So, I just bought the 4x4 crew cab psd I've been looking for for a while - i'll post some pics and the full story in a day or two, once I get the pics off my phone - but I have a quick question for tomorrow morning if someone with experience has a minute to respond tonight.

where's the balance point and where would you put the lift pads when lifting a crew cab long bed 4x4 (single rear wheel) on a 2 post lift? I couldn't find anything in the shop manual or in searching posts on FTE, so just started trial-and-error-ing it tonight. ran out of time tonight and will pick it back up tomorrow, but so far, it seems the balance point may be close to the line between the front and rear doors, but it seems it should be farther forward than that. I tried about the midpoint of the front doors, but the back end was sagging good once it lifted off the ground.

less important is where the pads go, but if anyone has that info as well, i'd appreciate it.

THANKS!

 

Mirrors aligned with the front of the posts (just enough its almost impossible to get the door open), about 4 inch feet on the rear and 2 on the front, just as far as you can reach on frame.

 

thanks for the info - is that for a long-bed crew cab, though or your shortened frame crew cab? I had it at about that position first, and with both front and back lift pads on the lower part of the frame under the cab (so that they contacted the frame at the same time) and front wheels came off the ground way before the rear ones did.

I didn't mention that my truck has a 5th wheel hitch in the rear - but I don't see how that would change things too much...

 

Are your feet adjustable? You should have your rear about 2 inches taller. On a long bed I will usually support the rear with an tripod under the bumper or something

 

On my buddy's 9k lift, I don't think the posts were quite up to the mirrors, but definitely forward half of the door. CC LB SWR 4x4 auto, Class III receiver, otherwise pretty much stock at the time. Front arms set kind of short, hitting frame as close to the rear spring mounts as possible. Rear arms set long and way back, catching the frame just after the rise behind the cab.

Even well-balanced, the truck is still going to rock on the lift. A lot of mass far from the balance point, and you're usually wrenching and applying torque out near the ends. A lot of lever arm to start things moving. We jammed a 2x4 under the receiver once, then my buddy got a light-duty high lift transmission jack to use as a stabilizer. Just a bit of pressure under one end stopped the rocking. Seemed to take the "springiness" out of the lift. A stabilizer under the other end might be nice, too.

Your balance point might be a bit different. That 5th wheel is probably 8' from the stock balance point. The effect is weight times distance from the balance point.