I want to put a 4" suspension lift in my 1993 idi 4x4. I was wondering what kind of lifts you guys have put in your trucks and if there is anything I need to know before I start and about the cost of the lift.

 

F350 or 250?

 

If its F250 with TTB then some big name companies sell kits, skyjacker, superlift ect. I used to have the 6" skyjacker with my TTB and it was 1300$. It was an ok kit, front springs sagged a bit and rear had blocks. I later replaced them with superlift springs which were much better.

If you were price conscious then you could check the cheapest parts from each company. Then peice together one yourself. 4" lift wont be as much$ as a 6 but blocks wont be as much springs so there are some options. What are your plans for truck? Tow? Daily drive?

 

it is a f250 that is my daily driver. I pull some stuff but nothing too heavy

 

id go with the D60 swap.you'll be money ahead long term.

 

i second that, youll have to lift it to do the swap anyway, thats what i did with my 250. ive got 4 inches under it,

 

That's strange, I did the D60 swap on stock front height front springs on my 84 F250... no issues. But I'll third on the D60 swap, these heavy old motors are hard on TTBs... SAS will help a ton.

 

Maybe i'm one of the lucky ones, but my F250 lifted 4" hasn't had signs of the problem tire wear. Or maybe i just havent driven it enough.

I will say a few things if you lift your TTB:
Get a drop pitman arm. Whoever lifted my truck didnt and there wasn't enough adjustment to get the front tire pointed the same direction.
Make sure the center drop brackets are the same lift as the springs. You want to move the beam straight down to save the alignment.
Don't be like the idiot that lifted my truck and put 4" blocks under the front springs.
Try and find blocks that are as wide as the rear springs. Mine are 1" narrower then the springs and i think thats why my axle wrap is so bad.

Hope something in there helps...

 

I never understood what Ford was thinking putting leaf springs under a TTB to begin with. The way the suspension cycles kills the spring eye bushings and shackle bushings. Beyond that I have no problems with TTBs in general, I like how they ride and handle. On the coil sprung version you can get killer amounts of travel out of them! I swapped the D50 TTB out for a D60 because I plow snow with my F250. Not that it was weak, but it was impossible to keep it properly aligned... and tires aren't cheap for these trucks.

 

Definition of Twin Traction Beam (TTB) Tee Tee Bee ~
A Twin Traction Beam (TTB) front axle is found in 83-96 Rangers/Explorers 80-96 F150s and 80-98 F250s. Its like a independent and solid axle had a late night drunken stupor sex-o-thon and had a basturd child. The only beneficial worthwile or nice thing I can say about them is they ride good on road while stock and absorb hard bumps offroad in like prerunner trucks. In all other applications they suck. It works very similar to the twin I beam suspensions of 2wd trucks. The axle is hinged on a crossmember that allows each tire to move independently of the other. They are expensive to lift even slightly over stock. The higher the lift the more stress it compounds on to the frame and TTB crossmember and it leads to stress cracks that drastically weakens the frame and is extremely dangerous. Common TTB sizes are D35 (rangers/explorers) D44 (F150s) and D50 (F250s). TTBs are much weaker than their solid axle counterparts. Anyone wanting tires larger than 35" and plan to wheel their truck with any amount of confidence MUST switch over to a solid front axle swap (SAS).

TTBs bring the suck!

 

could someone decode the TTB and D60 I can't figure out what you guys are talking about

 

TTB= twin traction beam, 4x4 f250



d60= dana 60 monobeam, 4x4 f350



there are some old pics for ya to see

 

Cool thank you I don't need all this super heavy duty stuff everyone is talking about but I would like to bring the front up a couple inches just to make it look better

 

OP, throw a D60 under there and then get the superduty springs. i think that and something with the shackles or whatnot give you like 5 inches of lift.

 

Alright here is the truth about the TTB that everyone chooses to ignore because they fall into the latter category. IF you maintain it regularly, grease all the steering joints/u-joints every oil change, take the locking hubs off add grease, every other oil change, and drive it on the pavement and don't do serious offroading the axle will last forever. HOWEVER if you neglect the joints, lift the truck, and add larger wheels and off-road heavily it will obviously break. You have to be a moron to not see the correlation in this.
It is not a great axle, however it is not a terrible axle. If you treat it right, and use it within the parameters it was intended it will treat you right.

If you are just looking for a higher stance without looking to lose the capability that they trucks have go for a front shackle reversal lift kit and keep the D50 under your truck. It will allow you to maintain the heavy duty springs without having to go out and buy entirely new suspension.
92-97 F-250/F-350 front shackle reversal - Sky's Off-road Design
They provide you with the option to go either 3" or 5", all the shocks you could need for their kits, as well as the option for powder coating, drop pitman arm, and the rear lift to boot. It all will come to about $1000 + shipping, I don't know of a better deal out there.

And again HOWEVER if you are looking to do offroading once you get the truck lifted, and generally abuse and treat the truck roughly, I fully endorse the D60 swap, and this company's lift options support both the D50 and D60.