YankeeRebel777

1991 with a 351w. Basically I wanna know what do I need to do this and if it's worth the time and money.

PerryB

Not even close to practical. Actually its technically impossible. I don't care what mechanical mods/swaps you make, the door sticker dictates the legal load capacity of the truck. Even if you could somehow get the truck re-certified at a heavier rating, the cost of swapping components would exceed the value of the truck by a huge margin.

YankeeRebel777

So youre sayin I'm not able to swap axles, put on a heavier driveshaft, different front end, springs, and whatever else it would take??

Feathermerchant

How about a heavier frame? It all starts there. Then the axles, springs, master cylinder, wheels, tires...

YankeeRebel777

Okay. So it's not impossible just not legal lol. How would a person make a half ton heavier and bigger for easier towing without getting a whole different pickup?

ak_cowboy

Take your body off and put it onto a F250 frame and running gear.

The bigger trucks are engineered for higher towing and payload by the company. That includes the axles, suspension, transmission, cooling systems, and the frame.

Feathermerchant

Look at the construction of a 1/2 ton axle:
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...ch/diagram.gif

VS a 3/4 ton axle:
http://www.fordification.com/tech/im...llFloating.jpg

The construction is totally different.

You can change/add springs to make it stiffer. You may be able to find a heavier duty axle. But you cannot change the frame so you are limited.

jkenprice1

If you do try it, get a donor truck so you have all the parts

PerryB

You can do anything you like, assuming time and money are no factor. Over the years I've launched into a few endeavors where I blew WAY more money and effort on a project than it was worth, and ended up with something I couldn't begin to get anything back out of investment wise. If you have particular reasons for doing this, have at it. Its just not going to pencil out in the dollar department. Could be a fun project though.

suprathepeg

I've had 1/2 tons and 3/4 ton trucks. If you are pulling heavy all the time a 3/4-1 ton is the way to go. If you are pulling well within the 1/2ton range on a regular basis or pulling near the max of your 1/2 ton rating rarely then get air bags for the rear to compensate for the sag.

The super duty setups are amazing for doing heavy work but if you're like me and never really push that limit often then the cost and ride of a 1/2 ton are hard to beat. I love my F250 when I'm towing heavy (maybe 4-5 times a year) but I really prefer the 1/2 ton at any other time of year. The ride and simplicity are so much better. The lesson learned for me is the heavy running gear is only worth the money and discomfort if you need it.

As a side note my F250 is a really nice ride with 2 tons of gravel in the bed.