I am planning on ordering a 06 350 SRW 4X4 with the V-10 engine, and 4:30 gear ratio. Is the frontend a 60 heavy duty like the PSD with same weight rating, or is it different with the V-10.

 

I crawled under one the other day just to check out the coil spring setup, but didn't look at BOM's or anything. If I were to make an educated guess, I would say it was a Dana 60 - looks identical in every way.

 

Yup. Dana 60. The front springs however may have a different rating depending on optional packages & body configuration.

 

Unless you intend to install a snow plow and hangers do NOT get the plow prep or heavy front end package.

Mine has the 4x4, 4door, LB and Camper Package and the front end is very heavy duty. However, be aware that Ford has gone through a ton of grief with 2x4 coil sprung front ends that sag very badly. I am paying close attention and some days it looks like I have some sag in the left front. If I ever get the time to research this I will measure a new 06 and compare my 05 before I ask dealer for warranty replacement of BOTH springs.

My entire front end is still good and beefy well engineered Ford good stuff. ESOF works perfectly for me. Hubs engage by hand in less than 2 inches of forward or rearward revolution (I check them out every tire rotation) the brakes are flawless, however the puny steering stabilizer is a joke, with the front end in the air I can twist the hubs and rotors no tire wheels lock to lock with out straining.

 

FREDVON4 I am ordering a 06 lariat 4dr with camper pkg and tow command, it will be much like the one you have just not a king Ranch. You have convinced me on the 4.30 ratio rear ends,no ESOF going with the lever, old fashoned I guess but it will go into gear when I want too, no guessing.

 

Nothing at all wrong with the lever.

But my wife got real grumpy when I used to make her jump out in the rain and mud to lock the front axles (I lied about having to hold in neutral with clutch out while playing with trasnsfer case).

She loves the ESOF

 

LOL- my wife would tell me to kiss her @$$ if I tried that!

RAH- if you've not ordered the truck yet, I also recommend ESOF. The only difference is the electric shift motor in the transfer case. Hubs, etc are all the same between lever & 'lectric. Plus, with ESOF, you get the cool driver's side glovebox. With the integrated trailer brake controller & upfitter switches, there's very little storage for the driver unless you get ESOF.

 

I like my manual transfer case. Hubs settings are " free " and "lock" with this system . ESOF gives you " auto " and "lock" . I don't think the ESOF shift motor gives as much trouble as the vacuum system that locks your hubs in the ESOF system and I had ESOF on my previous 2 trucks and after having the auto hubs fail a few times, I always locked my hubs with the dial. I always know when I need 4X4 and I leave my hubs locked in for weeks at a time in the winter. The new 05 hubs are much easier to turn than my 00 and 04 hubs. I had to spray a lubricant and turn those hubs pretty often in the winter to keep them free. Lot of guys on Diesel stop had to take there trucks back to the dealer because the hubs froze up. I do miss the little glove box but not enough to let a little switch replace my transfer case lever. We are all individuals and in my case, I would pay extra for the reliability and the fact that you can shift your transfer case into neutral and have your truck towed even with an auto transmission but I saved 200 bucks on my Canadian order by going to the manual transfer case. Good luck in whatever you decide. Wrench.

 

I had my shared of grief the last two years with ESOF hubs, I finally went to take one off the other day - imagine my surprise at the water inside.

The needle bearing was shot in the wheel bearing where the axle rides - I spent quite a lot of time refinishing that axle by hand, let me tell you.

Because of where the rust was and where the water wound up, the only way to get in there was a vacuum leak, sucking in water. Yeah, nature expansion and contraction can get it in there too, but it was really, only on the vacuum side.

And, yes, we had our share of 1-2 feet of snow episodes last winter, so I was definitely "ice bound" up front

One hub was questionable enough to make me go get the Warn premiums - they fit under the beauty-cover too

One of these days, and if my transfer case ever needs any work, out it goes and in goes the lever...

I wouldn't have gotten ESOF except it was the only V10 I could find locally on-the-lot, and it was the perfect configuration.

And, I was one of those "use it a lot to keep it moving" guys, but I'm starting to think that maybe the wrong thing to do - use it more, suck more water in

 

Yep, I'm with Wrench. Manual hubs for me too. I leave em locked in in the winter time as long as traction is a problem, and when pulling NH-3 tanks in soft fields, that way if slippage occurs, just stop, throw the lever back to 4-H or 4-L and go for it. They are easier to turn than the old '99 hubs. I had to use pliers on them.

 

Just to defend the ESOF a little (I was not a fan of the system) I have never had an issue with it over the past 5 years and two Superduty. My first V10 was off the lot purchase and it had the system. I was very skeptical. I am a Clutch and transfer case lever kinda guy that is very slow to adapt to these new fangled modern technology devices.

So the vacuum operated hubs are NOT and issue with me. Plus the system still has the exact same operation as the manual only hubs. You can still select locked or auto(free).

I do have one serious beef with Ford and the electrically shifted transfer case. Why on earth is there no NEUTRAL position. The guts of the transfer case between manual and electric shift are part for part identical. There is a NEUTRAL position inside. Just that the Electric stepper motor may not stop there. Are you engineers ever going to listen?

 

There is a wiring kit available from ford for the explorer, to have neutral in the transfer case for towing. My understanding that it costs about $100 dollars, why couldn't that be done for esof on the SD.

 

Fred , I think neutral was left out of the ESOF as strictly a safety item . With a transfer case in neutral , an automatic can roll away in the "park" position. To make the ESOF system idiot proof , they made it a little less practical.

 

Wrench, you are probably correct.

If folks have ever seen the simple little light weight roll pin that is the so called "park" position lock inside a automatic transmission they would never rely on it as the only device to hold a 4 ton truck in a "parked" position on any hill or incline. There is a PARKING brake for a reason!

But you are right, some dumb *** would sue the bejezus out of Ford if the truck rolled back and kilt the family cat when the transfer was left in neutral.

 

Some rudimentary math points out what Fred is saying...

A 6500 lbs truck (like mine) parked on a 45 degree incline with 31" tires and a 3.73 rear puts 1126ft/lbs of torque on that parking sprocket