I have recently been having buyers remorse over my 2 wheel drive truck purchase. When I originally purchased the truck, I figured that I could just get it towed the one time I was likely to ever get it stuck. Now I have been provided access to a large tract of land that I need to be able to reliably get around on. It is all dirt roads, etc. I don't really have an intention of doing anything demanding, I just don't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. (It's 177 acres in backroads Alabama) Any advice on what I can do to retrofit my 4x2 in a cost effective fashion, with only not getting stuck in a work truck situation? As I see it, I have three choices, 1) trade it, 2) spend some money on new tires, leveling kit, etc. 3) don't worry about it, I'll never really get stuck anyway.

What do you folks think? I have the SuperCab 5.4L 4x2 with basic stock 17" tires. I had already been tossing around the idea of some more aggressive tires purely for asthetic reasons.

 

how about a winch put it on your receiver hitch when u plan on going off road u can get one for the front as well ( a receiver hitch) i had one on my 01 f-150 liked it a lot

 

bull bar, winch, and a GPS phone

 

Make it a true 2WD instead of a 1WD (insert a locking differential device). You'll have more than enough traction than most 4wd open diff trucks, especially if you get more aggressive tires.

In order of price, lowest first, I'm assuming that you have a 9.75 open rear end, these are the only options available to date for this axle. If you have the 8.8 then you have quite a few more options.

Ford Track Lock (limited slip)!

OEM Unit, great for the average Joe Sixpack, but the clutches do wear out, most last 100K or more. Expect to pay 450+ for a new one, unless you know where to look. I just installed my own this weekend, I found a brand new Track lock on ebay for $70 (50 plus SH), Bearings and SuperShim kit from DTS $100, $10 for the local machine shop to press on the new bearings, and $50 for gear oil and misc shop supplies. Total, $230 plus 4-5 hrs of my time. You can often find used Track locks on ebay and rebuild them for super cheap.

Auburn Limited Slip!

Gear style LS never wears out, but can be spendy, expect amounts near $600 or more.

ARB Air Locker!

Air operated locker, really spendy, you really have to be a hard core off-roader to use its full potential, plus you have to buy the on board air compressor and controls. Totals for the whole assembly easily push the $1500 mark.

You can install these units your self, but I reccomend that you should do it if and only if you have all the proper tools (torque wrenches, dial indiacator, calipers, large vise, parts cleaner, etc, etc, etc) and you also have some mechanical savy. Other wise I recomend to have someone do it for you, or you could have some very expensive problems down the road. Expect to pay for a minimum of 5 hours of shop labor.

 

Thanks for the advice. That is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for. I don't know off hand specifically which model mine has. I'll have to check. How does that modification affect regular highway driving?

I really do like my truck, I have just been fortunate to have some good fortune come my way in terms of the land availability. I see this as a good problem to have.

 

With a LS unit you can't even tell the difference until you nail the throttle, then the LS unit locks up and now you have 2 wheels powered instead of 1.

A LS will make the truck more prone to swaping ends if you nail the throttle on ice and wet pavement around corners though.

 

You have partially hit on a subject that I have been researching for about 3 months now. Now, since you have a 4x2 your 4wheelin is not going to be the same. However some things between our trucks match up. You do have a 9.75 sterling rear end in your truck. However their is significant differences between a true locker and a limited slip. And, I just called ARB last week and their is currently no plan to produce a locker for this size rearend. Your only true option that I can find is Detroit. They have two products on the market. A locker of this type and some good mud tires or even an all-terrain is going to make a huge difference. But don't forget the tow strap and maybe a come-a-long for safe measure. As for LS products, the one that comes in the FX4 (which I have) pretty much sucks. They are factory preset to give at 120lbs of torque. Which most of us can achieve with little effort. I am looking into both Auburn and Eaton products to see if they can meet my applications. Hope this helps, Good luck.

 

...Welcome garyinidaho, to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!

Enjoy FTE....and
JOIN CLUB FTE -SUPPORT THE FORUMS!
…..See you on the boards.

 

Well the best bet would probably be an Eaton E-locker or similar. It functions as a standard Limited Slip unit all the time, but you can engage it from the cab, to be a full locker. Its the best of both worlds, just a bit pricey.

 

Gary's right, I mixed up on the ARB, It's offered in the 10.25 rear.

Here's the only options for the 9.75.

Ford Track Lock
Eaton
Auburn

http://www.drivetrainspecialists.com...975/index.html

I do have to disagree on the Ford unit being a POS. I can see the argument for the hardcore off-roader (maybe), but for every day Joe sixpack, it will provide many miles of service if maintained and setup properly. The Auburn and Eatons are better choices, but it really comes down to how much you are "really" going to flog the truck.

On ebay you can often find a used Trac Lock for $20 + SH, and the rebuild kits for $80, and you can get the shimkit and bearings from DTS for right around $130. If you did it your self you could be in a functional LS unit for near $300 + your time for a complete rearend overhaul, seals, bearings,and oil.

I was real lucky in finding my brand new Trac Lock for $50 ($70 with shipping).