No traction
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,146
Likes: 17
From: Central Indiana
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,066
Likes: 7
From: Over There
Wow nobody has suggested the obvious answer, yes it needs to be softened up but these suggestions have too many downsides. Dropping tire pressure would certainly help, but low enough to help would suck on the road. Pain in the **** to re-inflate daily. A limited slip is always good, but pricey, sounds like it's not the issue, and lockers suck on the street. Soft springs reduce the ability to haul a load unless ...... you add air bags.
Reduce the spring rate by swapping springs and add an air bag system for when you have a load. Likely you can get a good softer spring setup by just removing the shorter springs. Then just need a simple air bag setup, I got one that just has a schrader valve on the running board, like an old air shock setup, handy and simple.
Reduce the spring rate by swapping springs and add an air bag system for when you have a load. Likely you can get a good softer spring setup by just removing the shorter springs. Then just need a simple air bag setup, I got one that just has a schrader valve on the running board, like an old air shock setup, handy and simple.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
From: Southwestern, Ontario
I'm wondering if the knobby tires are contributing to the wheel/axle hop. They would work better on gravel compared to a street only tire, but I wonder if a normal all-terrain would be best. Less soft rubber to induce hop, yet still aggressive enough to gain traction. Any time I've had a traction issue it's either driver error or the tires can't get enough gripping force. Just a thought.
Thread Starter
|
Cross-Country
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 83
Likes: 3
Eakermeld, oh be still my heart. That would definitely get the job done but might not be too practical on the street. I started with street tires & the hop was about the same. I really believe that it's a spring problem. Theoretically, I should swap out for 1/2 ton springs and install air bags for big loads but now we're getting into a cost/labor - benefit question. There's only a couple of real bad sections of road and the speed limit is 15 anyway so it's not the end of the world. The knobbies are somewhat squirmy on the highway but the street tires are worthless in the snow. I had to use the winch just to get it out of the shop whereas studs on my subaru plowed through 12" of the stuff. Mostly for hauling as 10mpg does not make for a daily driver.
Thread Starter
|
Cross-Country
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 83
Likes: 3
I was lucky to find these tires. I couldn't justify spending $700-$800 for new ones for a "farm" truck and all of the used ones were traction tires with the ***** worn off. They seem a tad bit small but I can't use a taller tire because of the gear ratio and anyway they're the same size as the previous street tires.
The road is a private 1 laner that services 26 homes. There are two real steep sections because the greedy developer put the bulldozer in gear, jumped off and let it find it's own way down the hill instead of doing it properly. That type of road will naturally washboard over time. We pay an annual road maintenance fee for grading & gravel but unless it's moist down to a certain depth, any effort to smooth it out is wasted.
Most any vehicle will make it up OK as they have much softer suspension and lower center of gravity. I lock my other vehicles in low and tractor up mainly so that I don't tear the suspension off.
The road is a private 1 laner that services 26 homes. There are two real steep sections because the greedy developer put the bulldozer in gear, jumped off and let it find it's own way down the hill instead of doing it properly. That type of road will naturally washboard over time. We pay an annual road maintenance fee for grading & gravel but unless it's moist down to a certain depth, any effort to smooth it out is wasted.
Most any vehicle will make it up OK as they have much softer suspension and lower center of gravity. I lock my other vehicles in low and tractor up mainly so that I don't tear the suspension off.
Last edited by belchfire; Aug 29, 2014 at 08:43 PM. Reason: spelling
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,066
Likes: 7
From: Over There
Wow I'd think if you put all 26 homeowners together something could be done. None of them work or have skills in any industries that could help? For example if I lived up there I could barrow a dozer and get some recycled asphalt rather cheap. I'd go to everyone and get them to pay me instead and I'll do it.
Shoot anyone there have some old chain link fence? Toss some old tires on it and daily as you or anyone willing comes and goes they drag it up and down the road to smooth it out. Or even better some kind of heavy I-beam or something, preferably curved so it hangs onto the gravel and crowns the road.
Back to the truck and my suggestion, try taking some leafs out of the springs, if it helps then you know and later if you like you can get some air bags, but taking the leafs out is free.
Shoot anyone there have some old chain link fence? Toss some old tires on it and daily as you or anyone willing comes and goes they drag it up and down the road to smooth it out. Or even better some kind of heavy I-beam or something, preferably curved so it hangs onto the gravel and crowns the road.
Back to the truck and my suggestion, try taking some leafs out of the springs, if it helps then you know and later if you like you can get some air bags, but taking the leafs out is free.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Cross-Country
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 83
Likes: 3
The sad fact is that people up here would rather pay and complain than to break a sweat. We've discouraged impromptu "fixes" as they do more harm than good. We had one guy who would run his tractor up and down & hack the weeds in front of his property & then charge us for "road repair" so we put an end to that. The road is what the road is so end of discussion.
Playing with leaves and air is more than I care to invest right now as I have considerably more projects that need my attention now. Thanks for all of your suggestions.
Playing with leaves and air is more than I care to invest right now as I have considerably more projects that need my attention now. Thanks for all of your suggestions.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
I'd forget about road condition and fly up the road in 3rd or 4th, keep my momentum up. If the H.O.A. makes any fuss about me driving to fast I would simply tell them to fix the road and I'll slow down until they do the faster up the hill I go the better.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,066
Likes: 7
From: Over There
Sure sound like he seems to be one of the