Dealer Recommendations for F350 Order
 

Looking to upgrade tow vehicle. I want to order a weird spec (6 seat Lariat) so choices are limited used or new on lot. I’m located in SW Miami but happy to travel or ship as the dealers down here are hit or miss.

No rush on order times so long as I can get it by Summer or early Fall, but I’m not sure if Ford lead times have improved. Anyone have a dealer that is decent to work with?

I cant say enough good things about our dealer here, Woodhouse. I am located in Nebraska, but they are one of the largest in the country, ship all over the US. I am sure they can accommodate you. PM me if you need a contact to work with.

While I've never purchased from them, I heard good recommendations about Asheboro Ford in NC, where a few fellow racers have said Asheboro's price was lower than their local Mid-Atlantic dealers on factory orders.
The owner (Mike Sperber) is a racer. It's a small dealership so when you ask to speak with the owner, you actually can... When you call, ask to speak with him, introduce yourself as a racer and that you've heard good things about his dealership, then he will pass you over to his lead sales person for configuration and a quote.

Are you ordering a SRW or DRW? If DRW, I'd strongly suggest going to the F450 over the 350.
-Mark

Over on the Ford Truck Forums lots of guys go through Grainger Ford in Iowa. They sell nationwide and everyone seems to love working w/ them. No personal experience w/ them other than what I have read on the forums.

I am not a Ford guy so educate me: is this just due to the diff gearing and steering components? Appreciate the insight.

The wide-track front end makes the turning radius much tighter. This not only makes maneuvering easier, but it’s much better for backing up with a trailer. I don’t know what the price delta on a 450 vs a 350 is these days, but I would HIGHLY recommend the 450. Plus you get the cool looking wheels and commercial tires.

Got it. It’s like $1500 more on the same spec Lariat, seems like a no brainer. I’ll be pulling a 40’ fifth wheel which won’t nearly push the limit, but I do have to back it into my lot which has a 12’ wide double gate that you need to maneuver it through, so turning radius is good. Appreciate the insight.

F450
 

One thing to consider is if you will be using the truck for anything other than towing. I originally had an F-450 Limited as my tow vehicle. And while the tighter turning radius was great, the commercial tires are really harsh to live with for everyday usage. I went to a new F-350 Limited and it tows just as well as my F-450 did but is a LOT more comfortable for usage when there's not an 18K rig attached to it.

Exactly this. Wide track front end provides some improvement in tracking, and a significant improvement in turning radius. Higher capacity tires and GVRW/GCRW rated towing.

-Mark

We deal with this issue with several of our customers, so with the good wheel manufacturers out there now making rated 20" wheels, we have been converting a lot of 450s over since they ride so terribly unloaded with the commercial like tire.

OP, PGas is right on the money. The wide track gives you a great wheel cut over the F350, it used to be 5 degrees or so.

As far as ordering a new F450…I also have a replacement on order now for a year, and it will be ~summer before I get it. Apparently there are still some shortages on the higher spec’d versions. I don’t know all the details.

I really contemplated getting a RAM HD since I prefer Cummins, but knock on wood it appears that Ford has a decent 6.7L diesel now after the disastrous 6.0 and 6.4.

I was able to get around $22k off msrp on factory order Ram 3500. placed order on Nov7, built and delivered to dealer on Dec 20th. Got it from Mark Dodge in Louisiana, and drove back to NJ. Highly recommend this dealership if anyone is shopping for RAM

never knew you could get discounts on factory order custom trucks.

I have a 19 F350 limited and am looking on changing to an F250 limited because of the better ride quality without the goose. Granted I only pull a 28 foot goose, but do drop it at track and drive a bit without it. Need dealer to work with me as only 24K on it and their SA seems to think it should be valued as a 54k truck. I tried a test drive in a F450 and did not like it. Always felt like I was pulling something wide.