If you’re working with heavy equipment, then the Ford Super Duty is well known. Hitting the market in 1999 to do the heavy lifting that the F-150 couldn’t do, let’s see how this truck differs in generations.
Key takeaways
- The Super Duty had a lot of special editions in the early generations, making these appealing for those who want something unique.
- In the third generation, the Super Duty went back to the 1999 design for the frame.
- In the fourth generation, Ford streamlined the cab across the entirety of the F-Series.
First generation (1999-2007)
Being that this was the first year under the Super Duty name, Ford offered tons of different configurations for the cab, and the bed. The cabs came with a two-door regular cab, 2+2 door SuperCab, and four-door crew cab, while the bed came with an 8-foot bed for the regular cab, and 6 3⁄4-foot bed for the other cabs.
In 2001, Ford saw the millionth Super Duty produced and to celebrate the milestone they released a Platinum edition of the F-250. This was a package for the Lariat and came with a unique two-tone silver paint job, special leather seats, and unique badging to commemorate the accomplishment.
In 2003, Ford saw another milestone with the company celebrating 100 years. In honor of that, the Super Duty saw another special edition, this edition came with monochromatic black clearcoat exterior, premium Verona-grain Imola leather seating finished in two-tone parchment, and special centennial edition badging.
In 2005, the truck saw minor updates to the interior, and exterior. The exterior changes saw a new grille, front bumper, and a locking tailgate. The lineup also saw updates to Triton gasoline engines to produce more power. And to deal with the extra power, all trucks were given four-wheel disc brakes and 17-inch tires became standard. For the inside, the truck gained auxiliary switches, as well as a trailer brake control to really cement this lineup as a work truck.
Second generation (2008-2010)
This generation came out a year later due to quality standards not being met. This year saw the addition of a Rapid-Heat Supplemental Cab Heater for the diesel engines that helps keep you warm while your truck warms up. If your truck is equipped with a CD player, or CD changer, then you can look for the addition of a 3.5 auxiliary port.
In 2008, the Super Duty featured a collaboration with Harley Davidson and came with a special edition that came with black and dusted copper two-tone leather captain's chairs with bar and shield logo, leather-trimmed center console, unique gauge cluster, and embroidered carpeted floor mats. For the exterior you were treated to 20-inch wheels, billet-style grille, blacked out headlights, illuminated cab steps, power folding body-color powerscope mirrors, and a rubber bed mat with Harley-Davidson logo.
2008 also saw a special edition for the XLT trim, celebrating 60 years of the F series, this came with two-tone paint, additional chrome trim, and special badging, with only 2500 being made.
Third generation (2011-2016)
This generation didn’t see any special editions like the generations before, but it did return to the original frame design that debuted in 1999, giving the thickest gauge steel frame in its class. A feature that was unique to the 2011 model was a locking differential, but apart from that, there was nothing that was very stand-out for this gen.
Fourth generation (2017-2022)
This generation saw the streamlining of the F-series for the F-150 and Super Duty sharing the same cab, and when looking at models from the generation before, it weighed 350 pounds less.
In 2020, the Super Duty received a revised grille and tailgate design, new wheel options, and higher-quality interior materials for the Limited trim. This year also saw the reintroduction of the F-600, which is almost identical to the F-550 but the 600 comes with an upgraded chassis.
While it’s not on the market, and there’s no guarantees that it will show up, in 2022 the F-550 was being prototyped with a hydrogen fuel cell to make this truck electric.
The Tremor also came back in this generation, being an off-road version of the F-250, and F-350. This trim was outfitted with the new 7.3L "Godzilla" gasoline V8 engine that can produce 430 horsepower.
Fifth generation (2023-present)
This is the most up to date generation, so it’s hard to tell what the rest of it will bring. What we do know is that Ford added two new engine options, these engines are a 6.8L gasoline V8, which is a short-stroked version of the Godzilla the Tremor had, and a high-output version of the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel, producing up to 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque.
Summary
When it comes to the Ford Super Duty, there’s loads of history. Come check us out here at Jarrett Ford and take a look at our truck inventory!