tjc transport recommended I look at the older F350 for a suitable truck to use on a homestead. I'll be building probably a stone house, so I'll be filling the bed with stone, maybe a ton of bags of cementat a time , a ton or two of sand, gravel... things like that.

tjc recommeded the F350 because he said the solid front axle would do me better driving over rough terrain, through the woods, etc.

Anyway, I'd like to learn how these 4x4 systems work. I spent an hour googling "diagram of wheels, axles, transmission, transaxle, drive shafts of 96 F350 4x4" and I got nowhere fast. I finally did find one diagram, but it was very sketchy. Couldn't find a photo at all, that made sense, although I found one photo of the transfer case. All by itself. Like, it's supposed to be connected to something. I'm just sure of that.

So is there like a nifty resource I could use to familiarize myself with all the parts that are connected together, how that is done, what drives what, etc? Pictures would be nice. I tried Googling images of the 96 F350 without cab or bed, but that didn't work too well either. The truck I"ll be visiting soon actually doesn't have a bed. Seller's sending me photos of it tomorrow. So I'll see the rear axle and drive shaft. Big whoop - I've seen those before. Don't know how the transer case works. I think it comes off the side of the transmission and then goes frontward with a downward sloping shaft, but don't really know. Could't find a picture of it connected to a transmission with the shaft coming out of it. Big mystery.

Since this 350 doesn't have a bed, I wonder, is there one of those beds that can dump stuff out with hydraulics, that I could put on there? That would sure save some labor, if I could pull a handle and have two tons of gravel pour out onto the ground.

Okay, ten four, over and out.

 

Well that took two minutes...
Dump hoist kits PICKUPS & Flatbeds Trucks @ LOW $

 

The 4wd system in these trucks is pretty basic, other than a front drive axle that is pretty much just a reversed copy of the rear axle the only other component that is different is the transfer case. It contains a gear or chain driven secondary output that can be engaged or disengaged with a lever or an electric motor, and that secondary output drives another driveshaft that runs forward beside the transmission to drive the front axle. Both axles are driven at the same rate with no slip between then and this is the reason you cannot engage 4wd on the street or even hard packed offroad surfaces unless you are simply rolling forward or backwords in a straight line. When turning the rear axle moves through a smaller arc than the front axle so binding will occur in the drivetrain and if the tires can't slip something else will break.

 

If your desire is to have a dump capable truck, you may want to consider a 4WD, cab & chassis one ton with a mounted dump body. It will safely handle the heavy loads and can oftentimes be found relatively reasonably. Make no mistake, this is a work truck and not very enjoyable driving around town due to it's size and blind spots. But if you want a work truck, nothing comes close.

As for the solid front axle, Dodge trucks also have this feature while Chevrolet uses independent front suspensions. While I do not have any experience with Dodge trucks, I've have years with of experience owning/driving 4WD standard and cab and chassis one ton Ford's and Chevrolet's, all gas models, small blocks and big blocks. If you're not brand loyal, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase either as both will suit your needs. Just a matter of which one you can get the best deal on.

So, what's the difference in these 1990's brands? Well, in my opinion, the Chevrolet sits lower, is easier to get in and out of, and rides much smoother than the Ford. In contrast, even at 5'11", I have to jump up into the Ford. The ride is somewhat jarring and overall, not as pleasurable driving as the smoother riding Chevrolet. In soft sand, the Ford experiences more wheel hop, while the Chevrolet seems to get better traction. One more difference between the two, is drive train components between the GM trucks are more interchangeable. If your small block engine goes out, you can bolt up a big block to the transmission, whereas the Ford would require changing transmissions also.

Have said all that, I have found the Ford's to be more reliable and easier to work on. The front axle on the Ford is also stronger than the GM's IFS. I've never had a GM motor that ran as smooth as a Ford motor. I currently have a F350 and F-Superduty (F450) and have no immediate plans on switching, but I wouldn't rule out owning a GM again someday.

 

Don't bother putting a dump actuator directly on the bed of one of these trucks, it's just too flimsy for anything but a yard or so of mulch. If you want a dump bed then get a purpose built dump bed made of heavy steel and make sure the truck you mount it on is a dually.

That is a lot of truck and as mentioned it won't be much fun to drive around.. unless of course you like driving a dump truck. An alternative would be to buy a dump trailer, these are wildly popular where I am and have several advantages over dump truck, lower load height and you don't need as much truck to haul it around, many guys use a newer 1/2 ton which is pretty much the same as a 3/4 ton from this era, no need for a dually 1-ton and the ride and low fuel milage that comes with it.