Ford F-650 & F-750 In Snow & Winter Driving? (Explained)

The Ford F-650 and F-750 are the darling of business owners, fleet operators, and construction companies who require powerful yet reliable trucks. How are the F-650s and F-750s in winter? Read on to find out.

Here is the short answer on whether the Ford F-650 and F-750 are good for snow and winter driving:

The F-650 and F-750 can traverse winter roads with minimal problems. The large body of the F-650s and F-750s give them exceptional stability and balance in winter driving conditions. Besides, they have features such as Traction Control that enhance grip and control in slippery situations.

Is a Ford F-650 & F-750 Good in the Snow?

The Ford F-650 and F-750 are in high demand across the United States. A big reason for the medium duty trucks’ popularity is that they offer reliable performance regardless of weather conditions.

Come rain or shine, these big trucks will perform as expected.

Naturally, the F-650 and F-750’s dominance in different road conditions extends to snow. They can drive comfortably in snow without being stuck.

So, why are the F-650 and F-750 dominant in snow? The answer lies in the engine. Equipped with any of the Ford-built engines, the F-650 and F-750 deliver gobs of torque necessary for plodding through snow.

Design also plays a role in the ability of F-650s and F-750s to combat snowy surfaces. Ground clearance on the F-650 and F-750 is high, meaning you can avoid being stuck when you drive in thick snow.

What Features Will Improve Winter Driving?

The following features are behind the F-650 and F-750’s good winter driving ability:

Antilock Brake System

The Antilock Brake System on your F-650 or F-750 is there to let you brake safely without locking your wheels. We are listing ABS first because it’s among the most important features for driving safely in winter.

Since chances of wheel lock are higher in wet conditions, the ABS comes in handy on winter roads.

By constantly monitoring wheel acceleration, ABS knows if a wheel is about to seize while you’re pressing the brake pedal.

When ABS senses that current braking conditions can make one or more wheels lock up, it modulates brake performance to prevent that from happening.

With ABS, you can brake safely in winter without fearing that your wheels may seize. This goes a long way in making your winter driving experience safer.

Traction Control

The Traction Control system on F-650s and F-750s guards against excessive wheelspin, which can lead to loss of traction.

Because winter surfaces have low traction, it’s harder for your tires to grip the road. Thus, your tires may not grip properly and just spin around.

Increased wheelspin on winter roads is expected. Sometimes, however, excessive wheelspin can be a sign that your wheels have lost all grip on the pavement. And that means your truck can careen and crash anytime.

Traction Control’s primary job is to minimize wheelspin and ensure your wheels are gripping the road properly as you drive. First, it analyzes input from the ABS wheel speed sensor to know if any wheel is spinning excessively.

Should one or more wheels exhibit excessive spinning, the TCS swings into action to bring down the rotation to acceptable levels and prevents the wheels from slipping. It will reduce engine power to reduce power to the affected wheels. TCS will also apply the brakes on that wheel(s).

The combination of those actions leads to reduced wheelspin and increases road grip on your vehicle. This way, your vehicle doesn’t lose traction on any surface, be it snow or ice, and maintains stability.

Electronic Stability Control System

The Electronic Stability Control system works to stabilize the F-650 and F-750 while you drive. ESC is applicable in winter driving situations where it’s easy for vehicles to lose their grip and become unstable.

By evaluating the following pieces of data, Electronic Stability Control can measure your truck’s level of stability:

• Steering angle
• Wheel speed
• Vehicle angle and rate of acceleration

If your truck’s level of stability is low, the ESC system will start a chain of actions aimed at increasing stability and averting total loss of control. The first step is to limit torque supply to your wheels. This prevents them from slipping, which will reduce your vehicle’s stability.

The second step is to apply the brakes on wheels. But ESC doesn’t apply the brakes arbitrarily. Instead, it brakes only those wheels that are slipping and can cause you to lose control.

Having ESC on your truck can go a long way in making sure you get to travel in winter safely. Without it, your chances of being caught in a road mishap would rise astronomically.

Check out our article on important Ford F-650/F-750 statistics and facts you should know.

Does an F-650 & F-750 Have Snow Mode?

Ford did not include a dedicated Snow Mode system on the F-650 and F-750 trucks. However, we doubt that this removes anything from the trucks’ ability to drive well in snow. 

Moreover, the Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control make up for the absence of Snow Mode on F-650s and F-750s. Like Snow Mode, both features can ensure your truck has adequate road grip and superb stability.

Can You Install Additional Snow Gear on F-650 & F-750?

You can install snow gear on a F-650 or F-750. In fact, it may be necessary to install snow gear on your medium-duty truck to get the best out of it during winter.

Installing snow gear on a big truck such as the F-650 or F-750 can be very tasking, particularly if you are new at it. It is important to practice installing and taking off snow gear on your F-650 or F-750 multiple times before the winter to increase your skill.

Snow gear such as chains, ice studs and snow tires are good at improving snow driving. Snow chains, in particular, are great for wading through deep snow because they let your tires bite for greater traction.

How Much Snow Can an F-650 & F-750 Handle?

The Ford F-650 and F-750 benefits from high ground clearance that reduces the chances of being stuck in heavy snow. There are other features, which we went over earlier, that contribute to their excellent drivability in snow.

Based on the enormous ground clearance available on these vehicles, they should have no problem handling deep snow. You could even tackle unplowed roads in these beasts without any problem.

But you must invest in winter tires and other necessary snow gear.

Make sure to check out our article on whether winter tires wear faster in summer.

How Do F-650 & F-750 Handle Low Winter Temperatures?

Because they have fuel injectors in their engines, Ford F-650 and F-750s are rarely affected by cold weather. This means you can start your F-650 or F-750 on frigid winter mornings, and it will run without a hitch.

If your F-650 or F-750 has issues with startup and optimal operation in winter, it may be a sign that something needs checking on that vehicle. For example, it could be that your battery needs replacing.

Your truck’s electricals may be faulty. The air filter could be filled with dirt. The fuel lines may be clogged and full of debris. Anything could be wrong with your truck, really.

Therefore, it’s advisable to get your mechanic to diagnose it for any problems.

Can a Ford F-650 & F-750 Drive on Ice?

The Ford F-650 and F-750 can drive on ice. The duo of Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control help it achieve increased stability and control on icy surfaces.

Still, the F-650 and F-750 are enormous trucks–the biggest in Ford’s lineup–and big trucks are hardly the best models to drive on ice. With their weight, large trucks such as the F-650 and F-750 are harder to control and may likely slip in icy conditions.

However, the larger weight distribution makes for greater balance while driving, which is also good for driving on ice. This somewhat improves the performance of the F-650 and F-750 on ice.

Overall, we’d say caution is the name of the game when driving a F-650 or F-750 truck on ice. Drive carefully, at low speed, and your risk of suffering an accident on ice will drop significantly.

You can also read this article where we cover how thick ice should be to drive on safely.

Does the F-650 & F-750 Have 4WD?

Evaluation of various spec sheets suggests the Ford Medium Duty line, which comprises the F-650 and F-750, don’t offer 4WD either as standard or optional equipment.

What About Older F-650 & F-750 Models and Winter Driving?

Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control only became standard on F-650s and F-750s in 2018. For earlier models, those features were optional (although ABS was standard).

Knowing this, can we judge if the older F-650s and F-750s are good in winter? To some extent.

How good an old F-650 or F-750 is at winter driving depends on whether the previous owner paid for optional safety features. If it has Traction Control, Stability Control and ABS, it should drive well in winter; if it doesn’t, the vehicle may be limited in such conditions.

Do F-650 & F-750 Need Snow Tires?

Snow tires are recommended for any F-650 or F-750 driver planning to travel in wintry conditions. Snow tires are better suited to driving on winter roads compared to summer or all-season tires.

Here are some benefits of using snow tires on your F-650 or F-750:

• Better road grip/traction
• Safer driving/lesser chances of wheel slipping
• Greater stability

If you are looking for affordable snow tires, check out our article on the quality of tires from Walmart, Costco, etc.

Can You Mount A Snow Plow on an F-650 & F-750?

You can fit a snowplow on your F-650 or F-750. With enormous torque output, an F-650 or F-750 has enough power to help you plow through snow easily.

Still, we’d advise you consult your mechanic or fellow owners before installing a snowplow. Snow plows come in different sizes and it can be hard to choose what fits your vehicle. Your mechanic and fellow owners will help you choose.