'04 F150 w 9.25" and 8.8, traction adding diffs inquiry...

[dbhost]

Okay so I am narrowing down to the final items needed for my build. One item that is a sore spot on these trucks is the what is is pre 2012 9.25 does not seem to have selectable lockers available, and I am NOT going to go around full time locked. This is an overlander, not a rock buggy.

I am considering a mechanical limited slip like a Detroit TrueTrac front and rear, while not a true locker, will offer me tons more traction than open diffs, and will still behave in a civilized manner on pavement

I am also not likely to go past 33x12.50/17s again, mostly due to some physical issues on my part, I have a Rancho 2.5" quicklift / Moog HD springs and that is as far as I want to go with lift. Not a money issue so much as an actual off road clearance issue. And a center of gravity issue with a pop up truck camper, I just don't want to end up on the roof...

So the combo then would be... TrueTrac, and maybe 4.11 gears I am thinking. Should give me a good balance between towing grunt, and keeping the highway RPMs reasonable... As long as I don't drop back to OE tire size...

So who has the best deals and what actual gear sets do folks recommend?

 

[ramblinChet]

It really depends what types of terrain you plan to adventure in. I overland full time and it is a very rare circumstance that I even engage four-wheel-drive. Most of those times are on soft sand or ascending muddy/rocky trails.

I have been hitting trails since the very early 90s all around the country and based upon my experiences the best all around combination for virtually every vehicle is a selectable locker up front with a limited slip in the rear. I have never met a single person who installed limited slips front and rear that was ultimately happy. Read up on torque bias ratio for limited slips and accept the fact that if one tire has zero traction the opposing tire has zero torque being delivered.

Gears are another issue and are mostly guided by terrain, engine, and tire size.

You mention a pop-up camper and F150 - do you have enough payload capacity? Your total payload should be in the middle of range so if you are planning to carry 2k of payload (camper, junk, fuel, you, etc.) your vehicles payload range should be 4k. Springs and air bags do not solve the problems associated with handling, braking and coolant systems.

 

[dbhost]

Next to nobody does double the load.... but I will be within payload, plus upped tires to load rang E, while keeping the load sensible. 33x12.50 and mixed but both extreme terrain. Think logging roads and beaches. HD springs all around.

 

[ramblinChet]

Next to nobody does double the load.... but I will be within payload, plus upped tires to load rang E, while keeping the load sensible. 33x12.50 and mixed but both extreme terrain. Think logging roads and beaches. HD springs all around.

You ever hear that rhetorical question, "If everyone else jumps off a cliff, would you?"

My goal is to help fellow adventurers make safer choices when building their overland rigs. The most common and deadly problem I see centers on people who buy too little of a truck and carry too heavy of a load. To make matters worse, this same group frequently travels at highways speeds, high in the mountains, on twisty roads, going up and down, where air is thin. Not only are engines weaker at altitude but cooling and braking systems are limited since less thermal energy can be conducted away by fewer molecules of air. And cobbling together a mismatch of suspension components minus SAE testing is a poor excuse for a suspension system.

I guess technically, you are correct, since I am at 48.3% of my payload. My GVWR is 11,000 and my vehicle as delivered had a curb weight of 6,471 so, not by accident, I have a payload of 4,529. My current vehicle weight as measured on a certified scale, with a full bag of gas, me, and all my supplies, is 8,660. The actual math is 8,660 minus 6,471 so my actual payload is 2,189.

What are your numbers?

 

[dbhost]

I've gone over the numbers ad nauseum in other threads. Not going to do it here. It should be noted, any pop up camper, and I KNOW the number is going to be super tough to hit, but any pop up camper will have to come in at under 1K lbs.

I have a friend that welds aluminum, I do woodworking, we are going to trade. He does my camper frame, I do his over the cab cabinets for his class A now that the old CRT TV is long gone... The rest of the camper will be foamie construction and patterned off the 4 wheel campers Project M but with what amounts to an extension that overhangs the tailgate giving me more space. Depending on the canvas and mattress used, I believe the camper with mattress should be under 500lbs. Until then, I have a fiberglass shell camper with a bed platform that comes in around 400, at least until we start adding water and the fridge... I am WELL under payload even with my fat ********...

If I felt payload would be even a partial consideration or problem I would be looking, actually I would have already looked at 1 ton trucks a LONG time ago...

 

[ramblinChet]

Sounds like you have a good plan.

Speaking of part of the camper hanging out over the tailgate - have you seen some of the newer European designs where the camper extends rearward once parked? Very cool way to significantly extend living space and if you are building from scratch...

 

[dbhost]

Sounds like you have a good plan.

Speaking of part of the camper hanging out over the tailgate - have you seen some of the newer European designs where the camper extends rearward once parked? Very cool way to significantly extend living space and if you are building from scratch...

I was considering a pull out. Not a powered slide (weight) but just a section that pulls out. Basically I want to use the tailgate to support the toilet / potentially enclose a shower.

I think the biggest problem is being able to make that work with a pop up design.

Yeah weight i s a huge concern, but not insurmountable. Honestly if it weren't for the connection with my late wife, I would have let this truck go already and just grabbed a freshly gone through 7.3 Powerstroke F350 with an 8ft box...

 

[ramblinChet]

A pull out for a pop-up sounds like quite the challenge. My only question is, who will be the first to accomplish this goal?

And I respect and understand the connection you with your truck related to your late wife.