I am thinking of buying a '97 F350 dually extended cab with Powerstroke diesel and automatic. I want to pull a 5th Wheel Camper. I also want to get 4WD since I have been stuck on wet grassy fields before. I don't really know if this is a good idea or not to get 4WD. I am also worried about how high they are with 4WD and if a 5th wheel camper will fit over the bed rails. Would like to hear anybody's experience in needing 4WD for camping or in the bed height issue. I don't plan on using this off-road at all. Only highway & secondary roads plus state park roads to campgrounds.

 

Off the subject but can you get a pre-99' dually with four wheel drive, I thought they were all 4x2's?

Daywalker
92' F-250 4x4 351 4.10 5spd

 

First things first. Most 5th wheel trailers will fit behind a 4wd. They do not (under most all conditions) hit the bed rails. If you are not going to use the trailer off-road, then you should be fine with the 4wd. Just don't go crazy with suspension lifts. I have seen 5th wheel trailers being pulled behind 90's Fords with 4 to 6 inches of lift. They tilted a bit, but if you are careful, they still shouldn't hit.

Second, I believe Ford has been making 4wd dualies since the 80's. Chevy has been since the 70's and Dodge has been since the 80's as well.

 

You could not get the 4x4 dually of Ford untill the 99 superduty (extended cab and crew cab). Only cab and chassis 4x4 dually's in Ford till 99. If you see otherwise they are conversions. Either by the individual or by companies such as Centurion.
The hitch should be adjustable for height. If not you could do it yourself either via trailer or truck hitch. The trailer should not hit the bed or rails 4x2 or 4x4.

 

According to the complaint column in Trailer LIfe
Mag., there can be a definite bed heigth problem with the new high riding trucks. Not the bed itself, but the bed sides, in dips and cornering

 

There's a pretty easy solution to bed height problems.I simply placed my axles underneath the springs.The only materials required were 4 new spring locators at $2.50 each.Once everything is bolted in place the spring locators should be welded in place.If you don't have a welder you can drive the unit to any shop to have this done.It only takes 5 minutes.I used a small wire feed welder to tack them in place.The whole procedure was easily done with handtools and can be done in about an hour and a half from start to finish.You can then adjust your hitch to the proper height.You now have a level riding 5th Wheel that gives you plenty of siderail clearance.
This does NOT make your trailer look like a lifted 4X4 either.Most people have to ask if my trailer is a bit higher than factory height.
Dave

 

 

I HAVE A 2001-F350-DUELLY-PSD-CREW CAB- 8 FOOT BED-4X4 WITH THE LA WEST PACKAGE ON IT. MY 5TH WHEELS IS 38 FEET LONG AND HEAVY- CARRIES MY 2 HARLEY IN BACK OF 5TH WHEEL. MY HITCH IS A 22K HUSKY- I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH BED HEIGHT. THE HITCH CAN ADJUST TO THE HEIGHT YOU NEED. 4X4 HAVE TO LOVE IT ON WET GRASS AND SANDY CAMPSITE. I TRAVEL FROM BOSTON TO KEY WEST FLA. HOPE THIS HELPS

 

mo4x4,I believe you are mistaken about 4WD duallies,but I'm not sure.4WD has very little effect on the rear height of a truck.My friend's 1997 F-350 4x4 with Power Stroke sits at a virtually identical height in the rear as my 1997 F-250 Power Stroke 2WD but his is almost 4 inches higher up front than mine.I would not worry about a 4WD if I were you,we've pulled lots of goosenecks with lifted 4x4s and had no problems.

 

Dexter Axle makes a over/under axle swap kit for doing this job at home. No welding required.

 

I tow a 37' 5th wheel camper with my 79 F250 4x4 with 33" tires.
eventhough the truck is fairly tall, I have not experienced clearance problems. All good fifth wheel hitches are adjustable in height, also some can be slid backwards, which helps in rough terrain and tight turns.


If you didn't build it, its not really yours.

 

I tow a 30 foot 5th wheel camper with my F450 flatbed, and needed to reverse the axles on the suspension of the trailer to get a level tow, and have gone over 20,000 miles that way, with no problems of stability or wandering, and the suspension is doing fine, as are the axles.

About pre '99 duallies. I have a Ford custom built F450, Crew cab, 4X4 Dually, that I specifically ordered from FoMoCo in 1996. They took 6 weeks to build it, with a 7k front axle, and a 10k rear.

 

wow sounds like a nice truck theologian

If you didn't build it, its not really yours.