Rear axle width of chassis cap trucks after conversion to SRW

[Oshkosh-P]

But why is it impossible to get an EU truck there? Getting US HD trucks here is not easy, but not impossible. They will even start selling the F-150 in regular shops now.

Well Hilux&Co are nice, but way weaker. A Nissan Patrol or Mercedes G-Wagon would already beat those in terms of strenght.

Tires are indeed an issue i will need to think about, probably a compromise between somehwat offroad capable and loadable but also ratet for something around 70-80mph. I do net need the full speed of course. Maybe 2 sets later on. In terms of lenght, yes thats an issue, but i dont need a big palace, 140" wheelbase should be enough and if you end up with something round 6 meters in lenght that is big, but not much compared to an Unimog and in case of the F-350(0) also no wider. So beeing much lower and faster (without the cap) is still a benefit.

Again the DRW-SRW will (if at all) only be done out of absolute necessity, right now there are exactly 6 F-2/350 availablye in germany that are younger than 2006 and below 140k miles and 55.000$ in price, just so you get an understanding of the situation

I guess i could get a F-350 srw single cap short wheelbase with the bare minimum from around 2018 and with around 70k miles for around 30k $ with the gas and maybe 35-40k$ with the diesel, her is pay at least +50% or have to take something way older and more (ab9used.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Maybe i am delusional here, but wasnt there a time when the Ford F-450/550 trucks did feature the awesome Dana Super 60 in the front, but had NOT yet switched to the wider track in the front?

And if so, could such a truck with a swap to SRW be brought down to around 80-82" in width or are those heavier rear axles simply wieder anyways?

Because if that would work, it would be worth the extra effort to swap to SRW, since then you would get the much higher GVW but bring the vehicle down to the size of a F-350.

So basically the dimensions and GVW of an old Unimog, combined with the speed of a F-350. of course not the same offroad abilities as the Mog but that would be a fair trade off!

 

[Oshkosh-P]

So i actually found a F-450 of that era!

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=385380198&action=eyeCatcher&isSearchRequest=true&ms=%3B%3B%3Bf+450%3B&od=down&ref=srp&refId=060fc41b-d1e6-d4b7-a0db-6d86a4d765c0&s=Truck&sb=doc&searchId=060fc41b-d1e6-d4b7-a0db-6d86a4d765c0&vc=VanUpTo7500

Now the internet gives mixed answers: Does this one already feature the wider front axle or was that something introdiced with generation 3 from 2011+?

Because if not, i should be correct to assume, that this vehicle could be brought down to around 80-84" width after a switch to SRW? In this case it would actually be worth the effort, since this is a much stronger base compared to an ordinary F-350.

Only thing that confuses me is the supposed 6.7l on that truck, since this generation had the less desirable 6.4...

 

[DirtWhiskey]

So i actually found a F-450 of that era!

https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=385380198&action=eyeCatcher&isSearchRequest=true&ms=%3B%3B%3Bf+450%3B&od=down&ref=srp&refId=060fc41b-d1e6-d4b7-a0db-6d86a4d765c0&s=Truck&sb=doc&searchId=060fc41b-d1e6-d4b7-a0db-6d86a4d765c0&vc=VanUpTo7500

Now the internet gives mixed answers: Does this one already feature the wider front axle or was that something introdiced with generation 3 from 2011+?

Because if not, i should be correct to assume, that this vehicle could be brought down to around 80-84" width after a switch to SRW? In this case it would actually be worth the effort, since this is a much stronger base compared to an ordinary F-350.

Only thing that confuses me is the supposed 6.7l on that truck, since this generation had the less desirable 6.4...

Ford switched to the wide track S60 in 2005. Dodge when they rolled out the 4500/5500 series, which has never had the narrow track. That truck is a 2008 so it has the wide track. This convo is bass ackwards from what we usually see. More power to you, but the wide track is a sacred beast because of the stronger components, huge brakes and most importantly, the waaaaaaay tighter turning radius. I swapped my 2001 F450 to 2006 axles to achieve these things and also retain my 7.3 Power stroke. I think you'll find more use of the tighter turning radius than a few inches of width on tighter trails. YMMV of course.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Hmmm that is a point, but things here can get pretty narrow. And the difference was substantial right? Like + 6" in width?

But why is a wider axle stronger? If its the same base design with the same pipe, shouldnt the shorter/narrower ones be stronger?

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Hmmm that is a point, but things here can get pretty narrow. And the difference was substantial right? Like + 6" in width?

But why is a wider axle stronger? If its the same base design with the same pipe, shouldnt the shorter/narrower ones be stronger?

3 inches per side seems roughly correct but I'd have to pull a tape on both axles. The Wide Track Super 60 isn't the same beast. Tubes/shafts are much bigger along with the pumpkins and brakes. The u Joints are huge and grease-able. Way bigger than the previous axle.

People use the term Super 60 all over when there are massive differences between the wide track version and normal. This made research on parts and upgrades a huge PIA. But I found 5.38 gears for front and back (I have 41" MPT81 super singles on mine) and a Yukon air locker up front. The matching rears are huge too. Dana S110 on mine although I think they changed to the S135 in 2008 on the F450/550 chassis cabs. Easy finding gears for the rears but no lockers I could find. The rears have an Eaton TrueTrac mechanical LSD standard though. Never been stuck.

Note they had a wide track option for the F350 trucks from 2008 to 2010, same axle. It's a rare beast. Only drawback for those years is the dreaded 6.4 Powerstroke.

In short that set of axles was designed for oil field trucks, not road queens, and are bomber especially if you have a large load like a permanent camper. That's why most of the big expedition campers use that platform for their million dollar rigs. Suspension is tightly wound but mine drives like a Cadillac with the camper on it. I actually had a leaf removed on the rear.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Hmmmm 3 inches would sound like a small price to pay, unfortunatly it would be the 6.4 Diesel, in this case i would prefer it to be a gas engine to be honest.

So even amoung the relativly small faction of Dana Super 60 there are such big differences? I knew this was very much the case with the normal D60 and D44, thanks for clearing this up. Then again, the Wide S60 goes up to 7500lbs with the F-600, so there has to be some beefing up.

 

[tacollie]

Note they had a wide track option for the F350 trucks from 2008 to 2010, same axle.

They offered the wide track through 2016 on DRW F350s. So it's possible to get with a 6.7. They are hard to find.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Yeah but in the end what is the benefit? If its the bigger vehicle anyways, why not take the stronger F4/550? Stronger Chassis, stronger rear, so better overall. Only benefit of the F-350 would be the fully boxed frame, but that was introduced in 2017 and with it came the fully boxed F-450 as a pickup.