Question: I have a 1995 F-25o 4×4. The truck has a snow plow mounted on it. I failed the safety inspection because the front end was sagging too much and the wheels were pointing like / . It was not that extreme, but you get the picture. I called a spring shop, and told them of the situation, and they recommended that I go with a heaiver spring, from a one ton pickup. They said that because of the weight of the plow, I could be in the same situation in a year or two.
I took their advice, and upgraded to the one ton springs. They aapear the same as the standard arping that I took off, except that they have a metal block on the bottom of the leaf.
I put them on the rreuck, and it definatly does not sag anymore. Now the wheesl point in the opposite direction, /. Again, not that extreme, but you get the point. The tires did not show any signs of wear, and they have been in that postition for 7000 miles.
The leaning wheels are not all that bad, but in close inspection, I can see that they are not straight. The truck drives fine, and the steering wheel is centered. I am guessing that I need an alignment now, but am unsure how this truck can be aligned. The only adjustments that I see on the front end are the tie rod ends. Can the tie rod ends be adjusted enough to straighten out the wheels?
I just am unsure how this truck can be aligned.

Answer: I’ve notice that on a lot of Fords but just thought it was the way it was built. If you watch a ford truck or van go over some bumps or rail road tracks, you can see the wheels move back and forth like what your talking about. i’m not sure if your f-250 has the same suspension design as my 83 bronco…. probably not, but the fix might be the same. i had an alignment shop replace the bushings on the upper ball joints to fix the camber. that’s the / angle you’re talking about. you can also buy adjustable bushings which might be better for you since you have a plow some of the year and are without the rest of the year. there is a place in california that sells the adjustable ones. their website is: http://www.4wheelparts.com/ i bought a set of them from there for about $30 per side. the alignment shop recommended against them because they change the caster also. if you talk to a good alignment shop (one that specializes in alignments… not sears or comparable) they can point you in the right direction. my tires showed uneven wear after about 10,000 miles. money well spent as far as i can see. good luck…. It’s part of the TTB curse, there is no relation between the geometry of the “scissors” axle assy and the “Y” steering linkage. In stock form all you can do is to align it at whatever the current ride height is.
The Superlift steering linkage is supposed to a good replacement, more so for an F250. The geometry still doesn’t match, but it’s closer. i am an ASE certified front end tech and ive handled this problem alot. yes there is a fix. you do have to purchase the upper alinment bushings(which any good alingment shop will have in stock). they correct camber as wel as caster. caster isnt a tire wear angle but it afeccts the way the truck handles. if you dont have the correct caster setting you will get alot f wandering. changing the springs more than likely put your toe setting way off. i have seen brand new tires completely bald after just 5000 miles with a real bad toe angle. i suggest you take it as soon as possible to a reputable shop and get a good alignment done.

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