I want to get some nice 33x12.5 tires, and was talking to some guys, did some searching, and can't decide what to do. I will most likely put some shackles in the rear, and was wondering bout a t-bar crank in front. I read some things, that made it look not so good, and others that made it look real good. I read a how-to and it seems fairly simple with the help of my dad or something. I just was wondering if anyone who has done it can offer up some pros cons? And just a few questions, will it wear everything out quicker? create stiffer ride? not easy to turn? any advice/help would do thanks guys

 

i wish I hadn't or had not done it so much. The ride is harsh. Especially when off roading. I think I got 2" from the front. a $200 body lift is real close once you add stuff up. Don't forget to add the cost of a front end alignment with the torsion crank.

 

Eh, I had number 1 tbars on my old fx4 so I really couldn't tell a ride difference. Only had the truck for 8k miles after the crank though. Couldn't tell you about the long term effects. I say do it.

 

yeah I definately want bigger tires, to go mudding and off roading. I have 245s now with factory rims, and want some 33s. thanks for the advice guys

 

Move up to 265's, you'll be fine.

 

i have had cranked bars on two different trucks for a total of 60K miles. the first i cranked when new and ran it for >50K. no issues what-so-ever. so far none on the new truck either. some trucks will need an alingment others will not. have it checked after you crank them.
i dont buy into the "i cranked my bars and it killed my balljoints" theory. crankin the bars has no effect on the forces in play on the balljoints. the shock is the limiting factor in the factory setup, not the balljoints. i will say that crankin the bars allows guys to run wider wheels and larger tires which can definatley have a negative effect on balljoint life, but thats not soley the fault of the t-bar crank itself...
more preload on the spring will give you a firmer ride. IMHO it is nuthin overly harsh, or even worth worryin about.

i say go for it.

 

Yeah...with alignments, after I cranked my bars I had it aligned a couple days later. Biggest waste of $40 ever. Everything was well within normal boundaries. I was kinda pissed when I seen the alignment analysis paper. Worst one was off 1degree from spec. Pshhh. Crank em evenly and I even put some loctite on mine just in case. When I did it, I marked the bolts with a line toward the front of the truck and counted the rotations. IIRC, I got eight full turns out of each side.

 

this is mine with 265/75R16 BF AT's with a small tbar crank and they look a lot better in person and bigger then the pics show. i havent noticed any affects wit the crank and i also have spacers on. got my inspection last week and guy tole me by ball joints were rock solid. i have about 15k with tbar crank and 10k with both done and all good. i did have to get Cam adjusters because it couldent get aligned after crank only cost like 35$ and wsa easy to put in.

here are a couple pics of mine

 

Had my t-bars maxed for 25k now, no problems what-so-ever. Ride gets harsher but not a bunch. I took my front sway bar off and now my truck rides like a caddy, but I dont recommend that you do that.......

And BTW shackles are for me the easiest suspension mod I've done. Took less than an hour and I did it alone. Its 2 bolts on each side. Air tools are a must though.

 

just crank the damn bolts

 

body lift it so you can fit your 33s

 

is that all there is to cranking them? cranking the bolts?

 

Yup, tightening the bolt on each side. Like I said, mine did eight full turns on each side.

 

Front end alignment soon after