Ford F550 - 5 Reasons to Upgrade!

Today I explain the 5 Key Reasons to Upgrade from my older Ford F350 to a new F550 and all its benefits! Here I discuss insurance cost implications, how Liquid Springs smooths out my ride, the benefits of significantly larger brakes, and the wider front axel that greatly improves the turning radius!
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[@skoffco]

These camper manufactures are crazy building these massive campers and telling you a 1 ton dully is all thats needed. Now if you don’t max out the axle ratings you would be fine but then you are above the 14,000 pound GVWR. It’s just a numbers game to keep the truck at a class 3 rating.

[@mjmohn]

The new rig is looking good Charlie. We have a similar setup. Instead of a 3/4" plywood base, we used a Tractor Supply 3/4" Horse Stall Rubber Mat. Good strong rubber good enough for a horse, so it is good enough for the prized TC. But, a little more forgiving than solid plywood. Looks like you can now conquer a trip to Alaska on the ALCAN Highway. Safe Travels and Happy Trails. Cheers.

[@djaj423]

yup them mats are stout. lance will void warranty if not on a mat...plus for under 50 bucks at tractor supply.. highly recommend

[@williamsmith1693]

Great video can you do a 1 year review. I was wondering how the bed of the truck was holding up also, what was your thought process behind going with gas versus diesel? Thank you again.

[@catherinetassinari6777]

Mikeee An F450 Chassis and Cab would have allowed you to get the 4.33 rear end gears thus better fuel mileage. The 16000 GVW would have been more than enough payload Your F550 I believe has the 4.88 rear end gears. Ouch

[@kerrinbressant7642]

Good job Charles! You sound deliberate enough to have been an engineer in some capacity during your work life.

[@cathycoushaine3728]

WOW! Those liquid springs are awesome! Love how easy it was for you to make them go up and down. Plus I really liked the black guard in the front of the truck for safety and for your scooter. Great additions! The leveling and centering is also clever. Informative video Charlie. Congratulations on this beautiful F-550! That cherry red is sweet!😎🏕🛻

[@freedomisntfree5573]

Finally. Someone with the right truck for the job. Those campers and the huge eagle caps are to heavy

[@DynoDieselWagon]

The right job would be a 67

[@joz_tec]

Congratulations!! I have a friend with another EOG F550 rig. Good stuff!

[@djaj423]

good for you Charlie. Congrats. looking to do same when market fixes self. Super dutys are non existent right now.. i so wanna upgrade to a larger super duty..

[@putarguy]

Great content! You missed the BIGGEST feature upgrade question though! HOW MUCH $$$?

[@BryanDoesCinema]

can you add air bags to this, would it even make a difference if you could?

[@charlescoushaine]

Our Liquid Springs suspension replaces all your shocks and leaf springs and makes the ride exceptionally smooth! No need for air bags.

[@ricardojigashi8100]

10 more years ? How old are you ?

[@Steelers2841]

Liquid Springs are good lot of F450 AND F550 SD in the Ambulances better then Air Spring or Air Ride nice Ride

[@bradwhite6254]

Wow, that is a nice truck. Looking good.

[@lordviciousswede6148]

Cost?

[@skoffco]

I don’t get it you shouldn’t have any porpoising with that 550 and the weight of that camper. I would’ve stuck with the stock suspension.

[@rangerbay22]

Mr Coushaine , been following your site. I have a large truck camper as well. Eagle Cap 1200. you have great rig. if possible could you comment about your tiedowns and hitch? i tow my boat. Could you move those over from the 350 without drilling holes or issues with the liqidsprings?

[@DynoDieselWagon]

You'll be sorry you did not go diesel that 73 will be a puffin UP the mountains.

[@garyausher]

Nice wheels! I can think of a few negatives too. I'm always airing down on those washboard and deep sand trails I find. I see your neighbor has the traditional Florida blue roof. Hope you did ok with the rough weather this year.

[@ronaldbeattie-8589]

How much money for the highway style F550 Daully?

[@g.r.2985]

Great looking rig, mate! I couldn’t help but notice when you were showing the front springs, the RUST that had already started to form on one of the pieces there. I’m sure it’s fine though, but way to go Ford! Anyway, safe travels! You look like you can take in almost anything with that rig (well, maybe not moose but most animals won’t damage the front end in a roadkill situation!

[@1oldvato782]

Wow what a Awesome Rig and thanks for the information about that beautiful F550👍👍

[@drtjrmd]

@charlescoushaine what type of gas mileage do you get, both loaded and unloaded?

[@freedomisntfree5573]

What happens when thst liquid suspension takes a crsp going down the road? Im kind of an old school kiss guy.

[@usmcshepherdE9]

Do you miss the diesel? I‘ve heard these C&C models engines with diesels are de-tuned anyway.

[@timandnatd]

Thanks for letting me know about elevationoffgrid. How much did your build cost you?(Just the truck) I don't see they mention offering the option to get a GAS engine. I'd personally prefer gas over Diesel too.

[@charlescoushaine]

My truck all in with several custom items was $130k. Yes you can get the F550 chassis cab either diesel or 7.3L gas and up to a Lariat trim level, but also with 4.88 rear gears for easier pulling or hauling. No front sensors but rear camera in tailgate. EOG will customize any way you want and are great to work with!!

[@CITAP1]

Beautiful Truck and setup. Sadly, well beyond my price range 😕. Does that suspension have a self leveling function? That could be handy when camped. 7.3 gasser got enough pulling power when towing? Figured your actual average mileage yet? I'll have to make due with my old faithful F250 a bit longer. It has a new engine and front suspension. And it gets me where I'm going every time. At least new scratches and dents aren't cause for tears. Enjoy that masterpiece!

[@charlescoushaine]

The new Liquid Springs suspension system is expected to have Campsite Leveling sometime next year and I cannot wait!

[@betsydieguez797]

Hi Charles. We are doing the same type of set-up however we are having problems with insurance company wanting to insurance commercial. I do NOT want commercial policy. What is your insurance company name ? And what “wording” do I need to use? Thanks a bunch!!!!

[@charlescoushaine]

We went with State Farm in Florida for non commercial coverage for our F550

[@bryanstaten5585]

Wow 6,000 lb....that's the heaviest truck camper I've heard of. How is it anchored to the truck? I don't see any tie downs.

[@charlescoushaine]

I use Torqlift Fastguns to hold the camper down with no problems at all!

[@brandonm4613]

Hi, if you don't mind can you give a ballpark for the Elevation Off-Grid work? My wife and I are looking at a truck camper and off course she is a fan of the "larger" ones. It is pushing the limit of what I would be comfortable putting on a F-350 and I hate the look of flatbeds so I would definitely want to go with this more traditional OEM style. Thanks.

[@charlescoushaine]

The Elevation Off Grid portion was around $60k but worth every penny. Their attention to detail and quality of work is second to none. Highly recommend!! Jerime Monroe Elevation Off Grid [phone] [e-mail]

[@6582rg]

Can you explain why Ford derates the 6.7 on the medium duty trucks? I tow a 5th wheel with a 21 F350 dually. I considered going with a chassis cab F450, but the darn thing had less HP and torque.

[@bryanstaten5585]

They do that for longevity for the commercial grade truck.

[@scottshriver5821]

Hey Charlie nice truck, GVWR Is now not a problem with that truck. Carrying that Chalet camper on your old F 350 had to be maxxing out your GVWR. Just wondering what was it on your F350 (total with camper on truck and fully loaded) ? We have a F 450 with a NL Truck camper and virtually impossible to not go over 14000 lbs. gross when you get everything loaded for a long trip. Hope to catch up with you 2 somwhere soon!

[@jonharvey2526]

I have a 2010 F450 PSD CC with a double slide 2011 Chalet. I can’t get under 16k w/ water and propane and packed for a week. I come in at 15040 with tire/fuel/water/propane but no gear.

[@tacopusher1]

Hi Charlie, current Renegade owner here in florida on the 550 chassis as well, can you tell us who installed your liquid springs and ballpark cost 🙏 Thank you kindly

[@charlescoushaine]

Elevation Off Grid in Denver installed my Liquid Springs suspension however I am sure you could find a Florida installer by calling Liquid Springs. The cost of the Liquid Springs was around $20k, and although that is quite a bit, after using it for over a year, I am sold! The ride of a traditional F550 unloaded is unbelievably stiff and this completely changes that! This beast rides like a smooth F150 and even my wife LOVES it!

[@bryanstaten5585]

Curious about the horsepower and torque rating of the Godzilla in an f550? Is it derated like the diesel is on a commercial grade truck? What is the comparison from the gas to diesel on an f550?

[@charlescoushaine]

Yes all F550s are debated but I cannot tell the difference and if it protects the engine and transmission all the better!

[@davepuskar6035]

what is the advantage of lifting it 8 inches with the liquid shocks?

[@craigb8974]

Hey Charles, great videos. I am retiring soon and looking into some long trips with a truck camper, I was wondering if you ave any updates on how the new truck is working out. I am going to AK and want to boondock in some other remote spots and was considering super singles. Do you think the Godzill ahas sufficient torque for them?

[@charlescoushaine]

My 7.3L Godzilla gas engine has worked out fantastic and would probably never go back to diesel!

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

Beautiful truck and camper.

[@freedomisntfree5573]

Noticed you did say how much that rig cost.

[@franksfamily]

Why not a F450 with a heavy tow package and high output diesel? It can tow 40,000lbs and payload is 16k+ lbs

[@charlescoushaine]

Seriously considered a F450 but payload not enough (I'm 17,000 lbs) and I wanted the 7.3L gas engine!

[@franksfamily]

@@charlescoushaine I need to haul around a 21,000lb excavator, with buckets probably 25,000. I am leaning F450 but honestly its a toss up.

[@S14zenkiQs]

Beautiful truck! Just so you know, pressure treated wood can and will corrode aluminum. If you have a spray in bed liner you"ll be fine but if it's just painted then it'll wear through the paint and then eat the bed. I'd either get regular plywood, or one of those 3/4" rubber mats that someone else mentioned.

[@charlescoushaine]

I'm safe...I do have a Linex sprayed in bed liner!

[@commodoretaco4335]

This looks awesome, I need one of those trucks

[@ClarkyMalarky]

Ever think of going to super singles? Get that back country capabilities?

[@charlescoushaine]

Our goal was to keep the bed of the truck as low as possible and super singles add height over stock 19.5 tires

[@ClarkyMalarky]

@@charlescoushaine yes that was my problem with that too, you can google a guy who got supers but retained factory height doing some body work. Looked pretty cool

[@tombarker4478]

Surprised you went to the 7.3 gas engine.

[@charlescoushaine]

Had an older 7.3L diesel and loved it but discovered it was getting harder and harder to get it repaired as we traveled the country. The new 6.7L diesel is great but so complicated it's like a Swiss watch and consequently much harder to repair. Conversely the 7.3L Godzilla gas was designed to be simpler and very robust for heavy work so that is why I bought it.

[@69motorpsycho]

Hi, which insurance company did you go with that allows personal use please?

[@charlescoushaine]

State Farm in Florida

[@drtjrmd]

@@charlescoushaine what type of gas mileage do you get when loaded and unloaded? Thanks

[@charlescoushaine]

I get about 13 mpg unloaded and 8.5 mpg loaded with the 4.88 gears

[@b.4105]

What kind on mpg are you getting with the Godzilla?

[@charlescoushaine]

My Godzilla is in my Ford F550 which is de-tuned and has a 4.88 rear end. With just over 7k miles on the engine I am getting around 8 mpg with my 6000LB camper at around 62 mph.

[@b.4105]

That’s not bad considering you’d only get about 9 to 10 with the diesel.

[@automobiles6787]

Why not F-450?

[@charlescoushaine]

I looked at getting a new F450 but the payload and GVWR were just too low and not sufficient for my camper. Also, I wanted the 7.3L Godzilla gas engine and this is not available on the stock F450, only diesel.

[@ZAR66]

Nice truck. Why not go all the way with a F-600¿

[@j.l.salayao8055]

Why only f600 when you can go for f.750?

[@skoffco]

@@j.l.salayao8055 just use a Kenworth T680

[@cmh2111]

@@j.l.salayao8055 4 wheel drive not available stock on the 750

[@bryanschipske7963]

Pretty sweet setup! Have you been out west with all the mountain passes? Really thinking about a F550 with the 7.3 but but out west every where I go has a few mountain passes. With 6000# in the bed and a 4000# boat I am concerned. The headaches and maintenance of a 6.7 is nuts!

[@adam9936]

I live out west in the hills and would not recommend a gasser with that weight lol