Great post, I may have to try that next (the hose clamp thing). Already dropped the carrier with every shim Ford makes and tried a new driveshaft and no help there.

 

Dave, a little info you probably already know, but it seems almost all that have the problem have the long wheel base with the trailer hitch. I have heard as many as 1 in 10 exhibit the bounce. I totally agree that Ford is unwilling to fix the issue because it would probably bankrupt them to do it, so instead they call it a normal issue for a heavy duty truck. Unfortunately, a storm is brewing on this one not in their favor.

 

wobbly, make sure you have the driveline balanced as a complete assembly with the carrier bearing attached. any other method i.e. ( in 2 pieces ) will cause the shaft to give you the 70 mph vibes. mine was bad before the fix. also, try this simple fix. block the wheels, truck off. drop the driveline from the differential and rotate it 180 degrees and reconnect to the pumpkin. this may correct the driveline vibes a little or it may change the harmonic resonant frequencies a bit also. in either case you will know if the driveline is the cause of the vibration, because it will change. this is just a good way to test the overall vibration range of the shaft. it gives you a good feel of how the shaft will react to changes.never knock the hose clamp fix. it's a real winner when you figure it out.
as far as rear end bounce, if you have stock shocks on the truck, or still have them and they are in good shape, keep them. i have tried 3 different shock setups on the rear end of my 05, and the stock shocks work the best. i know alot of people will disagree with this, but on my truck, it works. another interesting item i've discovered with the 04 and up with new front setup is how bad the unsprung weight of the dana 60 is. when you hit a bump with the front end alone, ( hard to do ) you notice that the bounce starts at the front end of the truck even if the rear end never hits the same bump. all who read this may dissagree, but on my truck-05 f250 sd-5.4 with 2.5 rear blocks, i know for a fact that the rotten @@#$$ bounce starts at the front, and works it's way to the back. i'm looking seriously at 2 more shocks on the front end that will connect from the axle tube to the frame rail ahead of the axle instead of behind. i do believe this will greatly reduce the bounce that starts from the front end.
sorry for the long post, but just wanted to throw out what i've seen.
greg

 

When I read posts like this, it makes me so blessed I bought a 97 F250 HD 460 gas. I was so tempted to get a late model truck when I was looking. Ford should be ashamed of themselves for letting problems like this get by.

 

If you decide to get a new one, drive it for at least a full day before you buy it. Mine existed from new, but I bought it without even really test driving it.

 

I just submitted a complaint to the NHTSA as well. I'm tired of this problem. Despite my spending $$$ on it, it continues to get worse.

 

get a pic of this on the truck so we all know location...

IF this works, you should get some Xmas gifts for finding an old article and applying it to this....

 

Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

I certainly will.

 

My 05 CC 5.4 4X4 was my pride and joy until the death wobble started at about 50k. I hung on with the event becoming more frequent until about 70k and could not endure it much longer. I called my tire guy and said to fix me up with the exact same tire as stock and the best shock and stabilizer combo to give me the factory ride. Went with the same BFG's and KYB twin tube shocks. I've been so unhappy with the ride that I've been ready to sell it. It had the (up and down hop from 45-48) vibration and cruising near 70 was Jiggly. I did not have the hop or vibration prior to the tire and shock change. I complained that the ride was different to both my tire guy and KYB. The tire store rebalanced several times with a road force machine but it never got better. I went to two other tire stores to get the tires balanced, never got great, just better. After about 5k like this I was desperate and tried another tire shop (Dallas Tire, Dallas, GA) told them what was wrong and they said they would try with their road force machine. Finally! It is as good as new and the 45mph hop has gone away. The highway is smooth and no more vibration. The death wobble is gone with the new shocks and stabilizer, I'm happy now. KYB sent me two more sets of rear shocks to try as I think the twin tubes allow a little bit of residual jiggle at the rear with light load. I'm going to try the monotube next and see if that goes away. All I can say is keep trying and find a tire store that will take the time to road force the tires and turn them on the rim to get the best balance before adding weights. I’m once again proud of my truck.

PS. Dallas Tire showed me the Road force numbers before and after they balanced, two wheels improved from over 50# to about 8-11#. Seems like proper calibration and a properly trained operator can make a big difference. My feeling is that the vibration and hop is not normal and can be corrected with normal methods. Good luck to everyone with ride issues, It took me a couple months of ride hell to figure it out.

 

Just an update on my deal...

I knew I had a rear caliper hanging up some so today I went and got new rotors and pulled the pass rear wheel (I knew this one had gotten hot a few times) I was unable to remove the rotor with heat, big hammers, etc., but I did lube the caliper and put everything back together. Went for a spin and had no vibration. Hmmmm...filled the truck with fuel and went for a longer drive. I drove between 45 and 55 mph for about 30 minutes....no vibration. I had read where someone had a rear E-brake hanging up and when it was fixed the vibration went away so I'm hopeful, but guarded that this was my issue. I'm telling you this so that you might check your trucks as well. I'll let you know if my vibration returns.

 

Biggziff,
thanks for the update, as it is always good to hear the different methods people have found to fix their trucks, since the dealership can't seem to fix them. Lately I have heard a few people talking about warped rotors, etc. and it seems that has been the issue for a few. It is unfortunate that their doesn't seem to be one issue, but a laundry list of issues that contribute to this problem, thus making it very hard to diagnose.

 

Wobbly:
I agree and was prepared to try the hose clamp on the driveshaft as well. I have the hose clamp, some cardboard to lay on and a nutdriver in the truck in case my vibration comes back.

 

I tried the hose clamp idea on different parts of shaft, and didn't have any luck with that (also tried a different driveshaft at the dealer, and that didn't work either), so I think I can probably rule that out.

 

I liked the fella's remark about test drive before you buy. I special ordered mine. I did not want all that fancy crap. I have manual lock out hubs, manual transfer case shifter, and a manual seat. Tilt, cruise, pw,pdl, air. What more do ya need. I work my truck on the farm and I also do portable welding and also do some custom hauling with with a 36' three axle stock trailer. It's 28 foot on the inside. I've noticed sometimes I get alot of mud inside the wheels. After it slings it off the ride gets better. My vibration might not be near as bad as some of ya'lls. I noticed the other day when very very lightly push on the brakes the "hop" gets very pronounced at 38-42 but goes away quickly. Just my nickel as a penny ain't sh*&@$$%^t anymore.