made a mistake when I sold it. GBY...