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Hello, I am new here. As the title says, I was torqueing down my new U-bolts after replacing both my leaf springs on my new to me 2015 CCSB SRW f350. I found numerous sources that indicated torqueing to 195 ft lbs in 4 stages in a criss cross pattern. 48, 96, 148, then finally 195. I tried to make sure the threads were as even as possible when I started, The passenger side torqued fine but at 195 ftlbs the last nut took the longest to get there and the threads bent slightly which i found odd but it did torque to 195. The drivers side same thing. Started evenly then torque all through the sequence and everything was fine till I was torqueing the last nut to 195 ftlbs. It also took the longest to start feeling like it was getting close to clicking then the ear of the bracket snapped right off. The torque wrench was new...albeit a harbor freight Pittsburg special since I didn't plan on having to torque anything that high again for a while. But I've borrowed several torque wrenches and have installed gooseneck hitches and fifth wheel rails which require a ridiculous amount of torque...so I know what it feels like to torque to +200 ftlbs. That being said I don't feel like the cheapy HF torque wrench was that inaccurate. Can someone shed some light on what may have went wrong? Truck was on jack stands on the frame while i was torqueing with a jack only slightly holding the axle in alignment while I was torqueing.
Where did you get the u-bolts? Aftermarket 5/8" bent up by your friendly local spring shop call out 120ft lbs. I haven't measured but I very much doubt these SuperDutys are using 3/4" stock (in which case it's WAY above 195)
If these are aftermarket fine thread you probably galled the threads in the process. But you probably stretched them too much anyway, I'd get new u-bolts.
I often just make my own spring plates from 1/2 or even 3/4 flat bar. I weld pieces of flat bar vertically at the ends to provide the necessary rigidity so it doesn't fold over the spring as I can't brake that thickness.
Plates I made for a baby 5x8 trailer. No need for additional reinforcement here because the torque values are low. You can see how woefully inadequate stock plates (right) are
I ordered the Ubolts from Ford, they used my vin number to find the correct ones, I'm not sure i could make my own plates since ford has the Ubolts facing the opposite direction of normal. The plate is on the bottom underneath the axle and conforms to the axle tube. This was the last bolt i was tightening. never made it to 195 ftlbs. the ear snapped off
Nice, thanks for the shot. I typically do a u-bolt flip but that's more work.
You'll need a new plate and just call a spring shop for u-bolts.
You'll need to know rod diameter, leg length, and width of your leafs will be stated as, say, a 3" square bend -- square because you're hooking over the leafs at a right angle vs a round bend going around axle tube.
Or you can try to re-use those u-bolts but 195 ft lbs is clearly excessive. I'd go 140 and be happy.
I know they will torque to the 3rd sequence just fine at 148 ftlbs. I do tow a 12k pound camper with the truck so I want to make sure the axle stays where its supposed to...I even called ford service and they called me back with the same torque sequence i found online. They're not sure why the cap broke. I went ahead and ordered two new u bolts from them and 2 caps....i'll leave the other side alone i believe since all 4 bolts torqued up and probably stop shy of 195 on the side that broke when i get the new cap in. Thanks for the replies and info. I'll post an update if the new hardware goes on without a hitch.
this brings back a memory, changed the axel on my boat trailer, didnt have my glasses on and thought it said ft lbs but it was in lbs..
195lbs sounds kinda high to me.
Well this turned out to be a tough lesson learned for me. But I can't count the number of times I've searched forums over issues I've had with my trucks only to find a several year old thread the OP started having the exact same issue then disappearing and never coming back to update anyone on what they figured out. So in the spirit of hoping maybe this will help someone else out some day, say no to harbor freight pittsburgh torque wrenches. Now I'll admit I'm a Harbor Freight fan. And I have several Pittsburgh tools that have yet to let me down. But the torque wrench in question was a new purchase specifically for this job because of the high torque requirements for the U-bolts. It was the 3/4 drive 50-300 ftlb wrench....I have no way of knowing how far off it was...I do research every tool I buy before I buy it. It had great reviews and the 3/8ths and 1/2 inch drive torque wrenches I found videos on youtube showing their accuracy and repeatability, the 1/2 in drive being the lesser impressive of the two. But how far off could the 3/4 drive be?...All I can say is for the side that didn't break, by the time the wrench clicked at the 195 ftlbs I had it set to, the U-bolt cap was no longer flat and the ends of the U-bolts were bent. Obviously the other side didn't survive however far over 195 the wrench was actually torqueing to. Also in the spirit of not learning my lesson, Harbor Freight took the wrench back and I left with the Icon 1/2 inch 50-250 ftlb torque wrench. It was far superior. There is a tool review video on youtube pitting the icon against the snap-on equivalent and it outperformed the snap-on for accuracy and repeatability. I am super happy with it. The new hardware for the truck came in this morning and both sides of the truck torqued through all the sequences just fine with no distortion or U-bolt bending of any kind.
Nice, thanks for the shot. I typically do a u-bolt flip but that's more work.
You'll need a new plate and just call a spring shop for u-bolts.
You'll need to know rod diameter, leg length, and width of your leafs will be stated as, say, a 3" square bend -- square because you're hooking over the leafs at a right angle vs a round bend going around axle tube.
Or you can try to re-use those u-bolts but 195 ft lbs is clearly excessive. I'd go 140 and be happy.
Glad OP got it resolved, and need to correct myself above- I took a look at my '11 this morning and even though the u-bolts run down you need a round bend because Ford used a radiused spring plate up top. First I've seen that, and obviously first time I've noticed on my '11 which I've owned for 4 years
My 2004 F350 rear ubolt spec is 195ftlbs, same as your new truck. This is directly copied from the ford manual...I'd say the number one problem is that harbor freight torque wrench
With the suspension at curb height, tighten the U-bolt nuts evenly in a cross-type pattern in 4 stages. Stage 1: Tighten to 65 Nm (48 lb-ft). Stage 2: Tighten to 130 Nm (96 lb-ft). Stage 3: Tighten to 200 Nm (148 lb-ft). Stage 4: Tighten to 265 Nm (195 lb-ft).
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