Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

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Traveler II
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Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Traveler II »

OK, maybe I should have stayed with Chevy. My dealer told me I needed to drive my new truck 1,000 miles before I towed with it. Yesterday I hit the mark and today I hooked up the trailer for a test drive. All was great, but I did feel a vibration on takeoff from a dead stop that I had not felt before.

I took it to my dealer and they said that they have run into this before and were familiar with the problem. Said the load changed the angle of the drive shaft and that the first step was to add slims. I said first step, it seem that slims do not always help, and in fact might make it worse, we’re hoping for the best. The truck dropped about 3" when hooked up and the trailer was level. The ride was great and I didn't think I would need to add air bags.

We’re heading out the first of October for 6-7 months on a trip that will take us from Minnesota to both coastlines with some exploring in-between, sure hope its right by then.
Jim & Jane
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by snoking »

Seems to be a problem with long wheel base trucks with two piece drive lines. They will need the truck and trailer to slim it correctly, and your help!!! Chris
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Randyman »

Jim that's called axle wrap and it is a known issue with today's trucks having a little softer spring for a smoother ride. My 08 F250 did it and I took it in to the Ford dealership and they said they could adjust the pinion angle to help it for take off but I might experience it at a different speed when the truck was not towing. I opted to leave it alone and just take off as easy as I could. I was reading on some Ford forums and found Super Springs. They are an extra leaf spring and are a piece of cake to install. I bought them and installed them in a matter of a half hour and what a difference. Made my F250 like an F350. When I traded to my current 12 F350 I didn't need them as it was sprung heavy enough that it didn't squat the truck as much in order to change the pinion angle. I see you have a F350 already so you might be carrying a little more pin than I am or it has to do with the added length of your truck because mine is a short box. Unless you add something like the Super Springs I wouldn't change the pinion angle as you might find you have the vibration at a different speed or when you are not towing. I'm not a fan of the air springs so that is why I opted for the other. You can google Super Springs and see a video of how they work and what they do. Randy
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Samsbird »

The air bags will take care of the vibration on takeoff, did for me. Same rig as you have.
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Mike Clay »

All of my trucks (Dodge and Chevy) have had axle wrap with the exception of this new truck. I was really surprised when I took off for the first time and did not have any shudder after all these years.

Be careful with letting them add shims Jim. It will smooth it out while your trailer is hooked up but then you will have the shudder when empty. Yes air bags will help take away the shudder just like adding fresh water in my last trailer did to take some weight off the pin.
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Traveler II »

The Ford dealer told me I might have a problem empty, I'm going to try it and see how it rides, if I don't like them they will remove them. He said air bags work 80% of the time and quoted me a price of $1,000 to put them on. :(( :((
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by snoking »

A few years back, well maybe quite a few, the Dodge boys fashioned traction bars from the spring plate to the frame forward of the front spring hanger to stop axle wrap up. With the early GM Duramax's they replace the two piece drive line on some models with an aluminum one piece drive line. Buddies was a long box extended cab.

Attempts to provide smooth riding empty trucks cases many other problems. The problem would be a lot worst without the torque limiting they invoke at low speeds. Chris
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by bop11 »

I put air bags on my truck and really liked the ride. It took the axle wrap away and eliminated that extra bounce you get when going over a bridge approach at 60mph, but I also scraped my both sides of my bed rails before I noticed it :cry:

So needless to say I now run them at about 5# and will still scrub off a little more Rino lining every now and then. The camper runs down the rode level so I hate to mess with the hitch. I just take off easy and expect the shudder if I get on it a little hard from a dead stop.
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by watkinsk »

WoW, $1000 to put airbags on the truck???? I bought some Firestone Airbags. I gave about $325 on sale at AutoAnything.Com. I am not a mechanical wizard but got them installed myself, without a lift, in about 3.5 hours. No drilling is required but I did bust a knuckle breaking a bolt loose. The manual says 2 hours but I guess crawling around on the ground without a creeper was slower than projected!. I am a big fan of the airbags.

BTW, on my 2012 Ford F350 Shortbed i did not have the shudder you talk about.
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by teallen »

Randyman wrote:Jim that's called axle wrap and it is a known issue with today's trucks having a little softer spring for a smoother ride. My 08 F250 did it and I took it in to the Ford dealership and they said they could adjust the pinion angle to help it for take off but I might experience it at a different speed when the truck was not towing. I opted to leave it alone and just take off as easy as I could. I was reading on some Ford forums and found Super Springs. They are an extra leaf spring and are a piece of cake to install. I bought them and installed them in a matter of a half hour and what a difference. Made my F250 like an F350. When I traded to my current 12 F350 I didn't need them as it was sprung heavy enough that it didn't squat the truck as much in order to change the pinion angle. I see you have a F350 already so you might be carrying a little more pin than I am or it has to do with the added length of your truck because mine is a short box. Unless you add something like the Super Springs I wouldn't change the pinion angle as you might find you have the vibration at a different speed or when you are not towing. I'm not a fan of the air springs so that is why I opted for the other. You can google Super Springs and see a video of how they work and what they do. Randy
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by jacknife »

I have the same thimg pn my new Ram. My 06 had really bad axle wrap and my son fabricated a pair of traction bars for the rear axle. They worked great! You could hammer it from a dead stop and head into a turn an it would just go no slip, no wrap just power to the ground. I never had a vibration or shudder when pulling the trl from a dead stop. So l may ask hi :d m to make me another pair.
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Traveler II »

I'm the OP and it's been a year since I posted this. We still have the vibration and to be honest I've got so use to it I forgot about it, but like I said its still there.
Jim & Jane
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Rob & Cathy »

Ditto Jim, I did install air bags this Summer and raised the truck about an inch higher and the vibration went away. Seems to be the drive shaft angle.

Rob
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Re: Ford 350 Vibration On Takeoff with Trailer

Post by Mike Clay »

My dually is the first truck I have owned that does not have axle wrap.
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