I'm looking at getting a 2003 or 2004 4x4 Ranger. What does a Fx4 have that a standard 4x4 does not have?

 

Skid plates, fog lights and an lsd comes to mind off the top of my head. The FX4 level II gets you a torson lsd, bilstein shocks skid plates, tow hooks. fog lights, alcola rims and 31x10.50 BFG AT KO's.

 

and i think the 8.8 rear has 31 spline axle shafts instead of 28

 

Yeah, on the level II it does with the big bearings.

 

I know mine has special paint and special inside trim as well

 

"O YEAH", and the level II with a manual has the the chrome shifter and the cool shift ****. The 02 and 03 with the manual tranny also had the manual t-case. I would like to find a wrecked one and get the t-case for mine.

 

From waht I have seen not many regular 4x4's have the 4.10 gears and I think 4.10 is standard on the FX4's. I could be wrong.
As for the Lvl II's with manual transfer cases. I think it's only in the 02-03 years with manual trannies. Auto's got electronic xfer case. After that its all electronic no matter what tranny it has.
I think LvlII also gives you a colored cloth seat as well. Might only be on certian years though.

I think basicly 4x4 to FX4 gives you 4 doors standard (not positive here), LSD, Skid plates and better shocks. Maybe even the tow hooks (black FX4 chrome LvlII)

 

yes mine has the 4:10 gears and its sweet.. the dash and door panels are a lot better as well as well as the two tone paint.

 

Is the Level II package equivalent to the Off-Road package in the '98-'01 models?

 

Not at all, the level II is an agressive off road package with bfg ko tires, bilstien shocks and a torson lsd. Where as the plain off road package has a ford trac-loc clutch style lsd, with heavy duty shocks and AT tires, mostly goodyear I believe. The plain off road package became the FX4 in 03, but the FX4 level II is the mean one.

 

And thank god they put the BF Goodrich tires on it and not the the Goodyears.

 

Yeah, on my 09 FX4, I ordered all the level II stuff, torson, rancho shocks, chrome shifter and leather. However I couldn't get the BFG tires. I ended up buying a set of BFG AT KO's 265x75-16's, there 32"x10.50 in english conversion. So there an inch taller than the level II stockers, but on 16" rims. I've used BFG 's for years off road and really rate there performance and I love that agressive tread pattern for an AT tire.