F250 TTB? Strong enough for expo?

[kfgk14]

I just found a really nice 96 F250 4x4 with the 7.3 powerstroke, not ten miles from my house! Extended cab/short bed. It's beautiful! :wings:
But it's a 96...so it's TTB. I wish it was solid axle. I could do a swap...but if I can, I'd rather keep it with the TTB for simplicity's sake. I've read they make a great long-travel type setup when modified correctly. I like the idea of going places fast off-road, especially when I venture out west in the future. Do you guys have experience with the F250 TTB in an expo capacity, or off-road racing?

Thanks

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I know many guys who run the TTB setup under their Rangers and Broncos and love them, great for both blasting down dirt roads and light-duty rockcrawling. Go on youtube and watch some of the TTB videos.

 

[4x4junkie]

The F-250's D50 TTB is stronger than a D44, but of course doesn't match a D60's strength (due to it's neckdown shafts and small pinion shaft).
What size tires are you thinking of putting on it?

 

[Clutch]

They do make great long travel suspension, but it isn't cheap after everything is said and done.
You can be at $8K+ real quick...





However, without going too crazy just doing a coil-over swap vs. the leafsprings does wonders on that truck.

There is a build out there of a guy who did just that, I'll try and find it.

You can dig through this one in the mean time. This is a D44HD, but you'll get the gist.

http://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=864

EDIT: can't seem to find the build thread on this, but found the picture. Basically ditch
the leaf springs, install a radius arm, and hoop for the coil over...plenty strong for "expo"
use...will ride and handle much better too.

 

[Rot Box]

The Dana 50 TTB frontend is very strong and will suit you just fine imo. Its best to leave the front suspension alone (unless you want to do it right and spend good money) even front add-a-leafs or heavy loads in the bed will goof with the geometry. If you plan on a slide in camper or a lot of weight in the bed I would add some helper springs in the rear or airbags to keep it leveled out.

If you did want to swap to a Dana 60 you would need one out of an 85.5-97 F350 along with the trac bar and brace. It is literally a bolt in swap if you use the correct pieces.

 

[KELLEVRA]

TTB

I've had mine with the TTB for some time now with not even tire wear problems that are so common with the TTB



But a Dana 60 SAS isnt far off

 

[BurbanAZ]

yea of course a solid axle would be stronger, but unless you do some really crazy stuff or run really large tires u should be fine

 

[kfgk14]

They do make great long travel suspension, but it isn't cheap after everything is said and done.
You can be at $8K+ real quick...

View attachment 121898

View attachment 121899

However, without going too crazy just doing a coil-over swap vs. the leafsprings does wonders on that truck.

There is a build out there of a guy who did just that, I'll try and find it.

You can dig through this one in the mean time. This is a D44HD, but you'll get the gist.

http://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=864

EDIT: can't seem to find the build thread on this, but found the picture. Basically ditch
the leaf springs, install a radius arm, and hoop for the coil over...plenty strong for "expo"
use...will ride and handle much better too.

View attachment 121942

I was hoping to run 35's and do a coil swap on it pretty early. Are 37's an impossibility? I'm not expecting to be able to get 37's without a SAS, but could it be done without sinking multiple $k into my front end?

Thanks.

 

[4x4junkie]

37s is probably pushing your luck with the 30-spline shafts and the weight of that diesel over it.
If your wheeling needs are light, you might be able to get away with it for a little while, but anything serious (especially if you require a locked diff) will likely net you some broken shafts. Unfortunately no one makes any upgraded shafts for the D50 without going to one-off custom parts either (which would put you well into that multi-$K bracket), and still this would leave you with the small pinion gear too.

I'm normally a TTB guy. I like the suspension (with it having coils anyway), but in this particular case it just doesn't seem practical to mess around much with what you have (had Ford used a D60 TTB it'd very likely be a different story).

 

[Rot Box]

in this particular case it just doesn't seem practical to mess around much with what you have (had Ford used a D60 TTB it'd very likely be a different story).

^ Agreed 100%

 

[SteveG]

The BajaF250 linked above is one of the most well thought out and well used F250's out there. I've seen it in action and ridden in it and I can tell you it is a BEAST! Incredibly smooth in the rough and very well mannered on the pavement. Tom has done an outstanding job of building the truck and is continually raising the bar. I would guess that it sees more abuse than most "expedition" trucks will ever see. Tom does not baby that truck and it holds up very well. As with any car or truck, it's all in the design and prep.

Good luck with the build!

 

[Seabass]

I had an 88 F-250 that I put about 100,000 miles on that packed a massive winch bumper setup and had 33" tires. I did add some add-a-leaves- once I got the right adjusters in the ball joints to set camber I had zero problems. I worked the crap out of that truck- flexed, twisted, spun, pulled and packed and hauled everything undervthe sun! There is a drop bracket for the pivot points on the ttb for using add-a-leaves that let's you align them better than mine was. I installed the brackets on a buddy's truck and it was really good. I recently bought a 97 F-350 crew cab-straight axel-it's a real beast compared to my old F-250. I gotta admit, though, you should really consider the swap. As long as you use the right year axel- wich someone already posted- it's a simple bolt in. A few guys in my area have done it and it makes for a real do-it-all bulit proof truck. On the other hand you really aren't in bad shape with what you got- you could have chevy IFS ;-)