My new (used) truck. Any tips or suggestions?

So, I finally got fed up with my '04 Tacoma and 4x8 trailer. Renting larger trucks when I needed them had become annoying as well. So, I did a basically even trade-in for a '98 F150 XLT 4.6l v8 with 200,000 miles on it. My toyota had almost 200,000 as well. The trailer I picked up is a single 3500lb axle 12x6 trailer with 6 foot sides all around. No brakes on the trailer. Yes, it looks like a circus animal rail car.

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First, I am not a car/truck guy. I can usually do whatever I need to after reading up, but my experience is very limited. So, what do you more experienced truck people have to say about what I got? Anything I should keep an eye or, or any suggested modifications? I have looked into possibly adding a trasmission oil cooler. This truck has an aftermarket tow bar installed.

Thanks for reading!

Ryan

Congrats on coming over to the Ford side. I have that exact truck except mine is green and is approaching 300,000mi. Did you just get this truck? If so, I make it a rule of thumb with any vehicles I buy to get a tune up(change oil, plugs, wires, etc..). Yours looks to be in really good condition for 200,000mi and that's good. You also have a really good engine/trans set up as they generally get 20-30mpg highway depending on what you're towing and what the ratio in the rear is. I was getting about 28mpg pulling a fully loaded UHaul behind an over-loaded pickup when I moved back here from TN. If you post your VIN I can decipher and tell you a bit more about your truck as I have a code book here specific to ford trucks.

As an example, the VIN on my truck is 2FTZX18W7WCA32589. 2FT means my truck was made in canada(and imported not by Ford). Z means my gvwr is between 5 and 6,000lbs. X18 means my truck's an F150 4WD Super Cab Styleside. W means the engine in my truck is the Romeo 4.6L V8. 7 is a check didget and is used for internal uses. W means my truck was manufactured in 1998, and C means my truck was manufactured at the Ontario plant. The A means that my truck is an A series truck(manufactured first). The numbers on the end means my truck was #32,589 to roll off the assembly line.



Thought I'd share my insight since I know this truck inside and out. That and the Aerostar but I don't think anyone on here owns one of them,
Matt

I would suggest a set of helper airbags but definitely not mandatory.

Do the laws in your state allow a 3500lb rated trailer without brakes? In my area you can't haul a trailer plus load totalling 1000 lbs without trailer brakes.

In any event, I would be VERY cautious when pulling any sort of significant load in that trailer without brakes on it. A 3500 lb trailer on a pickup that probably doesn't weigh much more than that....4000lbs? could give you the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog at times...

Pickup looks nice! I doubt you will regret trading for it!

What I normally do when getting a used vehicle is to (a) check the steering components, like tie rod ends, steering dampers, steering box for wear or looseness, (b) check all the brakes and wheel bearings, (c) change all the oils in the vehicle, (d) check the suspension wear parts for wear or looseness, and (e) check the driveshaft universal joints.

All the above items don't need to cost a lot because they are checks--only fix what is necessary. But if you do this you have a reasonable expectation of getting in the thing and not having something go really wrong, like suddenly finding you have no brakes. If you have a buddy who is pretty good with wrenches and is willing to help, so much the better (and cheaper!). Get a aftermarket service manual and a box or two of beer on a Saturday and have some fun!

The peace of mind this kind of monkeywrenching does for me is worth every hour of grease and busted knuckles!

You can't go too far wrong with a trans oil cooler; if you do that give your cooling system a flush at the same time.


Jon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sawmilleng

Do the laws in your state allow a 3500lb rated trailer without brakes? In my area you can't haul a trailer plus load totalling 1000 lbs without trailer brakes.

In any event, I would be VERY cautious when pulling any sort of significant load in that trailer without brakes on it. A 3500 lb trailer on a pickup that probably doesn't weigh much more than that....4000lbs? could give you the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog at times...

Pickup looks nice! I doubt you will regret trading for it!

What I normally do when getting a used vehicle is to (a) check the steering components, like tie rod ends, steering dampers, steering box for wear or looseness, (b) check all the brakes and wheel bearings, (c) change all the oils in the vehicle, (d) check the suspension wear parts for wear or looseness, and (e) check the driveshaft universal joints.

All the above items don't need to cost a lot because they are checks--only fix what is necessary. But if you do this you have a reasonable expectation of getting in the thing and not having something go really wrong, like suddenly finding you have no brakes. If you have a buddy who is pretty good with wrenches and is willing to help, so much the better (and cheaper!). Get a aftermarket service manual and a box or two of beer on a Saturday and have some fun!

The peace of mind this kind of monkeywrenching does for me is worth every hour of grease and busted knuckles!

You can't go too far wrong with a trans oil cooler; if you do that give your cooling system a flush at the same time.


Jon.

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If his truck's anything like mine it already has a trans cooler under the front bumper on the drivers side and weighs 5400lbs empty(the truck not the cooler), but the rest are good points.

I'd look into a cooler too if you're towing a lot. It's not crucial, though.

A lot of people here know that I'm a Chevrolet guy, but I've owned two Fords. I'll talk about my box van.

It was a 1997 E350, with the 5.4 Triton and the 4R100W transmission (Should be the same transmission as you). Keep in mind, this truck looked like this:
http://cimg.carsforsale.com/329306/C...CF041EE5_1.jpg

It not only hit the scales at 11,000# loaded, but it had a giant aerodynamic drag behind the cab. The transmission never had a cooler, and the truck was approaching 200k miles when it was done. I pulled the truck off the road for major rust issues. The transmission was perfectly fine.

The 5.4 Triton had enough power for that truck, but the nicest favor I could call it was "adequate". It wasn't going to win any races.

Your 4.6L V8 has 215hp from the factory. I've towed the weight that you're looking at with a Chevy 305. It's only rated for 170hp (45 less than what you have), and my truck has terrible gearing for towing. The Chevrolet will pull 4000# all day happily at 60MPH.

As for any used truck, have it checked out, and see how it does. I think you'll be fine, though.

well done , all you need now is some sort of monkey stuffed animal chained to the bars . I'd go donkey kong but I'm partial .
Nice truck , take care of it and it will serve you well .

Put scrap in it, take it to the scrap yard and return with money

http://image.truckinweb.com/f/tech/1...-rendering.jpg. a contractor rack, then you can get 3 fridges in the bed.

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Originally Posted by badkarma506

http://image.truckinweb.com/f/tech/1...-rendering.jpg. a contractor rack, then you can get 3 fridges in the bed.

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I was looking for one of those, can't locate a price or did you post it just cause. I supose a liftgate in place of the tailgate would work with loading/unloading bed stuff.

Those slider rails don't work too well. I used to load feed on them. If you put any sort of weight on them, they don't slide too well. They may have improved them- this was 10 years ago.

As for the racks, here's a tip:
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps09f99830.jpg

For $50-100, you can just build them yourself. The stake pockets on the side of your truck will accept a 2x2 if you widdle a little bit off. I've seen people cut down a 2x4 to fit, too, but that's more work.

I used 1x4 boards, but I wish I went for 2x3s or 2x4s. The 1's just flex too much for my comfort. Make a bolt system so the three sides attach separately, and it'll be a breeze to work with.

As you can see with my truck, I make use of that rack!

I'd highly recommend one.

Mat,

If you put some 2x2 cross-ties at to tops of the rear and mid point vertical stakes I'll bet it will stiffen up quite a bit. The only drawback is clearance for getting in the back and putting in tall stuff.

I've seen a truck where they used a chain across on the rear rack at the top and rings on each side that snap hooks on the chain clicked into. Then it is easily out of the way when you need access and goes back in place in a jiffy.

But what you built is quite serviceable!! And the price is right.

The steel ones are nice, but to DIY one you need a welder, a grinder, and the steel.

Jon.

I've since added diagonal slats. They do help. I have a partial one in the picture there, but the ones on there now meet at the center. They work well enough for that truck. If I could do it again, I'd make the thing come apart. I can take it on and off by myself, but as one piece, it's pretty heavy and awkward.

Mine have removable board across the back. The one that I'll build for our K3500 will have a hinged door on the back. That'll be nice!

I'm going to do everything beefier on our new 1 ton truck. If we get a gooseneck trailer to haul straw, I'd like to build something similar for it. Plus, it'll give me advertising space!
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps683d6fa2.jpg

For a setup like this, I could see the racks coming in handy. I've never been the best with ropes! ;)

For the OPs "clown trailer", I think signs could easily be attached to the sides.

I was in a pinch when I built those sides, and I've had them for over a year. They've more than paid for themselves.

I'd love metal ones, but the wood is a lot cheaper. Plus, I don't have a welder.

I highly recommend a rack, though. They are always so nice to have!

Sorry for the delay in replying, and thank you everyone.

logansryche - 20-30mpg? That's insane. What kind of setup do you have? I'm getting about 17. Also, there is a tiny tiny cooler for something (maybe the a/c I thought) in front of the bottom right corner of the radiator.
ThatTubaDude - I hadn't thought about airbags. What would be the difference between that and add a leaf other than being adjustable?
sawmilleng- Thank you very much for bringing that up. It's 1500lbs here in CA, so I was probably going over that even with my 4x8. Will have to look into brakes not only to comply, but for safety. Also, I like the idea of going through it myself. Not only will feel better, but will get to know the truck a lot more.
matador - I was thinking the truck should be ok with the weight too. The farthest I haul significant weight is *usually* 10 miles.
Metalbestos- What about a sign with "Giraffe Recycling" on the side, and some stuffed animals hanging from it?
spinroch - Should I return with the truck too?
badkarma506 - I have looked at those for my old toyota. Was consdering one of those, but also clamping 1x6s on the sides to create walls.
matador - I like the sides you made, and I also would like something easily removeable. Was thinking more like (if I don't get a lumber rack) of having steel bars fashioned for the posts.

10 miles. Piece of cake. Happy motoring!

The largest thing is to make the sides come apart. I didn't on my rack, and it's awkward to set up!

We have an Omaha Standard rack that my father bought in the 1980s. We've mounted it on 4 trucks; it's too modified to be very good any more. We've hauled hogs and cattle with it, though. These are the best pictures of it that I have:
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7d3f1423.jpg
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2c16e102.jpg
http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1ecff5ab.jpg

Those pictures are all from the same load. If you're really paying attention, you might know that the grey Chevy in the background is the same truck that's now green and white.

As you can kind of see, the sides go into the pockets, and the front bolts to the sides. The rear bolts to the sides. We drilled two holes in the back of the bed and added L-brackets. This was for jumping animals, though. The tailgate should hold it fine for what you're doing. That was one heck of a rack! If it can hold pigs that want to jump, it'll hold ferrous just fine.

The back gate slid up and down. There was a top piece that went on top of the door. With just me, I could have the full rack on and off a truck in 15 minutes... until it was modified. Then, it went downhill from there.

The Omaha standard rack was all tongue and groove 1" boards. It lasted us almost 30 years.

If you have the tools, I'd probably go for metal in the pockets, and boards for the sides. Since you're in the city, I'd go for 1" boards that touch, like the Omaha Standard rack did. Add a vertical cross-support for good measure, and you'll have a durable, lightweight rack.

You'll want slats above the cab top if you want any fuel economy whatsoever. otherwise, you've just built a box truck with an open top that will serve as an air brake. I made that on my old 1995 F150- it killed any level of performance or economy that was ever there. ;)

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Originally Posted by ryanw

Sorry for the delay in replying, and thank you everyone.

logansryche - 20-30mpg? That's insane. What kind of setup do you have? I'm getting about 17. Also, there is a tiny tiny cooler for something (maybe the a/c I thought) in front of the bottom right corner of the radiator.

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The cooler behind your front bumper is your transmission cooler and serves like the heat pipe on a computer to disperse heat. I'm not sure what my gearing or transmission is, but if I'd wager a guess I've got the E4OD which is really good on gas but if not maintained will lead to trouble later in the life of the transmission. I use to have a chart that specified what transmission and gear ratios you have based on the year, but yeah - I was averaging that coming back from TN highway driving. I'll admit I did overheat once on oil and once on lack of rad fluid on that trip but that was attempting to go uphill in an ice storm carrying alot of weight(I'd also been fighting ice and rain since KY).

I'll also admit that I don't have any pipes past the headers(was like that when I bought it) so if you're having power troubles at all, it might be worth replacing the catalytic converters and muffler. Also forgot to mention that when you go to do the tune up you don't have to get a cap and rotor as it's a distributor less system but I am told that the starter coils will burn themselves out after a certain mileage(like I said, I'm approaching 300k and mine haven't). I often think my truck has a mind of its own and has a kink of being used.

-Matt

Logan-

If you have the V8 (Either the 4.6 or the 5.4), you should have the E4OD. If I understand correctly, Ford called them the 4R100W, though. Don't bet the farm on it, though.

Yep looks like according to wiki, the 4R100 is a rebadge of the E4OD specific for 1998(probably to handle the size and torque of the 4.6). Ford lists 3 4-speed auto trans and 1 5-speed manual. I think Id personally opt for the manual transmission but this is coming from the person that was thankful to have dealer installed air in an 84 Explorer. Ford F-Series tenth generation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It depends on what you're doing.

I own a 1995 Flareside with the 300 and the manual (M5OD). That's the same manual that was used on the newer F150s. For towing, the ratios aren't the best. First gear is too high. It's not as stout as the ZF5 was (Used in the 250 and 350), but the M5OD is fine for daily driving.

For towing, though, you'd want the E4OD. If my truck had the auto, it would be rated to tow about 6000#. As it sits, it is only rated for 3000#.

Yep last time mine was on the scale empty, scale said 4550. I like the E4OD. It slips going up hills sometimes but that's another issue. I expect to see that od turn over 500,000 but I think that's wishful thinking(rest of the body'd fall apart before that I think lol). Sorry for the hijack Ryan.

-Matt