Broken frame??

someotherguy said:

Have that recall # handy by any chance? If I had the VIN for that truck I'd run it through the NHTSA website but I don't. It's a 2018 model and the second oldest in the fleet at the previous company I was at; they have one other 2018 and a 2019. All our trucks are 2020 and newer at this point and one of the 2020's just got retired! Challenging to keep up with new equipment when the new vehicle shortage was (and still is, to a lesser degree) very real, even impacting chassis cabs.

Richard

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No I don't sorry. If I remember right the notice I had was in the truck when it burned. If I can remember to I'll ask my boss tomorrow and see if he has the recall notice still for the twin to my old truck. Mine was a 2019 I would guess they both would have had the same recall.

I didn't wait for him lol. If I remember right I think this is the recall.

smdk2500 said:

I didn't wait for him lol. If I remember right I think this is the recall.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10201640-0001.pdf

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Huh.. that one just covers F550's with the "payload plus" pack. All our trucks are F450's. Very similar but unless they say it's covered.. ya know.

Richard

someotherguy said:

(in Crocodile Dundee voice) "You call that a broken frame? That's not a broken frame...

THIS.. is a broken frame!"

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With "weight" on the hook (just an F150, nothing in the bed)

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After getting back to the shop with weight off, obvious damage but doesn't look quite so dramatic.. until you stand on the running board, jump up and down, and the truck does the Slinky move

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These Fords ain't strong y'all.. I'm sure you're all surprised!!

Richard

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Is it the aluminum frame? Thought an F-450 frame would be much stronger.

xXxPARAGONxXx said:

Is it the aluminum frame? Thought an F-450 frame would be much stronger.

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I don't think any frames are aluminum, just the bodies.

HotWheelsBurban said:

Wow! Even the reinforcement is broken! I knew the late model Ferd's are soda cans up top, but thought they had better metal underneath.

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Ya know, you make a good point. The reinforcement that is attached at the bottom of the frame rail broke, too. Consider this - that reinforcement is obviously designed (to this non-engineer's eyes) to protect against bending due to overloading the payload capacity of the vehicle. In other words, say it had a dump bed, utility bed, stakebed.. but it does nothing to protect against excess loading hanging off the rear of the truck, like a heavy vehicle loaded on a wrecker unit, since the load acts on the frame in a completely opposite manner. The break started at the top and worked down towards the reinforcement. With no support above due to a complete break, it had no choice but to give up. I'm just glad the guys that were in the truck at the time didn't crash and were able to safely pull over when it let go - and before it broke 100% through and split the truck in half. That would've been ugly.

Richard

someotherguy said:

(in Crocodile Dundee voice) "You call that a broken frame? That's not a broken frame...

THIS.. is a broken frame!"

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

With "weight" on the hook (just an F150, nothing in the bed)

You must be registered for see images attach

After getting back to the shop with weight off, obvious damage but doesn't look quite so dramatic.. until you stand on the running board, jump up and down, and the truck does the Slinky move

You must be registered for see images attach

These Fords ain't strong y'all.. I'm sure you're all surprised!!

Richard

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I've eyeballed my K3500 (10k rated), the 3500hd (15k) and the 08 F450 (16k) and the F450 doesn't appear any stronger than the K3500. The 3500hd on the other hand is beefy.

someotherguy said:

Huh.. that one just covers F550's with the "payload plus" pack. All our trucks are F450's. Very similar but unless they say it's covered.. ya know.

Richard

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Maybe it is just for the 550's. For some reason I thought your trucks where 550's. I could have found the wrong one or maybe it was just the 550's. I talked to my boss and he doesn't have the recall notice anymore.

someotherguy said:

Indeed the wrecker biz is probably a terrible example of truck durability. Bent and broken frames are somewhat common, and always have been. However with people "daily driving" much heavier vehicles than before, it's probably more of an issue now. 20 years ago I wouldn't have imagined I'd load so many ridiculous bro dozer trucks but they're everywhere now.

Richard

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Ha! I like that term, 'bro dozer,' and yes, I see them more and more over the past few years in my area (New England)

skylark said:

I've eyeballed my K3500 (10k rated), the 3500hd (15k) and the 08 F450 (16k) and the F450 doesn't appear any stronger than the K3500. The 3500hd on the other hand is beefy.

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I'd be curious to see pics of that Ferd frame for reference.