I have recently bought a 2005 Excursion 6.0 SPD. Really scared me when I towed my TT for the first time. I was literly pushed out of my lane by a Semi.
I have Sway system on trailer and never experienced this "wander" on my previous TV.

I have ordered Hellwig Sway Bar and Bilstein shocks. Should be here this week. I found a pair of 2005 F250 5-Leaf Springs at a local junk yard and was thingking about installing them when I put on the shocks and Hellwig.

I do know much about the compatibility of the springs and do not want to affect the height of the rear end. I certainly want to be safe but also don't want to screw up my suspension.

Does anyone have experience with this type of modification? Know anything about the F250 5-leaf spring?

Thanks

2005 Excursion. No Modfications. (As of Yet!)

 

jdtinc that is a good start to helping out with your sway problem. The forum can provide you with a ton of solid advice about the sway issue with the X. First off I can say the 250 springs will not give you any benefit from what you currently have. If my memory serves me correct I tyhink you need V rated springs for rear and possible D in front. I would double check on that info though via search here in the forum. Tjis is a major issue but can be fixed. Goo dluck with the X and nice choice on the sway bar.

 

jdt

What njstevens says is correct in that there is a wealth of info in previous posts on this subject. Try searching "wander" or V and B code springs as a start. As you will find out all F 250 springs are not the same. Different springs were installed for different years and different uses, such as towing, campers etc. The different springs are identified by code letters. The most common swaps include V or U codes up front and B or F codes in the rear. All of these codes are F250/350 springs. Some have modified the rear B and F codes by adding some leaves from the original spring pack. I didn't, I have straight V and F codes. I'm very satisfied with this mod. I also added the Helwig rear sway and Rancho shocks. I tightened the steering box which you can find directions for by searching. All these things help. Finally a good weight distribution hitch with sway control is a must. I recently upgraded to a Hensley Arrow hitch. Very expensive but worth it if its within the budget. I still have my Equal-lizer 10,000lb WD hitch which I would like to sell cheap if anyone is interested. With some of these mods as you've already started your EX will be a great TV.
Ben

 

Benjoman hit the nail on the head with his explanation of the springs and the variables involved.

He has the V and F's, I have the V and B's. I too added a Hellwig rear sway bar, and upgraded my shocks to Bilsteins.

I recently towed my new 26' TT home from the dealership and encountered many semi's on the 90 minute drive home. I never once had any wander issues, and the dry weight of my TT is 6,340lbs.

The TT was heavier than that on the way home though because both propane tanks were full, two batteries were installed, and the 46 gallon fresh water tank (over 380lbs) was still full from the PDI inspection.

Stewart

PS - Benjoman, you have a PM

 

I just received my Bilstein's via UPS. Tracked the Hellwig, will be here 6/7/07. I am leaving on a trip w/TT 6/9/07. About a 250 one way. Will be filling the Fresh Water tank for where I am going is primitive.

Will return on Monday then leaving for TT trip 2,640 mile round trip following weekend. Having only owned X one week, I am very concerned about the up comming trips.

Really confussed on V, B, F, 250, 350's and the like. Wondering if the new shocks and Hellwig are enough? Given the short time, is there anything else I should try?

jdtinc

 

That's funny, I am in the same boat. The hellwig arrives on the 6th have not bought shocks yet, I leave on the 9th for Yellowstone (1000 miles each way), and have not towed with the TT yet! I am a little worried as well. I actually bought the X for this trip. Looking forward to find out if the Hellwig and shocks will do for this trip! I do have the 12000lb Equalizer.

 

I was thinking about upgrading to B code 350 springs. If i did this, what would i gain from this mainly towing wise? If i put these springs on, will the truck have less tendency to squat with a trailer hooked up? Also will it give it alittle bit more capacity? The reason why i am doing this, is because i heard that B code 350 springs will give you two more inchs of lift and thats what i am looking for in the rear. Also how much would these b codes cost?

 

on my X, i did the 4 bilsteins, front v code springs, rear helwig. what a difference. the b code springs can be for a 250 or 350. again, get them by code. it will give you more capacity and lift the rear 2" too. the new springs from the dealer run about $270 for the pair. you should be good with all that. mine feels really good and doesn't sway at all now. it may also have something to do with the 305/45/22 tires too. i can go around a turn twice as fast as i could before and the X bearly even leans. it actually rides softer than stock because of tire pressures.. only 35 psi in my low pro tires now.

 

I'm in the same boat as I can have a 2 inch lift put on the front, but I need some springs that will balance things out and stop the squatting problem.

 

I have a bunch of spring info saved, but I'm running out the door so I'll just post this up really quick.

The B's and F's are both variable rate springs.

The B's are 320/670 and the F's are 334/776. These numbers are the deflection rate in lbs/inch. The F's have a considerably higher secondary rate, therefore the F spring will not compress as far as the B under the same load. This doesn't mean the F has a higher total capacity over the B. The F has a rating at the pad of 2695 lbs per spring. The B is rated at 2998 lbs per spring. However, the B will sag more.

I have a spring chart saved too, giving the different lifts for each spring over stock.

I'll post up more when I get home later tonight.

Stewart

 

Is it safe to assume that these springs that are being mentioned will fit any year excurison? I'm just curious if the wheel offset change for the '05 F250 & F350 impacted the springs as well.

How can you tell what spring code you have on your X now? Or how can you identify some at the junkyard prior to pulling?

Thanks!

 

This information was gathered and collected by Bruce1954. You can say he's an Excursion spring expert.

He posts here sometimes, but mainly on another site. Almost all of my spring information I've saved comes from him.

The following info below is from one of his threads from back in '02.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again these are estimates and for Excursions only if you want them more accurate then weigh your truck get my Excel file and the work with real data.

So with that said here it is:

Front axle weights used are 4080, & D code springs for the PSD and 3680, & C code springs for the V-10


Application---Code---Capacity-----Rate----Travel --------- V-10 ----- PSD
--------------------------------- /spring---to Max Cap ----height ----height
--------------------------------------------------------- change --- change
Exc V8 ------- B ----- 4100 ----- 330 ----- 5.02 ---------- -0.25 --- -0.66
Exc V10 ------ C ----- 4300 ----- 350 ----- 5.01 ----------- 0.00 --- -0.37
Exc PSD ------ D ----- 4700 ----- 380 ----- 5.14 ---------- +0.33 ---- 0.00


F250/350 All springs are computer selected
Also the use of a rear sway bar and what size it is package dependant

Application---Code---Capacity-----Rate----Travel --------- V-10 ----- PSD
--------------------------------- /spring---to Max Cap ----height ----height
--------------------------------------------------------- change --- change
SD-250/350--- S -----4000 ----- 370 ------ 4.34 --------- +1.22 --- +0.88
-------------- T ----- 4400 ----- 390 ------ 4.63 --------- +1.42 --- +1.11
-------------- U ----- 4800 ----- 410 ------ 4.89 --------- +1.60 --- +1.32
-------------- V ----- 5200 ----- 430 ------ 5.13 --------- +1.77 --- +1.50

F450 -------- W ----- 5600 ----- 450 ------ 5.34 ---------- +2.77 --- +2.52
F550 &350/ DRW with Snow Plow prep Package
-------------- X----- 6000 ----- 470 ------ 5.54 ----------- +2.90 --- +2.68

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope that helps.

Stewart

 

I called my junk yard and they said that all they know is the the F250 springs they have are a five leaf set.

Is there any way I can tell what the springs are? Are they stamped with any markings?

Thanks

 

what web site is bruce1954 posting on so i can see all the info he has on the springs and stuff?????????

 

i put b's onthe rear and it didn't a big differance with the sway. It felt better than the stock springs. Then i added the helwig with no other mods ani now feels like an oversized ferrari so to speak the sway bar is priceless addition if towing

joe