I have a 97 F-250 extended cab LWB 4x4 with the 7.3 liter powerstroke in it.

I've known I needed new springs for a while but this weekend when I was coming off a mountain with my 14,000 pound horse trailer behind me I was running about 60 and hit a washboard section of highway and darn near lost it. I had that same experience once in a new deuce and a half with the big flotation tires and don't care for it one bit! My truck has stock size tires and no lift like that one had. Everything is good in my front end except for the worn out sagging springs. That camber angle, which is beyond the range of being adjustable and soft springs got me bouncing and just totally yanked the wheels all over the place when I hit the bumps.

Anyway, Now I am going to replace all my springs and I do not want factory Ford ones that will just wear out again like this. I'm considering F-350 springs and I'm ok with that small amount of lift gained by them but I don't want any more than that for lift on it. I like my gas mileage like it is and it's hard enough for my wife to get in the truck already too. I'm also not interested in having to install lift brackets for the center pivots on the front axle or play with the steering arm geometry on it.

Does anyone have a source for new high quality leaf springs for these trucks that will last? Also If I go to F-350 springs are there going to be any other parts I should buy to change it over?
Thanks.

 

I was gonna direct you to www.generalspringkc.com but their website is all screwed up...

 

no go on 350 springs. They won't provide any lift and they are actually thinner due to the 250 springs needing to be able to twist as well. The stock springs aren't really all that bad. They have had 12 years with a 1000 lbs engine plus the rest of the truck sitting on them. Find a local springs shop and they will be able to help you out as well. You might even be able to get an extra leaf in there from the spring shop that will level the truck and give the spring some extra beef.

 

Broncho Graveyard had a HD version of the front spring. Then I broke the front pivot bracket on the passenger side while towing . After that I said screw the factory brackets and looked for the bigest one I could find. 'coon hunter Joe told me about the skyjacker bracket and when I saw it that was the one. Much better ride and handeling than the factory setup--with or without aload

 

Well, I have three F250 XC LB trucks with different spring configurations from factory. One has the three ply front leaves and the other two have the two ply. The three ply is one stiff ride and sits slightly higher. I have one with rear springs with no overloads and two with overloads. It takes about 2000# to hit the overloads so the ride/handling isnt much different unless loaded heavy.

What is the condition of your shocks???

I have noticed a big difference in handling on mountain gravel washboard roads with the condition of the shocks. It seems Gabriel shocks do well on washboard conditions even though they are only a medium priced shock. I have their gas shocks on two trucks and the their monotube on one. The gas are good but the monotube is better for handling on washboard but they are very stiff. You wont forget that you are in a truck and not a car!

Is that trailer a goose or bumper? An equalizer/stabilizer hitch makes a lot of difference on a bumper pull.

And was the trailer empty or did the livestock get a thrill too?

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

 

I got a set of Stanley springs 43-498HD. They are the 3 leaf version.

Pete

 

I have rancho RS 5000 shocks on it. They are only about 6 months old and in great shape. It doesn't help a lot though when the bump stops are only a half inch from the spring I discovered. That's unloaded.

I did have the trailer full. 3 horses in it, a load of hay in the truck and all the camping gear for our whole group. My trailer is all steel and heavy to begin with. It's a bumper pull too. I've been looking at those load stabilizer gadgets for the front of the trailer and they do look like a good deal. My truck never squats down below level with it attached but I'd like the horses to ride as comfortable as can be if possible.

I talked to a spring shop I found in town yesterday. The owner was very nice and knowledgeable. He looked underneath the front end and saw even more wrong than I had found in just a couple seconds. The front shackle bushings are gone. I knew the spring bushings were wasted but hadn't looked at those. My plan at this time is to deliver the truck to him on Monday morning. He's going to replace the shackles entirely, re-arch the springs and replace the bushings, On both ends. I am still considering another leaf on all 4 springs but I wanted to ask you all's opinion first on what it might do to my alignment.
I am a very good alignment guy for ford trucks but I've never added a leaf to one yet. Right now I'm about 2 degrees negative camber with the factory alignment bushings in it. I'm hoping the springs and bushings bring it back to where it should be but do you think the extra spring if I get it will put me real far positive? I did already replace the pivot bushings with poly ones from energy suspension so it's tight in the middle.
The only concern about extra springs I have is now I own my own business and no longer work for Ford so I can't exactly put it on the alignment rack anymore to fix caster and camber. There isn't an alignment shop in town I would trust to do it either. I can do toe without a machine real easy. Maybe I just need to tell the wife I really NEED a set of caster and camber gauges.

 

I was curious how much my bushings were worn so I just measured the distance to the stops. Mine dont appear to be worn. The two ply factory fronts are a little over an inch and the three ply front is one and half inch to stops. I do a lot of trailering with all three trucks and do not notice a big difference with two vs three ply. The big difference is the ride empty. The three ply truck has the monotube shocks and rides like a Flintstone car.

Two of my trucks are 95 and one is a 97. The 95s have 5 leaves in the back main ply and the 97 has 4. The total height of the back main plies in both the 4 and 5 are the same. So, if you wanted to add a ply the 95 version is not quite as thick per ply and may not require new U bolts.

I have 4 bumper pull trailers and one gooseneck. If you have proper tongue weight on a bumper pull, they will tow as nicely as a goose. I have used several different equalizer/stabilizer hitches. The one I like the best is the high priced Reese. It is the quickest to hook up and works well. It has cams on the tension arms that ride on a shoe and that provides the stabilizer action. I have found that proper tongue weight is critical. If you dont have enough, you lose the stabilizer effect. The equalizer part of the hitch helps reduce the hinge effect between the truck and trailer. I will even tow an empty flatbed (3200#) with the Reese hitch as it makes the truck ride nicer.

Hauling livestock is fun. They always go to the wrong side on a sway. About the only thing that is worse to haul is a half tanker of milk. For cleaning/hygiene purposes, those milk tankers dont have baffles in them. If you get that milk splashing, it can be a roller coaster ride.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

 

Thankfully my horses can't move around much. There are three dividers in there that hold them pretty still. It's a 3 horse slant load trailer. When I pull the stock trailer though, That's a different story. We've had way more cows in there before than would be legal normally for a non farm tagged truck.

 

I just had Ford put two new leaf springs into my 97 F250 4x4 Crew short bed. Now I have extreme positive camber. The springs are from National in El Cajon, CA and are the correct springs for the code "Q". Ford replaced the top ball joints, both left and right and can't manage to align it properly now. Ford suggested driving it for awhile and maybe the springs will "relax". Do I need to have my original's re-arched and put back on?

 

You could throw a add-a-leaf on the front springs for some extra load handling. For the rear I'd look at air bags instead of messing with the springs.

 

The camber issue is pretty normal with the new springs. They will never get it aligned with the standard bushings. The new springs (43-498 2 leaf) that you generally see from a spring shop are beefier than an OEM spring and stiffer. Its going to take a while for them to settle regardless. I wouldn't have the OEM springs re-arched and add a leafs are a band aid.

Did they replace the front hangers too?

 

I put the springs from Bronco Graveyard on my truck, there were the 43-498's. They helped out alot at first, but they have settled and they only gave me a half and inch more clearance than the factory worn out springs between the bump stops. Still has a lot nicer more controlled ride though. Although i do have a HEAVY from bumper on my truck that i built, i think that has alot to do with it.