2008 F250 Build

ktn00000

Observer
My goal is to build an off road capable rig that is equipped to be self-sustaining in the backcountry for ten days at a time.

Off road is a term that means many different things to many different people. For some, it means a dirt forest service road. For others, it is across Africa with no roads at all.

My standard for the build is a rig that will be able to complete Taylor Pass, Mosquito Pass, Georgia Pass, and Glacier Ridge here in Colorado (as examples). The obstacle I am building for is a truck that will be able to haul itself and 2000 pounds of camper and gear out of the creek and up the hill on Taylor Pass without any drama (if you are familiar with that trail then you know exactly the obstacle I am referring to).

My other standard for the build is that we like going out year round, so it has to be four season capable and that includes snow (and snow on mountain trails) at elevations of 10,000 feet or so year round. It has to be able to get through snow and get itself out as well as being able to camp in that environment.
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In mid-November 2010 I purchased a 2008 F250 4x4 with 8600 miles on it. I had been looking since August for an F250 with the gas engine/manual transmission/4.10's combo.

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This was a farm truck in New Mexico. Very stripped. I added cruise control when I bought it and an XM radio set up the first week.

As a platform to build on, I think this will be excellent. Great axles, great gears, 64.57:1 crawl ratio right out of the box.

5.4 V8, advertised as 300 HP and 365 Ft/Lbs of torque. Plenty of power for someone old enough to remember and own F250's that had half that horsepower.

2800 Lb payload
Tows 12,500

Not a lot of electronics or power this or that to go wrong.

I do like the integrated brake controller!

We spend a lot of time in our rig. My trucks and Jeeps have typically seen off road four wheel drive at least once a week all year long. Have been to 48 states, Canada and Mexico.

This needs to be reliable and capable.

I don't have high hopes for great articulation on the F250; I don't intend to sacrifice strength and reliability and I do have a budget. Traction, clearance and gears are what I will have to play to in doing this.

My intent with this thread is to document the build, solicit feedback, ask questions of those who have been there before and share what ever I learn. I am anticipating this to take me two years to get the rig to where I want it to be and do all I wish it to do. But, you all know how this goes, could be longer.

First items to take care of are skid plates and a winch. These items and new tires are the requirement for even basic off road adventure here in Colorado.

Off we go...
 
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ktn00000

Observer
First item up was to find a winch. I had only ever owned Warn winches and they have always performed flawlessly for me. However, the Warn winches in the 12K to 16K range an F250 with a camper would require are running $1500-$2K. Stiff.

Next choice: Tabor. Did some research, probably not ideal for a lot of technical winching but that was not my intent. My intent is getting unstuck and helping others get unstuck. The Tabor seems to be quite good at that and I felt pretty comfortable as the 'value' line of Warn.

Next up, how to mount it? More research and ended up with the basic Warn Transformer (Yeah Warn again. I am very loyal to products and companies which have served me well).

Here is the result:

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ktn00000

Observer
Next up: skid plates.

This truck came with zero skid plates, not even the gas tank.

Nada, nothing in the way of protection on this truck:

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Again, research research.

Remarkably, Warn (there I go again) makes a front skid plate and a transmission/transfer case/oil pan skid plate for the '08-'10 Super Duty.

Amazing.

So, I ordered them. The front skid plate arrived first, so here it is installed
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I also took the opportunity to remove the airdam under the front bumper, much improved angles now.

The transmission/transfer case/oil pan skid plate should be here next week.

As for the gas tank, the only option I can find is from Ford. Unfortunately, it is composite as opposed to steel for the Warn skid plates. $229.93 from Ford with all the hardware. I will try to get that done by the end of January.
 
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ktn00000

Observer
When I bought the truck the last thing I thought would be difficult to find would be tires.

Tires for this are hard. I have a 17 inch rim with 245/75-17 Conti's on there now. Completely unsuitable for what I intend to do.

Here is what I have discovered:

Load Range E tires for a 17 inch rim taller than 33 inches are very hard to find.

I need the E. I do not want to settle for a D and give away the payload and towing capabilities this truck offers and that I use.

I can get a BFG MT 255/80-17 that is 33.3 inches tall. That is the tallest tire in an E on a 17 inch rim that is a brand I trust.

I have bought nothing but BFG MT's for trucks and Jeeps for twenty years (Like with Warn, I am a very loyal customer to products and companies that perform to expectations and absolutely refuse to break even when they have every right to).

I am not all that interested in Toyo and Cooper. I have never owned them but folks in the local Jeep club I sometimes wheel with tell me the sidewalls shred on rocks on some of the very trails I intend to ride.

Superswamper does have a 17 inch Load Range E 35. It starts at about $350 a tire. Gotta think on this. Never owned a Superswamper but I do know it is a quality tire that will hold up to where I will be going. $350 a pop for five is a lot of cotton though.

Thoughts?

Once again, I would like to get it done by the end of January. Would like to have the rig ready to hit its' first snowy trails in February.
 
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ktn00000

Observer
Skid plates, winch, tires.

The basics are in sight.

The future additions I intend to make are

ARB's front and rear
RS9000's
Diff Guards
A couple of very good off road lights on the front
Replace the 650 CCA battery with something in the 900 CCA range
Maybe acquire the rest of the Transformer pieces
CB
Chains

The big item: a pop up camper which is off road capable

Been shopping online, reading reviews and complaints, soliciting feedback

Have it narrowed down to Hallmark, Phoenix, ATC and Four Wheel.

This will probably be the final piece of the build, both due to cost and the practicality of getting the truck complete first.
 
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mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
16 inch rim fit?

Will a 16 inch stock rim fit over your brakes? If so, I would compare prices of the size tire you want in 16 inches too...

Nice find on the truck...
 

ktn00000

Observer
Actually, going to 18 inch rims really opens up the options for Load Range E in a 35 inch tire. ******** Cepek and Mickey Thompson both offer Load Range E 35's on an 18 inch rim.

Then again, those tires run $350-$500 a tire plus the $700 or so for 5 new rims. The BFG MT's in 255/80-17 run about $200 a tire.

BFG does not make a Load Range E in a 16 inch rim any taller than 33 inches either. 33 is the tallest Load Range E tire BFG makes regardless of rim size.

Have to think about what I get for the extra $1300 it would run me to go the the Cepeks, Mickey T's or Superswampers. The extra inch would be nice and the extra width would be nice but like I said, that is a lot of money.

The truck was a nice find, I am in Colorado and it was in New Mexico hauling alfalfa around a ranch at 14 MPH for three years. I looked hard at everything in a 500 mile range for three months.
 
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have you considered leaving the battery at 650, junk yard shopping for the pieces to add a second battery. lots of super dutys with dual battery setups.
as far as the cb, and i don't want to get into the legal issues and all the other crap, look at a general lee. good ears, ability to be modded very easily to increase range. second would be a uniden 78 with weather bands. can also be tuned but not as good at receive, imho. johnny
 

trailsurfer

Explorer
What has been you experience with the performance of the BFG MT's in the snow? I have been thinking of adding them to a similar rig that I am building.

Thanks.
 

ktn00000

Observer
On the second battery; when I add the pop up camper I will be adding a second battery at that time which the camper will run off of. I have a 115 amp alternator, I am not particularly anxious to get to three batteries.

Anyone see a downfall with the 900 CCA battery?

As to the BFG MT's in snow; I live in Colorado. Our snow is generally nice light fluffy powder. BFG MT's have done well for me in this snow. On packed snow and ice they also seem to perform fine for me (better than the Contitracs the F250 is currently wearing).

I live in an arid area where 'ice' as it is known in much of the country just doesn't occur. We get snow and sometimes a lot of snow but it usually is not humid enough to ice.

All in all the BFG MT's are not as capable on packed snow as the BFG AT's I put on my wifes Cherokee but they do well enough in that situation.

In raw powder they tend to do very well.
 
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Flagster

Expedition Leader
Nice truck...I am comparing Dodge vs Ford right now to haul a FWC and I like the manual tranny/transfer case your truck has...There are some nice used Grandby FWCs on usedfourwheelcampers.com FWIW...
 

GTABurnout

Explorer
Just a thought.

I have seen several D rated tires with the same load rating as E tires just with a lower max PSI.

Lots of standard cab trucks here....
 

ktn00000

Observer
Comparison between the BFG MT 35 and 33

BFG MT KM2 Max Load Diameter
35x12.50R17/D 3000@50 34.8
LT255/80R17/E 3195@80 33.3

Not a huge difference, something to consider. The Conti's I currently have are E and rated at 3197 lb.

If I were to buy a diesel I would buy a Cummins, but it doesn't do anything for me that is worth the premium price. Hence, the Ford with a 5.4. I really cared more about the gears than the engine.
 

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