Will dual steering stabilizers help the "hunt"?

Sbriggs · Aug 18, 2018

oh diddnt notice the age of your truck earlier, not sure if this issue applies to old strokers. its hard to troubleshoot from the couch.

JCart · Aug 19, 2018

chaselee said:
I do k ow that it has tie rod roll, when you turn the wheel back and forth. I've been reading that this could be a contributor...

I’ve clocked the tire rod ends to limit roll on one of my trucks and as I recall it did make a difference in as far as limiting the roll, tightened up the steering minor amount. Your best results are as I’ve noted above, check the mid steering shaft play and the steering box play. Having owned 4 of these trucks now and all of them I’ve done an RSK with SD springs, bigger tires, majority of steering play is what I just mentioned.

If you’ve done the above with minor improvements then check the tightness of the track bar ends, which track bar and RSK are you using?

j

chaselee · Aug 19, 2018

No rsk yet. I'm running a 4" rough country lift.

chaselee · Aug 20, 2018

JCart said:
I’ve clocked the tire rod ends to limit roll on one of my trucks and as I recall it did make a difference in as far as limiting the roll, tightened up the steering minor amount. Your best results are as I’ve noted above, check the mid steering shaft play and the steering box play. Having owned 4 of these trucks now and all of them I’ve done an RSK with SD springs, bigger tires, majority of steering play is what I just mentioned.

If you’ve done the above with minor improvements then check the tightness of the track bar ends, which track bar and RSK are you using?

j

Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm not sure what you mean by mid steering shaft. Thank you.

JCart · Aug 21, 2018

chaselee said:
No rsk yet. I'm running a 4" rough country lift.

Oh ok chaselee I see. Your upper inframe front Shackle bushings might be worn, you need to check them and replace with poly ones. Your truck will always handle and steer poorly with the stock shackles at the front of the springs. As you steer the truck, this effort works against the in frame shackles and as noted they are too narrow to handle steering inputs especially with big tires and off set wheels. The inframe ones (up inside frame rails) are narrow and are prone to wearing out fast due to their design. If you plan to keep your truck I’d suggest a Precision Metal Fabrications (PMF) bolt on Shackle Reversal Kit, with SD springs. Also install F350 stock anti sway bars front and rear. You’ll be pleased with the way it rides and drives for sure. Stock V code SD front springs work great PMF SRK is a quality kit and is bolt on, you are well over 1/2 there now with a D60.

Cheers jrc

JCart · Aug 21, 2018

chaselee said:
Please excuse my ignorance, but I'm not sure what you mean by mid steering shaft. Thank you.

My bad for not explaining..... mid steering shaft connects the steering column inside cab (through cab) and to steering box. So you’ll see the mid steering shaft as soon as you open hood and look below brake booster. You’ll see it has a slip joint where it can lengthen and shorten along its length, gab at this point and wiggle laterally there should be no play (but I’m thinking there will be). Next rotate as if you were steering the truck engine off key out of ignition, there should be no play (again there will be I’m thinking).

Ok to fix... ideally purchase Borgeson mid shaft and toss the stock one, it’s a poor design and prone to sloppy steering. Short term you can reshape the groves in the slip part of the joint on the stock one by using a chisel and hammer to reshape the grove and it will tighten somewhat, but it’s a short term fix, you’ll need to pull off truck for this. Undo inside cab and at steering box, collapse to get off truck, reshape and re instal. Replacing with above noted is the ticket. The Borgeson is pricey, but well worth the cost MO it’s a quality piece and rebuildable.

Steering box can be adjusted to remove some of the play, just be careful to not over tighten the box. Too tight and steering wheel will not auto recenter after driving around a corner. A Red Head or Blue top are proported to be top drawer steering boxes, it’s on my list.... just down a ways.

Just did a PMF SRK (3.5” lift) on my Tan White Tan truck with a D60 swap V codes SD springs, anti sways front and rear along with Borgeson. Have stock springs in rear, plan is to install late model SD 2011+ on the rear as they are way longer and ride awesome and I’ll leave my air bags to level it up. It handles and rides remarkably better then stock.

Cheers,
jrc

chaselee · Aug 21, 2018

Thanks for the awesome info guys! Jcart, do you have a pic of your truck? I'm def going to do a rsk in the short term, I'm just not sure which one to go with to keep the height I've got now. When I installed the d60 and 4" lift it raised my truck roughly 6" over the stock f250 stance. So I'm not sure which rsk would keep me there.

chaselee · Aug 21, 2018

Also, have any of you guys done newer model sd rear springs? If so how does it compare? And what is all needed to make them fit? Do they just bolt in or are their mods that need to be done? Thanks and sorry for all the questions...

JCart · Aug 21, 2018

chaselee said:
Thanks for the awesome info guys! Jcart, do you have a pic of your truck? I'm def going to do a rsk in the short term, I'm just not sure which one to go with to keep the height I've got now. When I installed the d60 and 4" lift it raised my truck roughly 6" over the stock f250 stance. So I'm not sure which rsk would keep me there.

I sure can not at home right now (should be by early next week) and I don’t have a current one with it empty only with my Honda Pioneer 500 UTV on the back of it. I’ll try and get my son to shoot a pix of his truck and measure both as we’ve completed RSK this last winter. He did Sky and I did PMF, both are good systems, I ordered a receiver on mine with tow loops, excellent fit and I’d say more robust. I’m currently running 37x12.5Rx17 Toyos on Method (Bronze coloured) rims don’t remember off set on them. If you look in my link I think I have a photoshop which is pretty close to what it looks like now. It’s the Tan White Tan truck.

j

JCart · Aug 21, 2018

chaselee said:
Also, have any of you guys done newer model sd rear springs? If so how does it compare? And what is all needed to make them fit? Do they just bolt in or are their mods that need to be done? Thanks and sorry for all the questions...

What I’ve read is you use the stock rear hanger and bolt/move the front hanger forward. Spring length is 8” longer than stock (2000 series SD springs) which are longer than stock OBS springs.

I’ve done B code SD rears (2003 series) on my Red 97 4by4 CCSB with V code SD fronts same (2003 series), D60 and RSK. Rides awesome and handles wickedly. Anti sways all corners with air bag on rear to level up.

Hope this helps,

j

chaselee · Aug 21, 2018

JCart said:
What I’ve read is you use the stock rear hanger and bolt/move the front hanger forward. Spring length is 8” longer than stock (2000 series SD springs) which are longer than stock OBS springs.

I’ve done B code SD rears (2003 series) on my Red 97 4by4 CCSB with V code SD fronts same (2003 series), D60 and RSK. Rides awesome and handles wickedly. Anti sways all corners with air bag on rear to level up.

Hope this helps,

j

When you say 2003 series. Is that the year they came out of?

JCart · Aug 21, 2018

Would actually be Super Duty 99.5 and later leaf springs to the coil front end that I think was 2005. Mine happened to come out of a 2003 Model year truck apologies for the confusion. The V code front springs are 5200lb rated springs and ride nice I think. There is a list of #s that x reference the spring ratings to markings on springs. The easiest (and least cost), is if you get them from a wreckers as the rating will be in the door jam. Or buy new from Ford, I went used and have not been disappointed so far.

I think the spring list is on PSN in a sticky, I’ll try to track it down. I’m not sure with the late SD springs I think it’s the 2008 Model year and newer for rear springs.