Ford F834 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Serious. I haven't found the actual weight again, like I did last week, but I do remember seeing that. However, go to the 1983 dealer facts book, turn to the Vehicles and then the F-Series 4x2 tabs and scroll down to Page 16. Note that the payload for the 4700 GVW trucks is 1430 lbs for a Flareside and 1460 lbs for a Syleside. Wow... that surprises me too... having pulled one of each at the junkyard it sure didn’t seem that way to me, but that is perception not science. Pulled a couple years apart etc., maybe the flareside just seems lighter because there are so many more places to grab hold of it and get a good grip to lift it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Wow... that surprises me too... having pulled one of each at the junkyard it sure didn’t seem that way to me, but that is perception not science. Pulled a couple years apart etc., maybe the flareside just seems lighter because there are so many more places to grab hold of it and get a good grip to lift it. A friend of mine and I carried an 8’ Styleside bed from in front of the shop to behind the shop several years ago. I’d guess I was 65 at the time, and it wasn’t all that bad. I’d guess that the Flareside bed’s weight comes from the wood floor. So maybe they’ve rotted away by the time they get to the salvage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 A friend of mine and I carried an 8’ Styleside bed from in front of the shop to behind the shop several years ago. I’d guess I was 65 at the time, and it wasn’t all that bad. I’d guess that the Flareside bed’s weight comes from the wood floor. So maybe they’ve rotted away by the time they get to the salvage? Mine had soggy rotten wood in it when I pulled it. I threw out the plywood sheet that was put in to strengthen it, but the factory marine plywood was still there. I had to pull it and get it out to the aisle by myself, then the salvage yard guys brought it up front with a forklift. When I pulled my short styleside bed, it was actually during Jan’s visit and he helped me pull it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 It looks like a jacked up 2wd no? Can you tell? I know nothing about desert race trucks...but it doesn't look like it has 4x4 hubs up front. Back in the day class 8 (full size 2WD trucks) were the fastest truck class (motorcycles and buggies could beat them). Ford was probably the most popular platform, with the twin I beam suspension being tough with lots of potential for wheel travel. Now-days the Trophy Trucks are the fastest truck class (and can frequently beat bikes and buggies I think). And they are usually 2WD with twin I beam suspension too! 2WD has less unsprung weight, so they can run huge wheel travel (relatively speaking back in the day) and run at higher speeds than they could with a front drive axle. 4WD can be helpful in the deep silt beds they run into at times, but big tires, big horsepower and big speed will get them through too, so that tends to be the hot ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted December 17, 2018 Author Share Posted December 17, 2018 Back in the day class 8 (full size 2WD trucks) were the fastest truck class (motorcycles and buggies could beat them). Ford was probably the most popular platform, with the twin I beam suspension being tough with lots of potential for wheel travel. Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Back in the day class 8 (full size 2WD trucks) were the fastest truck class (motorcycles and buggies could beat them). Ford was probably the most popular platform, with the twin I beam suspension being tough with lots of potential for wheel travel. Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... That is a cool shot! I wonder how hard the landing was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... I didn't say they ran stock twin I beam. In fact, I pointed out that the twin I beam had lots of potential for wheel travel. Now what it took to unlock that potential... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... I didn't say they ran stock twin I beam. In fact, I pointed out that the twin I beam had lots of potential for wheel travel. Now what it took to unlock that potential... Soft springs would be one part of that. Something Big Blue certainly doesn't have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Here's a cool twin I beam travel shot...although that's not likely a stock set-up, is it... I didn't say they ran stock twin I beam. In fact, I pointed out that the twin I beam had lots of potential for wheel travel. Now what it took to unlock that potential... Actually the Twin Traction Beam suspension is a popular base for building go-fast 4WDs too (but not with leaf springs). Below is a link to a massive (81 page long) thread I read through a few years ago. It's on GoFastBroncos.com (yes, there's a forum just for that) but it's an '82 F-250 built into a sleeper / prerunner. At places in the thread there were videos showing it going down desert trails WAY faster than I'd ever think an '82 F250 4WD would go! Kinda made me wish I lived in the southwest so I'd have an excuse to have one! http://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=864 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Actually the Twin Traction Beam suspension is a popular base for building go-fast 4WDs too (but not with leaf springs). Below is a link to a massive (81 page long) thread I read through a few years ago. It's on GoFastBroncos.com (yes, there's a forum just for that) but it's an '82 F-250 built into a sleeper / prerunner. At places in the thread there were videos showing it going down desert trails WAY faster than I'd ever think an '82 F250 4WD would go! Kinda made me wish I lived in the southwest so I'd have an excuse to have one! http://www.gofastbroncos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=864 Man, they've got some serious stuff in there! The length of the coilovers is amazing, so the travel must be amazing as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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