1985 F350 single wheel 4x4 Lariat 460 w/GVOD

[Nothing Special]

It wasn't meant as a you-should-have-known-that. Just trying to answer the question definitively.

Personally, I wouldn't buy an F250 4x4 nor an F350 4x4 earlier than 1986. Having witnessed the huge difference in the ride when going from the leaf-sprung TTB to the leaf-sprung monobeam I don't want to ever go back.

I've mentioned this before, but I had an '85 F-250HD standard cab long bed with a 351. I agree with you, Gary, about the ride of that truck.

Now I have a '97 F-250HD crew cab short bed with a 460. This truck rides pretty well. It's no Lincoln, but it rides well enough that I'd prefer this over having the extra ride height required by the solid Dana 60.

I don't know if it's 10 years more development (I doubt it, they look pretty much the same), the added wheelbase of a crew cab short bed over a standard cab long bed, the added weight of a 460 (but Big Blue had that when he had the TTB) or what the difference is. But it's a pretty big difference.

[Gary Lewis]

I've mentioned this before, but I had an '85 F-250HD standard cab long bed with a 351. I agree with you, Gary, about the ride of that truck.

Now I have a '97 F-250HD crew cab short bed with a 460. This truck rides pretty well. It's no Lincoln, but it rides well enough that I'd prefer this over having the extra ride height required by the solid Dana 60.

I don't know if it's 10 years more development (I doubt it, they look pretty much the same), the added wheelbase of a crew cab short bed over a standard cab long bed, the added weight of a 460 (but Big Blue had that when he had the TTB) or what the difference is. But it's a pretty big difference.

My SiL drove Big Blue the other day and he was very pleasantly surprised by the ride. And my brother raves about the difference the D60 RSK made. I'm sold, no more TTB and leaf springs for me. However, the later solid axles and coil springs are probably even better!

[Nothing Special]

My SiL drove Big Blue the other day and he was very pleasantly surprised by the ride. And my brother raves about the difference the D60 RSK made. I'm sold, no more TTB and leaf springs for me. However, the later solid axles and coil springs are probably even better!

I also had an '08 F-250 crew cab short bed with a 5.4L and an '02 F-350 crew cab short bed with a 7.3L diesel.

The '08 was definitely the best riding truck I've had (one of the few things I'll say good about it).

I wouldn't say that the '02 diesel rode any better than my '97. It was softer, but it wallowed.

As I mentioned, ride height is a big factor for me. I like that I can reach in through the topper windows and reach the floor of the bed of my '97. And my wife and my 89 year old dad really don't want it to be any taller than it is. I'm not trying to talk you back into a TTB, but I do really like the one I have now.

[Gary Lewis]

I also had an '08 F-250 crew cab short bed with a 5.4L and an '02 F-350 crew cab short bed with a 7.3L diesel.

The '08 was definitely the best riding truck I've had (one of the few things I'll say good about it).

I wouldn't say that the '02 diesel rode any better than my '97. It was softer, but it wallowed.

As I mentioned, ride height is a big factor for me. I like that I can reach in through the topper windows and reach the floor of the bed of my '97. And my wife and my 89 year old dad really don't want it to be any taller than it is. I'm not trying to talk you back into a TTB, but I do really like the one I have now.

Are those leaf or coil-sprung TTB’s? Surely coil as I can’t imagine how a leaf spring would work well on a TTB.

[grumpin]

It wasn't meant as a you-should-have-known-that. Just trying to answer the question definitively.

Personally, I wouldn't buy an F250 4x4 nor an F350 4x4 earlier than 1986. Having witnessed the huge difference in the ride when going from the leaf-sprung TTB to the leaf-sprung monobeam I don't want to ever go back.

Oh no, not taken that way, and a nod to all the info here. I like my truck, but when I learned that the F350’s had a straight axle and rode better, I thought cool! Just assumed that was all years for some reason.

[Gary Lewis]

It wasn't meant as a you-should-have-known-that. Just trying to answer the question definitively.

Personally, I wouldn't buy an F250 4x4 nor an F350 4x4 earlier than 1986. Having witnessed the huge difference in the ride when going from the leaf-sprung TTB to the leaf-sprung monobeam I don't want to ever go back.

Oh no, not taken that way, and a nod to all the info here. I like my truck, but when I learned that the F350’s had a straight axle and rode better, I thought cool! Just assumed that was all years for some reason.

I think most people think that all of the F350's had straight axles. I did until not too long ago.

And I don't know that the 1986 F350 rides dramatically better than a similar 1986 F250, like Big Blue did after his transformation. I just don't know how much of the difference is the straight axle or the 6" longer SuperDuty springs, or the reversed-shackle kit. But the combo went from bone-jarring to comfortable, and 2" of articulation to 8".

[Nothing Special]

Are those leaf or coil-sprung TTB’s? Surely coil as I can’t imagine how a leaf spring would work well on a TTB.

The '85 that rode like Big Blue used to was a leaf spring TTB. The '97 that I think rides pretty well is also a leaf spring TTB. I don't know what, if any, changes were made to the leaf spring TTB between 1985 and 1997. It looks pretty much the same (well, the '85 had a D44HD and the '97 has a D50, but I doubt that affects the ride significantly). And I don't know how it works well, but it seems to work well enough.

I think the '08 that had the best ride of any of my trucks was coil springs, and definitely a solid axle. And the '02 that wallowed was leaf springs and a solid axle (but it's not like it was too soft, it was still sort of harsh on the jarring kind of bumps).

[grumpin]

I think most people think that all of the F350's had straight axles. I did until not too long ago.

And I don't know that the 1986 F350 rides dramatically better than a similar 1986 F250, like Big Blue did after his transformation. I just don't know how much of the difference is the straight axle or the 6" longer SuperDuty springs, or the reversed-shackle kit. But the combo went from bone-jarring to comfortable, and 2" of articulation to 8".

And I didn’t think my F250 rode all that bad, then with new shocks, it rides better and quieter, the shock mounts were wore enough that I thought something else was worn on the front end.