From what I have heard, the shackle flip in the rear isn't very strong. A buddy of mine had that on his pulling truck (it's an extreme scenario I suppose, but still) and the first time he pulled with it they bent and were demolished.

 

Yeah, that's a bit of an extreme case. I may try them. The most stress I'll probably ever have on them is about a ton in the bed, or 6500lbs towing. I don't even do that much towing/hauling all that often. Not doing any all-out sled pulling, lol.

 

The problem with the rear shackle flip it it shoves the axle forward and jams the driveshaft into the t-case

 

That makes some sense. I'll look at all my options and try to come to a conclusion.

Thanks for all of the help!

 

It looks as if reverse shackles should work in the back with a tapered lift block (instead of stock block) or an axle relocation plate ( Ford Axle Relocation Plates - Sky's Off-road Design ). From what I've heard, that'll stop what you're talking about with the axle/driveshaft/t-case.

 

A guy on here did one and he was having one hell of a time trying to correct it. As far as I know he never did. It was a silver F350 reg cab

 

Still haven't made a move on the lift kit yet... I probably won't be able to afford to buy the lift and bigger tires right at the same time. Is it possible to fit 36"-37" tires on my F-350 in stock form with the front bumper spaced forward? If possible, I'd like to do this then follow it with the lift within a few months.

 

35's yes, but I am not so sure about 36-37s

 

Okay thanks. I know of someone who runs 37"s on stock suspension on a '92 F-250, but he has a custom front bumper. I'll move my bumper forward some, and measure to see what I've got.

 

Okay, I think I've got an official plan. I think I want to lift the front and back 2-2.5" with Skyjacker "Softride" springs, move my front bumper forward 3/4", and go to 36"-37" tires. Maybe add a 2" body lift later down the road. When I got to thinking about it, I'd like to have the stock capabilities of stock rear springs. I like the fact that 900lb. tongue weight only lowers the bumper 3/4", and I've heard people say that lifted springs sag more with load. I can get 2-2.5" with Skyjacker "softride" added springs (front and back). They'll be easy to put on, and I'll be able to clear 36" - 37" tires like I want. Already tested that 35" x 12.5" tires will currently fit on it without any modification or moving of the bumper without any rubbing, so another 2"-2.5", move the bumper forward a little, and 36"-37" tires should work nicely.

Depending on how it goes, I may replace at least the front shocks too.

I plan to order the springs soon! I'd like to have at least the springs done by the by the end of April.

 

Does anyone know where to get 16.5" wheels that have over 2000lb capacity? I want to get a set of 16.5" wheels, and there are plenty with 2000lb rating, but I can't find any higher...

My current 16" wheels have a 3420lb capacity, and I'd like to get to at least 3000lb capacity with 16.5" wheels.

Thanks in advance!

 

You'll find that a lot of the steel rims have a low capacity and the aluminum rims will be much sturdier with a higher cap. (I'll link an example of summit's cheapest one below)

Center Line Wheels Wilderness Series Blackfoot Polished Wheels 6256515865 - SummitRacing.com

You will also find that they want close to $300 per rim for aluminum 16.5" rims. Sometimes you can find cheaper ones on craigslist. But if you are looking to run the cheap military tires, you are mostly stuck with expensive rims. If anybody else out there has a link to cheaper ones than what Summit Racing offers, I'd be interested to see it also.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm mostly running into... The steel ones are under $100 with a maximum capacity of 2000lb -2200lb. It just seems crazy to me that the aluminum ones cost so much when my aluminum 16" Racelines cost $130 with a 3420lb rating.

I saw some aluminum 16.5" wheels for around $225, but you're still paying a lot just for the odd rim size. I'm highly considering either buying used or buying chromed steel rims and just swapping my 33"s back on when I need to tow. For some reason I just have a hard time spending the money on the rims when I know it's only because they're an odd size...

It's still cheaper to buy $225 rims, and $100 37"s than to buy $360+ 37"s for my current rims. Then I could keep buying cheap military tires in the future when I burn the back ones up.

 

Okay, I'm picking up some used 16.5" aluminum wheels on Monday. They'll have the capacity I want without breaking the bank. It's a set of 5, so I'll have a matching spare. They've got 38" Super Swampers on them right now with about 35% tread, so they're about ready to go. I'll get some 37" Military Goodyears at 85%+ to replace them.

Also ordering some springs soon. At some point I want to add a body lift (I know some people hate them...). I can make bumper brackets myself, but will I also need a steering extension or does it have enough in it to extend with a 2-3" lift? I'll use grade 8 bolts in the setup, not grade 5 like what's supplied many times.

 

If needed the steering extension will come with the body lift