'95 F350 CCLB 7.3 4x4 aka Clifford

[R3D2]

I wish my camper were a 6' model. I recently installed a 36 gal fuel cell on the front wall of my bed. It's 19"tall about 60" wide and roughly 9" thick. Don't go figuring gallons on those dimensions- that's just rough figures. Now my camper won't fit with my tailgate closed. Also- I'm a tool pack rat. I love having lots of gear. I lost all that space when I put the camper in. I need my back seat- so that's not an option for tool storage. That's where the shorter camper would be nice. And like you- I love to get the good out if stuff. I got out of the expensive newer truck and paid cash for my truck. While I have mods- they are bought mods that I simply put on in my garage. Except my spare tire mount- I built that. It's nice to be able to just wheel into a parts house and get my crap rolling again. Not to throw off on custom stuff. There are some talented fabricators on here and I couldn't begin to build most of what they have if I needed to! And I'd hunt up some "E" rated tires. There's plenty of them in the 315 make. They just pack the weight so much better. Just my 2 cents.

Sorry Seabass, missed your reply. I guess there is something to be said about space for tools and gear. Sure is nice to have it!! I almost bought an 88 F350 that had a service body on it. It was pretty sweet and with some mods could have taken my camper but it was just a bit out of my reach as far as budget goes. Man all that storage would have been incredible though. Camping season is pretty much here, maybe you could swap out for a smaller one. I feel like truck campers sell like hot cakes these days, especially here in the east. I dig that spare holder btw. I'm thinking about taking a welding class at the local high school, sure would be cool to build something like that. Id like to think that if I can remodel a house and do carpentry I could learn to weld and build something for the truck. Idk though, maybe I'm way off for thinking that. Only one way to find out I guess!


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[underdrive]

IIRC both Sky and PMF have kits that can utilize your factory springs. People prefer the Superduty springs cause they tend to ride nicer (their length is a factor in that), but you don't HAVE to use them. BTW we're also running some Sky parts on our truck, not the complete RSK though as at the time we were avoiding gaining too much altitude. Now thinking back on it, we should have just done the RSK mostly cause the extra lift makes for better approach and departure angles and also allows for crossover steering, but ah well, looks like a pair of F-Superduty springs will lift her up just enough to clear the crossover steering which is what the main goal is now.

And yes, do take that welding class - IMHO it's being able to get in your head the geometry of stuff that's the foundation for fabbing stuff, if you can't visualize it then even if you're the best welder in the world you'll still be a so-so fabricator. If you're into carpentry and house remodeling I'm pretty sure you got the imagination part covered, so now just go get yourself some welding skills and get to fabbing stuff.

 

[pappawheely]

Pappa, how many miles do you have on your wildpeaks? Had a set on my truck when I bought it and they were 5 solid ribs of tread with no siping left but plenty of tread depth. Have observed the same thing on other sets in parking lots. Also FWIW put 285 E cooper at3s on about 4k miles ago and like them so far. Little to no tire noise (that I can hear over the 7.3 anyhow!). The general at2s on my montero sport seem much much louder, but not really an apples to apples comparison as it is such a different rig.
Also, as Pappa pointed out, weight rating will generally go up as you go up in size. Many D-rated 315s are rated equal to or higher than equivalent E 285s.

I've got 10K miles or so. Still have plenty of siping but the center grooves are very deep. I am guilty of running tires too long myself. I remember in high school I wore right through the tire on my squareback, lol.

 

[xbox73]

Also, as Pappa pointed out, weight rating will generally go up as you go up in size. Many D-rated 315s are rated equal to or higher than equivalent E 285s.

... and even between different sizes of a specific tire, e.g. E-rated Toyo Open Country MT 37X13.50R17, which is what I run on an '00 diesel Excursion, is rated at 4300 lbs per tire, which is more than any of the other different sizes of Toyo MT (even than the 40X15.50R20, for instance, though not by much).

As also pointed out, one needs to make sure that one's rims are correspondingly beefy ... for instance, IIRC, correctly the rating on the specific size of my Method "The Standard" rims are 3600 lbs per rim (7,200 lbs per axle), so the rims (and overall frame/chassis) rather than the tires would be the limiting factor for my setup, though 14,400 lbs total rim capacity is way more than adequate/necessary, but I like to have some extra safety margin when it comes to rims & tires.

 

[R3D2]

Re: the front tank not reading a fuel level. The float was filled with diesel and laying on the bottom of the tank. We replaced it with a new one. After I filled up the thank I noticed it is only reading just under 3/4 even though the tank is now definitely full. Guess it could be sending unit now? Not really sure.

 

[R3D2]

Got new tires today. Went with cooper at 315/75/16 load e. Pretty happy with them. I had to pull my front bumper. I realized afterwards that it is a POS aftermarket bumper so I will need to space it out a lot or cut it. Leaning towards cutting it. Truck drives better already, don't feel the small bumps like I did with the 265s. Next up is the SRK and shocks.


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[amgvr4]

Looking good. I cut mine because I hated the look of the bumper hanging out there with the spacers. Super easy to do.

 

[Regcabguy]

I wish my camper were a 6' model. I recently installed a 36 gal fuel cell on the front wall of my bed. It's 19"tall about 60" wide and roughly 9" thick. Don't go figuring gallons on those dimensions- that's just rough figures. Now my camper won't fit with my tailgate closed. Also- I'm a tool pack rat. I love having lots of gear. I lost all that space when I put the camper in. I need my back seat- so that's not an option for tool storage. That's where the shorter camper would be nice. And like you- I love to get the good out if stuff. I got out of the expensive newer truck and paid cash for my truck. While I have mods- they are bought mods that I simply put on in my garage. Except my spare tire mount- I built that. It's nice to be able to just wheel into a parts house and get my crap rolling again. Not to throw off on custom stuff. There are some talented fabricators on here and I couldn't begin to build most of what they have if I needed to! And I'd hunt up some "E" rated tires. There's plenty of them in the 315 make. They just pack the weight so much better. Just my 2 cents.

I like the 315 size but in 17's the only e-rated tire I can see is from Firestone/Bridgestone. Everything else is a 50 psi d rated tire that i can see. 16's are another matter. many more options.

 

[underdrive]

Got new tires today. Went with cooper at 315/75/16 load e. Pretty happy with them. I had to pull my front bumper. I realized afterwards that it is a POS aftermarket bumper so I will need to space it out a lot or cut it. Leaning towards cutting it. Truck drives better already, don't feel the small bumps like I did with the 265s. Next up is the SRK and shocks.

Nice! Well since bumper is already out, might as well drop in something aftermarket and winch-ready. Doesn't have to be a RanchHand monstrosity, unless of course where you live there are only two types of folks - those who have run into stray cattle, and those who will

 

[R3D2]

Nice! Well since bumper is already out, might as well drop in something aftermarket and winch-ready. Doesn't have to be a RanchHand monstrosity, unless of course where you live there are only two types of folks - those who have run into stray cattle, and those who will

HAHAHA. Where the men and men and the sheep are...nervous

I was thinking about a bumper but not sure what to get. I'd prefer to keep it simple. I really like what Pappa has on his truck but not sure who makes that. Anyone out there have any suggestions with pics or links?

 

[pappawheely]

HAHAHA. Where the men and men and the sheep are...nervous

I was thinking about a bumper but not sure what to get. I'd prefer to keep it simple. I really like what Pappa has on his truck but not sure who makes that. Anyone out there have any suggestions with pics or links?

My bumper is a Warn. It was already on my truck when I bought it. I went to Warn's site but could not find it listed. I know they have a very nice bumper for the OBS Ford at Trailready: http://trailready.com/bumpers/ford_bronco.html

http://trailready.com/bumpers/images/ford_vehicles/F4-Full-22_lg.jpg

 

[Seabass]

My bumper is a Warn. It was already on my truck when I bought it. I went to Warn's site but could not find it listed. I know they have a very nice bumper for the OBS Ford at Trailready: http://trailready.com/bumpers/ford_bronco.html

http://trailready.com/bumpers/images/ford_vehicles/F4-Full-22_lg.jpg

Sometimes I hate this forum. Here I was all lovin my truck and totally satisfied with it-and then Pappa goes and puts up a pic of that OBS -F-350. Now I want to buy that freakin bumper!!!! I thought my warn bumper was just fine- better than fine. But NOOOO!! Gonna have to sell a cow and go buy that big beautiful hunk of steel!!!!

 

[R3D2]

Sometimes I hate this forum. Here I was all lovin my truck and totally satisfied with it-and then Pappa goes and puts up a pic of that OBS -F-350. Now I want to buy that freakin bumper!!!! I thought my warn bumper was just fine- better than fine. But NOOOO!! Gonna have to sell a cow and go buy that big beautiful hunk of steel!!!!

HAHA. I'll buy yours Seabass and you can get the TR one Thanks for posting that one Pappa. Too bad the Warn isn't available anymore; the TR is sweet but it looks expensive. I will give them a call and find out what it runs.

 

[pappawheely]

I really like that bumper myself but have to spend my money getting the box built. I run Trailready beadlock wheels. They make very nice stuff.

 

[underdrive]

HAHAHA. Where the men and men and the sheep are...nervous

I was thinking about a bumper but not sure what to get. I'd prefer to keep it simple. I really like what Pappa has on his truck but not sure who makes that. Anyone out there have any suggestions with pics or links?

I thought it went something like "where the men are men and wildlife is but sci-fi monsters", and it referred to most of Australia? LOL

Pappa's and Seabass' bumpers are Warn Enforcer or something like that, those got dropped from production a while ago IIRC. Can't really recommend you anything as out stuff is purpose built for the particular truck at the particular time and as such gets redesigned and reworked periodically as needed. But I can tell you this, decide how you wanna use your truck and buy a bumper that fits your needs - a low hanging cow-catcher may stop you from rock crawling in the Southwest but you can hit stuff all along the way and won't have to even slow down, OTOH an offroad-friendly high-clearance bumper may make an easy job of climbing over fallen trees and such but if you ********** into something at a decent speed on your way to or from there it could very well be the end of your steering linkages.

Those Trail-Ready bumpers look like a good balance of both styles, they appear to have a good approach angle while still allowing space for a big winch, and at the same time the size of tubing wrapping around the headlights pretty well ensures little damage will happen to them in case of a stray elk. Having a diesel up front weight is also of concern, anything full 1/4" plate will be prohibitively heavy - 1/4" center section with 3/16" wings should work quite well tho, especially with the aforementioned tubing acting as reinforcement.

And I'd say either buy a brand name bumper, or one that's built by a small outfit that has a decent reputation amongst the expo or offroad community. There are lots of shady "builders" out there, so take a look thru Google images and if you find something you like do a quick research on whoever makes it - again, a one-man-band garage operation can produce just as high quality of product as a big full-blown commercial entity, it's usually random shops that caught onto the offroad thing getting more and more in demand these days that set up a website to market a product the use of which they often know little about in real life conditions...