I have a 2000 b 4000 broken armrest trying everything to fix keeps breaking on plastic below. Any good ideas? It's close to $150 OEM. And how long before it BREAKS AGAIN!!! F O R D

 

That armrest is a bad weak spot just waiting for someone to lean on, like you said. The only thing you can do is to incorporate some sort of support under the front area to prevent that kind of load on the front. That thin plastic just can't stand that kind of leverage and weight load.

I actually lowered my armrest by cutting & re-welding the hinge bracket, and then installed a spacer under the front to support that part. That was an eight-hour trial & error effort, but it's held up for ten years now. The bottom of the rest is now about ½" above the center console and is much more comfortable

 

One of the best "mods" I've done to my Ranger was to get rid of the original center console (w/POS armrest assembly) and replace it with a full length center console from an Explorer. I also swapped in Explorer seats and overhead console while I was at it. Click HERE for pic.

Some more info: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...t-options.html

 

I have that same problem, as with mine the latch is on its last leg and the top cover is a bit "dished" to say the least. I'm going to replace it with a piece of 1" by, and see if I can fashion the hinges to work, or I'll replace them with one's that will fit. I going to see if I can figure out a snap-in type latch like the OEM, or it will be a external latch. I'm going to glue on some padded fabric for comfort. This has to be a common prob for those with the 60/40 seats?? Lets hear from you...