# OBS F350 GAWRs



## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

Can some of you guys post up what the axle ratings are on your F350s? I have an '97 F250HD and the 9' Pro Plus I have will put the truck over the front GAWR by about 500lb.

Obviously, I'm looking to upgrade. I'm doing research on F350s, but am getting some strange information. For example, one source online says that a '96 F350, Crew Cab Longbed has a front GAWR of only 3,565#, with a GVWR of 8,800# (same as my F250HD).

Is that possible? How can an F350 have a lower GAWR than a 250 of the same era? By 1,000!

If that truly is the case, then "upgrading" to a 350 is a step in the wrong direction.

That's why I'm hoping you guys can post what your door stickers say. I'm thinking that 3,565 has to be a typo.

Thanks.


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## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

So there's a local guy selling a '93 F350 gasser, mason dump. I asked him to send a pic of the door sticker, and it shows a front GAWR of 4,000lb.

These trucks have Dana 60s, right? How can the D60 have a lower rating than the D50 that's in my 250?


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## JustJeff (Sep 9, 2009)

I wouldn't worry about it. Most of us that have diesels are well over our FAWRs and do just fine.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

I had a 97 250hd. They had put heavier springs in them, and helpers in the rear. Of course that was a long time ago, my memorie could be wrong.


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## linckeil (Sep 18, 2007)

if you are sticking with the 97 and earlier trucks, a 350 is a huge upgrade over the 250 - primarily because of the dana 60 up front. the independent TTB front axle (whether it be the dana 50 in the heavy duty F250s or the 8 lug dana 44 in the light duty F250's) is prone to problems and has many weak points - add a plow and the problems become amplified. a heavy duty F250 is essentially converted to a F350 when a dana 60 front axle and springs are swapped in. that said, I had plowed for years with the dana 50 and it never let me down, but I got lucky would never do it again.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

If you're going to keep it. Look into putting a solid front axle.


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## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

So doing some reading, it seems like the weak point of the F350 is the front springs. Yeah, the D60 can hold more weight (6200-ish I think) but the F350 springs are only rated for 2,200lb each. F250 springs are rated for 3,400lb each. That explains why the F350 I looked at had a GAWR of only 4,000lb.

That's because the TTB of the 250 causes the wheels to have a lever effect on the spring, so the springs have to deal with that in addition to holding the truck up. Or something like that...

The difference is pretty noticeable. F250 on top, F350 on the bottom. The bottom leaf on both is an add-a-leaf.










Apparently, a D60 swap while keeping the F250 springs makes the truck ride like total crap. So if I go the swap route, I could just get 350 springs with an add-a-leaf.

Or just buy a 350 and add a leaf to the front end.

(I got most of this info from here: http://www.powerstrokenation.com/fo...ormance/336346-dana-60-swap-f250-springs.html )


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## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

So, in short:

Front GAWR on an F250 is limited by the D50 axle.
Front GAWR on an F350 is limited by the springs.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

I put heavier springs in my 250. Talk about ridding like crap. Broke the axle housing. No 350 with front leafs is going to ride good tho.


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## A.M.Canfora (Nov 2, 2011)

In my 94 F250 diesel, I had a spring shop add another leaf on my D50. It did make a difference in in how the truck sat with the plow on it and I did not notice a difference in ride quality. About 3 years ago I swapped in a D60 and F350 springs. That did make the ride rougher but hey, it is a work truck. I still have my old f250 springs with the added leaf if you are interested.


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## Mitragorz (Oct 11, 2013)

A.M.Canfora said:


> In my 94 F250 diesel, I had a spring shop add another leaf on my D50. It did make a difference in in how the truck sat with the plow on it and I did not notice a difference in ride quality. About 3 years ago I swapped in a D60 and F350 springs. That did make the ride rougher but hey, it is a work truck. I still have my old f250 springs with the added leaf if you are interested.


I don't think adding a leaf will give me any real benefit. The stock F250 springs are more than capable of holding up the plow. The weight on the springs is 1700lb below their max. I'm not worried about the stance, the front end squats less than an inch when I raise the plow (9' Western Pro Plus with wings).

I think what I'm going to do is run the truck as-is this season, then try to pick up a 450 over the summer. What I really need is a GVW increase so I don't have to be so careful watching what I put into the spreader.


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