How scarce are these trucks? I have one that I've been using as a "beater" for years. The cab & box are pretty rusty (Illinois road salt) but it's still pretty sound mechanically. It's a 400 with a four speed, as most were I think. I'm trying to decide whether to keep it and fix it up, or get rid of it.....too many vehicles!

For those not familiar with the Hi-Boy, it has a lot of differences from a regular F-250. Among them...a seperate transfer case, twice as many spring leaves, heavier hubs, gas tank behind the seat like a pre-73, slave cylinder power steering rather than integral with gearbox, etc.

 

Well by looking at your signature, I'd say that you could use a few more quality Blue Ovals sitting around. You can never have too many!!
I like those 69 and 70 Cougars too.
I have no info on your actual question though, sorry. The hi-boys seem to get mentioned here quite a bit though.
Jimmy

 

There were alot of them made so there are still quite a few on the road, depending on where you are. In the big city, most successfull sorts tend to buy new rigs. I prefer mine as I just love those old trucks. I am seeing alot more of them filling wrecking yards these days and feel that they might be getting thinned out. I know that I will keep mine! Best truck ever built.

 

yes, we discuss these trucks alot. they are actually quite common except for the 77 as they were only made for part of the year before the new chassis design came out. in reading your post i am not sure if you are clear on what a hi-boy is so i will add some info in case you did not already know. all mid 60's to early 1977 F250 4X4's are hi-boys. the features you mention are appropriate for these trucks but did not come on all of them. the feature that made these trucks different was the frame design. these frames are narrower than a standard ford pickup frame and so these trucks use special components. they do not all have seperate transfer cases as a rare few had full-time 4 wheel drive which uses a mated case. the gas tank is behind the seat because of the narrower frame design not allowing standard chassis tanks to be used. hawkrod

 

All F-250s from the mid 60's to mid-late 70's have divorced t-cases. I have an early 1977 f-250 with the gas tank behind the seat. My truck came with the NP203 t-case which is a full-time chain driven t-case. It is divorced, not mated.

I think these trucks are cool because they came from the factory as the biggest (tallest) pickup on the road (in stock form).

 

actually not all of these had divorced t-cases. although rare, a truck with a full time 4 wheel drive will have a mated t-case. i have seen two but it seems a number of people here have them hawkrod

 

Really????

I've never seen it, but that doesn't mean exceptions don't exist!! Any idea what transmission/tcase combination was used in these trucks?

 

The truck I was comparing mine with is a '79 F-250 4X4 that belongs to a friend of mine. It is much lighter duty than the '77. Has an integral transfer case, power steering in the gearbox, fewer spring leaves, smaller hubs, gas tank under the box, etc. But it is also a 400 with a 4-speed.

 

I have a few highboys. 1970, 1975, 1977. I think they're well worth fixing, they're the most incredible workhorses I've ever seen! I find that the spring leaves crack and break after 25+ years of overloading and normal flexing. The ones that have snow plows here in New England have broken leaves in the front.... the ones that haul firewood have broken leaves in the back. Highboy GVWs are 6800# for my 1970 and slightly higher for my 1977. I think the lowboy 1977 1/2 - 1979 F-250 4x4 is a very heavy duty truck as well. I've seen the springs on the front and rear of the lowboy trucks, and while they are fewer, they are thicker in the front and wider in the rear. I know that the heavy duty f-250 4x4 78-79 trucks sometimes have 8400# GVWs and Dana 60 front axles. I don't have any lowboys, but I suspect they are equally rugged. Transmission and transfer cases are the same (mostly NP435 / NP205) Both are great trucks. Is there any truck that will outwork a 1960-1979 F-250 4x4? I doubt it.

FEbigblockford

 

I'm goin with Danimal on this note...

danimal wrote:
All F-250s from the mid 60's to mid-late 70's have divorced t-cases. I have an early 1977 f-250 with the gas tank behind the seat. My truck came with the NP203 t-case which is a full-time chain driven t-case. It is divorced, not mated.
I think these trucks are cool because they came from the factory as the biggest (tallest) pickup on the road (in stock form).



mine was 203 divorced as well and so far every one Ive seen that was a (F250) 4x4 was divorced in these years.
I have seen a few F150 extra cabs that people have tried to "pass off" as F250 4x4s and get away with it since they came with leaf springs in the front, but I have never ever seen a true F250 (highboy) if you have to call it that that had a married T-case nomater what case it had... the 203 was not as common as the 205, but there out there.

the last question asked by danimal
C6 was the automatic used
NP 435 four speed
BW T18 four speed
73 - 77.5 has either 205 or 203 Ive heard of some having the Dana 24 but never seen one yet in a F250

there may be others but these are the most common.

***but like danimal said, just because I havent seen it, dont mean that its not out there.***