Starting my Rig - 2001 E350 7.3l

[bet on black]

Ujor (Chris) will also promptly answer questions on install and other things. That is very helpful if you are DIY

[BMWBILO]

Whitefeather is run by Craig who used to run Salem Kroger. I took my van to him in 2000 to have it fixed after my first 4x4 conversion turned out to be crap. Back then he
was doing leaf spring conversions. When Ford came out with their coil spring set up on
their pickups Craig started doing coil spring conversions. I sent someone to Whitefeather
and they were happy with their work. Whitefeather does try and use as many stock
Ford parts as possible. I have checked out Quad van and their work looks good, also as
many Ford parts as possible and I have also been to Ujoint who do top notch work with
many options. There is only one shop I would stay away from, if you search some of my
posts you will see who it is.

[A-Rock]

Thanks all for the input on choosing the kit/shop to do my 4x4 conversion.
I am now starting to balance ride with reliability. I really like the simplicity of front leaf spring, and with the right shocks and tuning, would this not be the most solid option? If any of you vets were buliding a rig today, and knew you'd be towing with it, which setup would you go with? I'm weighing UJOR leaf vs MG Coil.

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by A-Rock

Thanks all for the input on choosing the kit/shop to do my 4x4 conversion.
I am now starting to balance ride with reliability. I really like the simplicity of front leaf spring, and with the right shocks and tuning, would this not be the most solid option? If any of you vets were buliding a rig today, and knew you'd be towing with it, which setup would you go with? I'm weighing UJOR leaf vs MG Coil.

I'd ask Chris at UJOR that question.. He sells both, so theoretically is unbiased.. although I assume he makes more on his leaf kit.

[bet on black]

Currently building one. Nothing wrong with coils up front for towing. Coils ride better too. I will be towing with my van in the mountains

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by A-Rock

Thanks all for the input on choosing the kit/shop to do my 4x4 conversion.
I am now starting to balance ride with reliability. I really like the simplicity of front leaf spring, and with the right shocks and tuning, would this not be the most solid option? If any of you vets were buliding a rig today, and knew you'd be towing with it, which setup would you go with? I'm weighing UJOR leaf vs MG Coil.

For ride quality, I don't think anything is better than Agile's TTB long travel design, but as I said earlier, I have yet to ride in one of MG's coil conversion. I'll be stopping by to see him on Friday to discuss converting to his set-up, and perhaps I'll get a chance to ride in one. As for reliability, I don't remember ever hearing of any failures of the three, and lots of people push them hard. Leaf spring's are pretty limited in bump travel which isn't as much of a big deal on the road, but off road, having lots of bump travel is a real benifit. I expect coils will be far better, and longer travel even better yet.

[Jsweezy]

Either will tow just fine, all of the 2005 and newer F250 trucks have coil spring suspenions and can tow a ton.

I think it comes down to ride and the ability to get parts when something breaks or wears out.

Edit - just remembered that the biggest thing to consider between these two is the brakes. Leaf kit comes with smaller brakes than the massive 2013+ brakes on the coil kit. You can get an aftermarket brake kit for the leaf suspension but thats more money for something that comes standard on the coil kit.

[mgmetalworks]

Not that the van frame is anything close to the same thing as the truck frame but consider that the radius arm/coil suspension is used on modern F250s all the way up to F550s. The axle and components are up to the task of towing. The van frame is the limiting factor when it comes to heavy towing though, not the suspension.

And Jsweezy's right... 14.29" rotors make for some serious brakes on these rigs. I usually steer people to '13 up axles vs anything older for that reason.

[A-Rock]

Originally Posted by mgmetalworks

Not that the van frame is anything close to the same thing as the truck frame but consider that the radius arm/coil suspension is used on modern F250s all the way up to F550s. The axle and components are up to the task of towing. The van frame is the limiting factor when it comes to heavy towing though, not the suspension.

And Jsweezy's right... 14.29" rotors make for some serious brakes on these rigs. I usually steer people to '13 up axles vs anything older for that reason.

Thanks Michael. The brakes are an important factor, as most of my towing is in the Sierras with steep grades.

[rallypanam]

Brakes only slow you down!