I had mine done, but I had just replaced the tie rods and needed an alignment to get everything back to normal.

Dave..

 

When I had all of my front end problems I paid $128 for an alignment and it required one cam bushing @ $25. That was from a specialty 4x4 shop here in town that was recommended to me by a couple of fellow PSD owners.

While the dealer wanting to charge $200 is a little pricey it's still not as far out of line as some guy saying that he can do it for 50 bucks.

I'd be leery of Earl Schieb wanting to do it for $49.95 and he'll vacuum it out too. No thanks, Earl, you're not touching my rig.

The guy that did mine did an awesome job and if it ever needs it again I will not hesitate to go back there. Plus, it's right next door to where I work. Even better.

 

I don't remember what they did but it was cutting the front tires in the outside edge before the alignment.

And yes, they did take my money when I offered to pay.

I will say that I spend a lot of time this time of year driving in deep ruts/potholes in frozen ground, and these superduties will take a lot of abuse without needing alignment.

 

What the others said about the bushings. My son had his '99 F350 aligned by a local shop but I was still not satisfied with how it drove. Seemed to wander a little. Took it to the Ford dealer where I worked to have it checked. The tech said that it was within specs but he could do better. I told him to do better and he did. Couldn't believe how much easier it drove after he tweaked it just a little. But if there are no issues with driving or tire wear, there is probably no need to have it aligned.

 

you can check tow-in you'r self. go to home depot an get a trim stock 1"x2"x6'
cut it in two. now jack up the truck so the tires are off the ground. now mark an x
on each tiear [inside]. rotate to 45*to the front now take the two stick's hold them so thay overlap each other.with a pencil mark a line now rotate the two x to the back mark another line measure the difference. as long as its a shorter distance to the fuont you have tow-in --0*to 1/4" is good 1/4"=5*tow in

lee

 

I pay $59-69 for all my trucks (except my 01 with all the custom steering...takes them a little longer on it).

They put the truck on the rack and check caster, toe and camber. And adjust accordingly to get everything in rec. specs.
I do all the trucks once a year, the IFS 2wds need it like twice a year for our use (dump trucks).
Keeps the tires wearing even and the trucks drive straight as an arrow.

They also check all the front end components to make sure they aren't worn out.

 

I think you're off there bud. No idea on an F150 (I wouldn't own a 1/2 ton if my life depended on it) but the F250 TTB's are ball joint front ends, and the F350 D60's are all ball joint starting in the early 80's I believe.

 

guess i should have said in the 70's rather then the use OBS...

 

If I came off as rude I apologize, I just didn't want someone to get the wrong info

 

no sir..we good...i never owned a rig as new as my 99..i still refer to the 70's as the OBS lol...

 

The straight axles with king pins can be "adjusted". The axle literally has to be bent to align it. Have had it done on older farm grain trucks.

 

I have always been a believer if it drives good and don't wear tires,leave it alone
even when I had dump trucks with $1500 in tires on the steering axle they never saw an alignment shop,I normally got 80k+ miles on steering tires
If I could have got close to that on drive tires I would have been very happy

 

I had my 02 done and it corrected the memory steer that it had when I bought it.It is also nice to have the wheel perfectly straight going down the road.

 

Wow!! This one grew in a hurry!!

Having done countless alignments on these trucks, I can say that:

1. If your ball joints, tie rod ends, or leaf spring bushings, and axle tube are not worn or bent/damaged then your alignment hasn't changed.

If you need caster, camber, or toe adjustments, they can all be corrected (unless something is REALLY bent).

The camber and caster angles are changed with bushings that go between the upper knuckle pivot hole and upper ball joint. They cost $18-20 a piece. The factory bushings CANNOT be turned as they are keyed. However, aftermarket replacements are "turnable". However, if using the right equipment, the machine will tell the tech which bushing to use and what degree of clocking to be installed to get to exacting specification. There should be no "try and see" method.

My dealership charges $69 for an alignment on these trucks plus parts if needed.

The toe can be set with a tape measure, but it's not recommended. Besides, toe alone won't cause cupping of the tread. It will feather the edges and you'll be able to feel it if you rub your hand across the surface of the tread. If your hand pushes easily from the outside to inside, you have excessive positive toe (toe in). If your hand pulls easily from the inside, you have excessive negative toe (toe out).

The best way to set toe with a tape measure is to jack up the tires and paint a line of bright colored paint around the center (while spinning the tire). Then use a block of wood with a nail pounded through it placed in front of the tire to scribe a narrow line in the painted portion of the tire. Then set the vehicle down and move the truck fore and aft a few feet to settle the weight squarely on the tires. Use a tape measure (and a friend) to measure the distance between the lines on front tires' front and rear sides. Less distance on the front is positive (in) while more on the front is out.

On a rear wheel drive vehicle, it is preferred to have a SLIGHT amount of toe-in because the natural tendency of road friction is to force the tires outward while in motion. "Preloading" positive will allow the tires to run near 0 deg. toe while moving at road speed.

 

Exactly what cleatus said, rep points given. I had a huge pain in the @#$ deal trying to get my truck aligned properly after they replaced half my front end when i got hit. The truck being lifted is the prob, even on a big rig rack they couldnt get it right. I was able to dial it in after a couple months now about perfect with a tape measure and watching my wear on my tires(toe in and out) I also had everything involved with the steering and ball joints replaced. Being lifted it was even easier to visually see my camber with the taller tires, and with 35s they took almost the biggest caster bushing it will hold.
Good luck mike, if you havent moved the adjuster(toe in, out) and have done your ball joints with in 50K or so you dont need to worry about it.