Super Duty Crew Cab owners?

[IHDiesel73L]

how do you like the leveling kit? what size tires are running? i dont want an actual lift, i just wanna level out, and put 315/75/16's on my f250... got any pics of it?

Hey sorry I missed this post. I went with a Rough Country leveling kit-one of the cheaper options at $250. The first thing I noticed is that the shocks were poor quality and they wore out quickly-I replaced them with Monroes and haven't had problems since. As for the springs themselves I think I've actually got about 1 3/4" lift in the front now after nearly 3 years on the truck. It still looks good, but not as good as the day I put them on when the truck was almost dead level. If I had it to do all over again I would have went with another kit-not sure which one though. I was actually thinking of going with the same size tires you're looking at with my next truck-the 315/75's are a nice size (almost 35") and I think you can still use the stock wheels. I'll try to snap a side shot of my truck so you can see the state of my springs after three years of use.

I bought this one as the last truck I will ever have to buy and I have no plans on replacing it.

That's my plan when I finally buy a crew cab. I'm toying with the idea of hanging onto my current truck rather than selling or trading it, cannibalizing the parts and scrapping the rest. That way after I put half a million miles on the 7.3L in my crew cab I can drop in a freshly rebuilt engine from my old truck :victory:

 

[Juntura]

I just bought mine yesterday, I will be posting up with some questions soon. So far I am very impressed but the ride is STIFF!

I bought a super clean 2004 F350 CC, SB at a GSA auto auction. Good source for these if you are looking for basic amenities.

Tyler

 

[bmxdannyo]

Just got mine a month ago and slowly starting my new build as the money comes in.

dang, thats a clean lookin truck. i was going to buy one like this instead of the tahoe, but couldn't get used to the size of these things. :smiley_drive:

 

[DT75FLH]

I had a 02 f-350. transfer flow used to sell a 35 gal relacement tank that fit in the spare tire location... i mounted the spare up in the bed against the bed side under my truck cap.

put 4" lift springs in front and 35" tires

also had a bypass filter on it.

I recently saw it around town. guy that owns it now has 170K miles on it.

 

[fastring]

Mine is a 2002 F350 7.3 Diesel. I just got the front end fixed, made clunking noises in 4x4... While it was in the shop, got detroit lockers front and rear! Cant wait to take it out wheeling now:wings:

Pic is from Baja 1000 in Nov 2010.

 

[p71]

I'll definitely be looking for an F-350 again for payload reasons (I'm not sure if I want to go DRW or not) as I will still need the truck as a firewood hauler (wood is our primary source of heat)-I'll also still be looking for a longbed for the same reason.

Do you think you will really load 4200 lbs of firewood? My car does not weigh that much (not even close) would not fit in the bed and I am sure my car has a higher density than wood... I guess it does not matter much in the used market, but you might be able to save a few dollars, and get a 250. I am willing to bet you could haul a full bed of wood in a long bed 150 and not be at maximum capacity.

If you need the axtra capacity for towing a fifth wheels or gooseneck, then cool, but for wood in it bed most any truck will do.

(sorry if I am missing something)...

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Do you think you will really load 4200 lbs of firewood? My car does not weigh that much (not even close) would not fit in the bed and I am sure my car has a higher density than wood...

Actually...yes. Take a look at this chart produced by the U.S. Forest Service. A green (meaning wood that is freshly cut and full of moisture) cord of good quality hardwood like red oak, white oak, honey locust, or osage orange will weigh in anywhere from 4200-5500 lbs. Now with an 8' bed and a toolbox/fuel tank combo taking up some room (the toolbox full of fuel and the normal assortment of tools weighs about 500 lbs) I can't carry a full cord, but let's do a little math:

Sugar Maple (on the lighter side of things) = 4600 lbs/cord green

1 cord = 128 cubic feet

4600 lbs/128 cubic feet = 36 lbs/cubic foot

Usable volume of the bed = 6.5' x 5' x 3' = 98 cubic feet

98 cubic feet x 36 lbs/cubic foot = 3528 lbs. :Wow1::Wow1::Wow1:

Now, to be fair, there's no way to get exactly 98 cubic feet of wood into the bed because you're not putting in one solid block, you're loading rounds or splits that have airspace in between. Plus the wheel wells take up some room in there too. However, as I mentioned before, I carry a toolbox that with tools and 60 gallons of fuel weighs 500 lbs. With a full load of green firewood (I cut about 5 cords a year) and a full toolbox tank I wouldn't feel comfortable in anything with less than a 4200 lb payload AND helper springs AND load range "E" tires (which I have).

I know, I know, it might still seem excessive for 5 cords of wood per year, but to me it's literally what keeps my family warm. Our wood furnace is our primary source of heat-we have an oil furnace, but at $3.25 a gallon and rising, paying the oilman got a little ridiculous a long time ago. I get my wood for free or very low cost by scrounging on Craigslist, picking up after tree services, or getting permits to cut on state land ($25 a cord-not bad), and the fuel is free since the truck runs on vegetable oil. My time certainly costs something, but I enjoy the work and have no need for a gym membership. If I ever stop enjoying the work I'll simply think back to the first winter we spent in our home and think of how many zeros were on the checks we wrote to the oil company :yikes:

Here's what 4 cords looks like split, stacked, and stored for winter:

Here's the furnace:

 

[Terrainist]

x2 on that. If you are burning 5+ cords of wood a year it's nice to have the truck to haul it, and problematic if you don't. Wood is heeeeavy.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

x2 on that. If you are burning 5+ cords of wood a year it's nice to have the truck to haul it, and problematic if you don't. Wood is heeeeavy.

Yep. Some of my neighbors buy wood and have it delivered for $150-200 a cord by a nice man in a stakebody already split. What fun is that? :coffeedrink: I should add that I try to cut 5 a year. I burn about 4, so the rest goes "in the bank." My goal is to be 4 winters ahead, but I've got a long way to go.

I am willing to bet you could haul a full bed of wood in a long bed 150 and not be at maximum capacity.

Trust me, I've seen my share of 1/2 tons making their way down the road with their rear bumpers practically kissing the pavement, springs nearly inverted, bump stops crying out in agony, and tires pushed beyond the max, but I cut wood about 30 miles away from my house, so I prefer a bit more of a margin of safety :victory:

 

[BCHauler]

We heat with wood. My old f150 sagged badly with a to-the rails load of green firewood until I added a leaf to the rear springs and added Timbrens (Timbrens are great for hauling heavy loads. Truck hauled the weight but the brakes weren't really up to it so I was very cautious.

My 01 F250 has a shortbed and a cab-high canopy. I've had it loaded to the roof of the canopy with firewood (mixed fir and maple) and the truck didn't sag much. I'd call the wood semi-green. The v10 didn't even notice the extra weight. Still had to be cautious in my driving style because the stopping distance is greatly reduced but overall the f250 works great for my firewood hauling needs. Last weekend I had 4x7x3 stacked in the back or 84 cubic feet and the truck barely noticed.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

We heat with wood. My old f150 sagged badly with a to-the rails load of green firewood until I added a leaf to the rear springs and added Timbrens (Timbrens are great for hauling heavy loads. Truck hauled the weight but the brakes weren't really up to it so I was very cautious.

My 01 F250 has a shortbed and a cab-high canopy. I've had it loaded to the roof of the canopy with firewood (mixed fir and maple) and the truck didn't sag much. I'd call the wood semi-green. The v10 didn't even notice the extra weight. Still had to be cautious in my driving style because the stopping distance is greatly reduced but overall the f250 works great for my firewood hauling needs. Last weekend I had 4x7x3 stacked in the back or 84 cubic feet and the truck barely noticed.

X2 on the brakes-sometimes the dieselheads get themselves into trouble because they can pull so much, but once it gets going... :yikes: I should also add that I'm not looking for a DRW F-350 Crew Cab-usually when I browse used trucks, it's not 250 vs. 350 that makes the most price difference, it's 250 vs. 350 DRW. I paid $17,000 for my 350 SRW regular cab back in 2007-essentially the same truck with DRW was on the lot for $22,000.

 

[Terrainist]

Interesting. I think at some point the DRW trucks drop below the SRW trucks in price. Most people don't want a DRW truck, they are harder to sell when they get to a certain age. Might find the year they begin to fall behind? Perhaps older than you are wanting to go though.

Edit: this is what I have noticed thru private parties vs. sales lots.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Interesting. I think at some point the DRW trucks drop below the SRW trucks in price. Most people don't want a DRW truck, they are harder to sell when they get to a certain age. Might find the year they begin to fall behind? Perhaps older than you are wanting to go though.

Edit: this is what I have noticed thru private parties vs. sales lots.

I could see that. When I was looking in 2007, my truck, and the DRW I referenced (both 2003) were much newer. My truck had 85K and the other had 70K or so (I know because I test drove it and briefly considered buying it) so perhaps the used DRW trucks have more commercial value when the mileage is lower and they're more attractive to someone who needs to tow heavy with a newish reliable vehicle. Then once they hit a certain mileage/age they become less attractive to those who need them to be reliable for work/commercial use, and those who just need a truck aren't really interested in them either because of the size, having 6 tires vs. 4, etc...

 

[p71]

To the OP...

You definately know your application better than I do, so I will defer to you. I should also point out that I have only ever really hauled dry wood, so that is probably where my mixup was... When I used my siverado 1500 I could load it up until it would take no more and the truck would basically just sit level, and if anything handled better than stock. Big difference between wet and dry though.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

You definately know your application better than I do, so I will defer to you. I should also point out that I have only ever really hauled dry wood, so that is probably where my mixup was... When I used my siverado 1500 I could load it up until it would take no more and the truck would basically just sit level, and if anything handled better than stock. Big difference between wet and dry though.

No offense taken-wood can be decievingly heavy. It can also fool you sometimes. When I first started burning wood I got a load of silver maple and felt how heavy it was-I figured it was extremely good stuff being so dense and all After a year of drying it felt as light as balsa and burned about the same... :smilies27