explore_ak
New member
All things being equal, would you rather have the independent I beam 4x4 of the agile? Or the solid axle of the ujoint conversions..
Having a TTB 4WD van, albeit in stockish Ford geometry, and if I wasn't going to DIY, and had the time, I'd get in line for the Agile "tuned" TTB system setup for faster speeds. I'm debating some tuning to mine at home, namely longer radius arms and a steering linkage matched more closely to the TTB.
I believe they can also provide a lower overall lift height, which is a nice consideration over the solid axle versions. My van is about 2.5" over stock with the Clydesdale TTB - doesn't attract as much attention, and returns a bit better aerodynamics than taller vans (pot to kettle lol).
For a DIY, then I'd lean to the 05+ super duty setups MG or Timberline, big brakes and tighter steering, believe minimum lift is +4" over stock. But I'm also not really considering hardcore offroad in my van use, where the U Joint leaf spring kits would have an articulation advantage I expect.
At this point it's widely known about the possibility of DW with any solid axle coil spring setup, even low mileage factory Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks. Does that mean that Ford has a poor design? Don't think so. Add heavy and/or wide wheels/tires, run too much tire pressure, don't torque fasteners properly, then get some miles on the rig, bushings wear, vibrations/oscillations occur thru the entire system, steering box play, forget to have yearly alignments performed...DW creeps in even on bone stock rigs. There are SO many ancillary variables with a radius arm suspension that can contribute to DW. Chris, how can you be so sure that your UJOR upgrade accounts for all of these? And if such an upgrade is needed on a coil spring front end in order to cure DW, why don't we see more F-Series Super Duty trucks with high steer knuckles and relocated trac bars?
Numerous vans with the MG kit which have no DW, including Hyperdriv with lots of miles through horrible roads in Mexico; "I have over 20,000 miles on my MG/Expo Coil Conversion. 8,000 this winter on a trip through Mexico on some awful roads and wonderful dirt where to be honest we beat on our Van pretty good. No DW or any issue on my van."
UJOR's RSC upgrade does offer the largest brakes by 0.2", but don't forget that they come at an add'l cost of $2395 over/above the price of the axle($3995+)--otherwise you're getting the '99-04 13" factory brakes. Compare this to MG's coil spring setup; engineered for ’05-16 front axles where the '13-'16 axles come standard from Ford with 14.3” brakes. So, on the MG kit the key is to find a good low mileage axle and you get the 14.3" front brakes for no extra cost.
One other important detail to note about these 3 kits (Agile, MG, UJOR) has to do with RSC warning lights for vans with the factory RSC system. Agile and MG have solved it, doesn't seem that UJOR has yet; https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/ujor-build-thread.55074/page-459#post-2450510
Hope that helps.
The Ford 05 trac bar design has been a problem since day 1. Yes, there are many many ways to develop DW and some rigs get it, some don't. The bottom line is that I had a customer with DW so I created a solution instead of throwing parts at it.
If you read the following post on the RSC issue I gave a solution. Stock pitman arm.
..."there are many many ways to develop DW and some rigs get it, some don't. The bottom line is that I had a customer with DW so I created a solution instead of throwing parts at it."
That's like saying "There are many ways for a set of new leaf springs on a UJOR conversion to sag prematurely, and some rigs get it, some don't."
Different ways to skin a cat, but your "solution" may involve "throwing parts"(custom and more expensive ones) at a customer van when/if a van has non-4x4-kit parts needing to be maintained; worn out steering box, blown bushings, sticking calipers, etc. So that everyone here understands and is clear, without investigating potential problems like those, your "solution" can possibly mask mechanical issues and impending factory Ford part failures. Anyone with DW needs to stop driving the vehicle, have a professional shop investigate all the possible culprits, and not drive the vehicle until those culprits are dealt with. Driving the vehicle further, and inducing more and more DW is just going to obliterate more parts, means more money to fix properly.
There are some MG coil spring vans who've added dual stabilizers($500 or less, no extra work of welding on a new trac bar mount and adding other custom parts) before even having any signs of DW, which have reportedly resulted in being rock solid over bumps, under braking, drivers say they can even let go of the steering wheel and drive over parking lot speed bumps hard without oscillations thru the steering wheel.
Important to note on the RSC issue; your stock pitman arm solution for an RSC-equipped van will negatively affect turning radius however, which is already poor on the UJOR leaf spring kit(firsthand experience) vs a coil kit. So it's either live with the blinking RSC lights, or make the turning radius even worse; neither seems to be a favorable solution. What's the ultimate solution there?
This info is no derailment as it's very relevant to explore_ak's original question.
Back to the 4x4 kit discussion...
Plenty of info on all of the E series converters is available, we're all busy so everyone wins. Glad you enjoyed your UJ equipped van while you had it, best of luck to whatever you buy next.
I have recently moved from a Fuso FG 140 to a 2003 Ford E350 with a U-Joint conversion (see 7.3 Steel Blue on their site). This has a solid front axle and coil springs. First impressions after ~1000 miles: excellent on road manners, outstanding off road (ok, mostly forest service roads with some big woop-T-do's and rocks) and an incredible turning radius. While we lost a lot of room, we gained better highway speeds and better off-road capabilities. The U-Joint conversion is first rate. I have built many rigs and never bought a pre-built, until now. I am exceptionally pleased with the work product from U-Joint, Advantura, and Sportsmobile...this is a magical combo!