I am yet another sufferer of the 40mph vibration syndrome I commonly read about on this site. I have had my 2006 f350 club cab sd to the dealership about 7 times for this, and now am being told it is a normal characteristic of this truck. They have replaced wheels, tires, vibration machine analyzed, put on a vibration damper, etc., but nothing fixes the problem. It has done it since the day I drove it home.
How many of you out there are upset about their super duty that jumps up and down at certain speeds? Lately, my dealership has had my truck more than me. From the amount of posts I see about this problem, I am certainly not alone. Ford is now trying to brush me under the carpet, yet I have a truck with a built in gyrator that is totally unacceptable. Does anyone know of a class action lawsuit in this case? I would be happy to jump in line if there was one. The truck now has about 20,000 miles of bouncy misery on it, and it isn't getting better. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Does it happen on any road at 40MPH?

 

Mine does it to. Here is the tsb from Ford:

07-5-11 Vibration/hop At 40-48 Mph (68-77 Km/h) - (8.0 Hz) - Trailer Hitch Equipped V

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Printable View (47 KB)
TSB
07-5-11 VIBRATION/HOP AT 40-48 MPH (68-77 KM/H) - (8.0 HZ) - TRAILER HITCH EQUIPPED VEHICLES ONLY

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

FORD: 2005-2007 F-Super Duty


ISSUE:
Some 2005-2007 F-Super Duty vehicles with a long wheelbase of 156", 158", or 172" (396, 401, or 437 cm) and equipped with a trailer hitch may exhibit a vehicle vertical vibration, often described as "hopping", on smooth or coarse road surfaces in the 42-48 MPH (68-77 Km/h) speed range. Although this behavior is considered normal for an over 8500 GVW truck, some customers may be sensitive to the concern.

ACTION:
To improve the 42-48 MPH (68-77 Km/h) vertical vibration, follow the instruction sheet included in the Damper Service Kit.

NOTE: THE INSTALLATION OF THIS DAMPER WILL NOT IMPROVE RIDE ON SEGMENTED CONCRETE HIGHWAYS, STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION/SHIMMY, OR GENERAL HARSH RIDE CONCERNS.



PART NUMBER PART NAME
5C3Z-5D008-A Damper Service Kit



WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage
IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME
070511A 2005-2007 F-Super Duty With Trailer Hitch: Install The Damper Service Kit. 0.6 Hr.

DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
5D008 42

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NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle. Warranty Policy and Extended Service Plan documentation determine Warranty and/or Extended Service Plan coverage unless stated otherwise in the TSB article. The information in this Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was current at the time of printing. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to supercede this information with updates. The most recent information is available through Ford Motor Company's on-line technical resources.

Copyright © 2007 Ford Motor Company
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My 05' is 7 months or 5600 miles from being out of warranty. UGA33, could you please explain what dampener you are taliking about? Do you have any pics?

 

He is talking about a suspension dampener that your Ford dealer WILL know about, but wont tell you about. I already had this dampener put on my truck, along with other stuff that didn't work, and it made absolutely no difference. The explanation given me by the dealer was that it somehow preloads the suspension so that it will ride smoother, but don't bother, it wont work. If your truck is that close to being out of warranty, start screaming now (and document every time you take it in), otherwise you are going to be stuck holding the bag. Some guys on the forum said a new driveshaft has worked, maybe that is what I'll have them try next.
On a side note, has the dampener totally cured the problem for anyone out there?

 

If you're referring to the dampener in that TSB it does nothing to the suspension. The damper is installed on the frame rail in an attempt to reduce the resonance/flex in the frame rail that is creating the condition. Some guys here have had luck with having the driveshaft balanced and/or installing the damper. Running your tires at or near maximum pressure also seems to help with some. Some have had the pinion andor driveshaft angle changed with a shim kit Ford offers. The problem with that is once you load the truck you change the angle again. Try putting 500-800 pounds in the bed of the truck behind the axle and see if that helps.

Good luck...

 

Good post UGA33. MOST of the vibration concerns are do to excessive road force in the tires. A hunter 9700 wheel balancer is the only piece of equipment I know of that can diagnose high road force. If it is over 20lbs, you will feel it. The higher the number, the worse the vibration. And it is most noticable at approx. 42 mph.

 

Bigziff, thanks for your comments. I agree that the dampener did nothing. My Ford dealer told me to put weight in the back, as you suggested also, so I put about 800 pounds of cement blocks at different points in the bed. Near the cab, it was about the same, but at the back stacked against the tailgate, the bouncing was much worse, and seemed to change to around 38 mph where I felt it the worse (it is usually right at 42 mph.) On a side note, when I pull my boat trailer (5000 lbs gross) it REALLY hops up and down, (and its not the trailer, as it tows great behind my Expedition). I do think the driveshaft must be the next logical part, then maybe another set of new wheels and tires. I dont know really, but I am awfully frustrated, especially since Ford now is telling me it is normal, even though they acknowledge the problem.

 

I have been fighting this issue as well. Mine seems to happen at 70 mph. I have tried balancing tires, new tires and rims, balancing stock drive shaft, shims, weight, 1 piece drive shaft, CV joint in 1 piece drive shaft, I have stood and watched the drive shaft being balanced, I rebalanced the tires again, etc..etc... Not sure if the differential should be next. Some folks have told me that 1 in 10 F-350 superduty's have this problem. They also told me that a 1 piece driveshaft would fix the problem. Could be a poorly drilled brake rotor (off center), bent axle, bad bering, I'm not sure where it ends. Had a 05 GMC with vibration problems and GM ended up replacing every bering and bushing in it before it was good.
I have an 07 SWD CC SB 4x4 with 4:10 LS, V-10 and an auto trans. I wonder if there are any consistancies with other people having a problem with vibration?

 

Magoo22, I just wonder when the 1 in 10 people (which would theoretically number in the tens of thousands) will get together and do something about this nonsense. Sounds like your truck has been at the dealership even more than mine. Makes it kinda hard to run a business if they always have your truck. I have also been informed by them, Ford that is, that they are done working on it, and it is now my problem. I have decided to try to get a buyback, or a replacement vehicle from them by enacting my states lemon law. I dont know if it will work, but I'm going to try. If enough people make a get together and tell them collectively they wont stand for this, I believe results will follow.

 

Heavy Assault, it does not happen on every road, and it doesn't happen all the time either, just most of the time.

 

OK. I've just read this thread. I have an F250 but haven't had it running yet to have had the chance to experience this problem for myself. But a couple of things come to mind.

Being a relatively low frequency vibration, it should only be related to the wheels/tyres or components turning at that speed.

Does it happen on loose gravel surfaces? (Or on snow for you poor buggers)
Does it happen while cornering or only traveling straight?
Does having one tyre hard and one soft make any difference?

And what I'm aiming at;
Is it only with the factory LSD diff centre?
Does it happen with other diff centres? (True Trac, airlockers etc)

My suggestion is that the LSD is behaving a little like a Detroit Locker. I know it sounds a bit left field, but, weirder things have happened!

Anyone care to comment?

 

Dont know about the gravel surfaces, does it cornering and traveling straight, does it with all tire pressures (even tried new tires.)

 

I wrote about my truck doing the hop awhile back in this forum and the same dialogue was posted from several folks at that time. I have contacted Ford in the past about some concerns I had about my Super Duty and they do not seem to give a rat's butt about the customer once your warranty runs out. I am driving my last Ford truck and will put up with the hop until I can afford to trade it for another brand of truck. The new Chevy, GMC or Dodges look better to me every day. My fellow RVers that have the other brands are happy with theirs and some have traded their Fords in the last year or two because of Fords drop in quality and lack of concern for their customers.
I just paid $985.00 to have the rear differential repaired on my truck with 47000 miles on it, the Ford tech. said the clutches were worn out. I never had to get a differential repaired with this few miles on it on any vehicle before in my 52 years of driving.

2006 F350 4X4 PS Super Cab

 

This is the exact opposite of what I found in my truck. Weight in the rear makes it almost go away. Hauling my fifth wheel camper I almost don't notice it. It makes me think your situation is more related to driveline than anything else. If I were you, I'd have the driveline balanced and get the angle checked. There is a TSB that talks about the shims and driveline angle. Maybe this will help you out.

Please keep us posted.