Death wobble is strictly related to 05 and up trucks (trucks with COIL springs). Here's just one thread on the subject, but there are a lot more:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...th-wobble.html

Death wobble does not exist on leaf spring trucks. There are a TON of posts on the subject relating it to an uncontrollable ride after hitting bumps as well as freeway slabs due to their spaces.

Whether this is the same thing happening to your truck, I couldn't tell you. That would be up to you to compare and judge.

 

Well, I guess I stand corrected. The Death Wobble I recal was back in the day when I drove a F-450 Tow Truck in college. It was a 1990, and had front leaf springs. I guess Ford has been fighting this similar issue for some time now. Thanks for the info!

That being said this is still a different issue. There is zero feedback in my steering wheel (no front end shaking at all), this is purely in the back end of the truck bouncing agressively up and down (bucking).

 

First off the SD's inherently bounce. Second, your large tires and low air pressure will compound the problem. Your long bed as well only adds to all of this. Adding a quality shock like the bilsteins or other gas shock and ballast weight in the rear of the bed will also improve it. If you spend most of your time on the pavement switch to a smaller "E" rated tire. Face the fact you won't eliminate it as long as you own it.

 

+ 1 on the above. Imagine having monster truck size tires......bouncy, bouncy. Plus being higher up gives you the teetering effect as your truck gets into the rythm cycle. Things could be worse.

 

Sorry folks I am not ready to throw in the towel just yet. 35" tires, and a long bed truck should not be inducing this much unstability. This is not a monster truck with a simple 4 inch lift! If I gave up this easily in my professional career, I would be out of work.

Give me a little time, it will be resolved.

 

The problem lies with the stiff suspension components and the open C channel frame in the rear.

Unfortunately, if these trucks road smooth on these roads unloaded, they'd be bottoming out with any weight.

Also, I probably wouldn't delve into the leaf pack and take one leaf out. Consider replacing it with a leaf pack like Deaver.

-rockstate

 

Brian,
Unfortunately you are wrong about the death wobble. This inherently happens to the 05 and up coil spring trucks not the leaf trucks. What you describe in the quote i attached is more attributed to the death wobble not the typical 40-45 mph random bounce that also occurs. If your truck does in fact continue to violently or agressively shake (oscillate) "after" hitting the joints it is the "death wobble". Believe me i have spent countless hours researching this after going thru this experience. If it is in fact what i stated then proper alignment, confirming tight and unworn front end components as well as improved steering stabilizer and shocks will eliminate it.

 

Look guys all I am saying is that my trucks issue is not the dreaded "death Wobble". My truck does NOT "continue to violently or agressively shake (oscillate) "after" hitting the joints". The front end is smooth and secure to the road at all times. There is absolutely no shaking in the steering wheel, there is no loss of control of the vehicle. I appreaciate all the feedback, but I don't want to further confuse my issue with the DW.

This is a back end issue, I don't know how to say it any clearer than that. The back end is boucing up and down (agressively), while the front end runs solid and smooth. Roskstate45 seems to have a clearer understanding of what I am experiencing. All problems are solvable, just need to do enough research before simply dumping m

oney into them. I am at the data gathering stage right now.

 

I was only using that as an exageration example. Exageration examples are very useful in solving many problems. Every inch that you are higher up contributes the the harmonic rocking action due to the spacing of the freeway slabs here in CA, and every inch in diameter of tire contributes also. Just a matter of physics.

 

Thanks man, I actually don't drive a SD. I do drive a Tundra and they're far worse as they didn't engineer the frame to excel in this area. One guy welded in a plate where the frame rises from the cab to the bed (if you know what I'm talking about) and that helped it out a whole lot.

However, there are ways to cure the "bed bounce" as the Tundra folks call it. Change out the shocks, change out the leaf packs, and go to a passenger tire (unfortunately, they'll wear down exceedingly fast and wouldn't have near the load cap of a D or an E)

I hope this helps you out. Btw, it is caused by the wheelbase and the harmonics and waves and such (over my head). Basically, the spacing between the expansion joints wreak havoc with the wheelbase causing the wheels to hop. All this is exaggerated by the tires, shocks, and the stiff frame.

The Tundras are so bad that in my driver's mirror I can see my bed wiggling like a finger. I don't even drive the bad roads like in Cali.

-rockstate

 

Find a new highway to travel on? lol

 

Sorry, but you guys who have not experienced the bounce just don't get it. It is totally in the rear of the truck. Nothing about the front end. When you look in your rear view mirror you see your tail gate bouncing up and down about 4" like there is a jack hammer back there.

I've heard Ford experimented with a weight on the trailer hitch, or something like that. But that's hearsay.

Absolutely unrelated to death wobble.

I have no lift, no leveling kit, stock size and model tires. And I know exactly what Brian is experiencing.

I suspect a camper shell/cap would solve it too. But I did not want a shell. All it takes is a couple hundred pounds of weight in the back.

 

Hey, I am on board with the poster on this. This is not death wobble at all. I drive sections of the I10 out to Palm Springs, CA area in a F250 4x4 LBCC and the back end is crazily bouncing. No really, crazily is not an overstatement.

I usually look over at other drivers as they pass as I expect them to be shaking their head.

I have also stayed on the 6 of other trucks when I find them to see how bad there beds are going. Yes, there trucks of same make model jump around quite a bit also.

I literally thought I had a bent axle at first. Then I thought about loose leaf bushings, anti-roll bar bushings etc. All good.

P.S. I have since put Bilstein HO series and there really isn't much change.

So I was wondering if anyone has tried a replacement leaf pack like a Skyjacker Softride, or something even better like a National or a Deaver set up? I had a nice 10 or 11 leaf on an old wannabe desert truck and it ran very smooth.

 

Think physics. Stiffer+lighter+springy(tires)= bounce.

 

The problem isn't really a problem. When you take a truck that is built for hauling heavy loads and drive it around emty you are asking it to do something it was not built to do. if all roads were built correctly with the right equipment by a good contractor you wouldn't feel a thing. In Las Vegas we have several stretches of highway that will shake your teeth out, others are as smooth as silk. if the state would test the roads with a truck before the certify them and require the contractors to do thier job correctly this wouldn't even be an issue.I have spent alot of time over the years driving readymix trucks and tractor trailers on the roads around vegas and they all have the same problem when they are empty. I have been shock so hard in a mixer that the chutes have shaken off out from under the safty latches and dropped on the highway. I would alot rather put up with the shaking on the uneven roads than drive a lighter truck. If you don't need a F350 CC Fx4 long bed you might be better off with a lighter truck. My sons F250 SC long bed 2wd doesn't bounce hardly at all. I bought my truck knowing that it would bounce on some roads, but I like knowing I have a real truck under my hindend. when I have alittle load or a trailer on it drives the way it is supose to do.