99 SAS + TDI build questions and help

[FFR96]

Howdy yall,
I've had my 99 4wd ranger for about 6 months now. Love the thing, but my initial plan of doin the usual 302 you commonly see has changed quite a bit. Bottom line up front: I'm curious if anyone would know of how significant of a difference in fuel economy a pair of super duty 05+ Axles would be compared to a bronco 44 up front + ford f150 8.8 rear-end?
my incentive to go the 1 ton route would be to have better peace of mind when hauling a maximum of about 3000 pounds worth of steel, scrap, ammo, or any combination of. We're talking about a flatbed setup, keeping 4wd, and gearing it no less than 3.73 no more than 4.10. Leaning towards 3.73 as I already have my TDI ALH long block that will be in my build plan, and I will be swapping in a zf5 and atlas 2.0 5:1 transfer case. Definitely some fab work with some cross members, maybe some frame gusseting here and there, but a SAS is going to involve some fab work regardless of these other moving parts I have to consider (tdi swap, zf5, atlas, flatbed, etc). I'm goin big or goin home. So, the question still stands: with all other things remaining the same, how much should I expect AVERAGE fuel economy to go down with super duty Axles as opposed to the bronco/f150 swap? This Is one of the last major parts of this build plan I really have to workshop and get some genuine input on, so I appreciate any knowledge or experience. Other ranger tdi swap build threads have allegedly reported up to 40 mpg cruising and to my understanding, that wasn't with some super deliberate goal of achieving those numbers. Thanks in advance,

Matt

 

[DRanger024]

I dont know that its really possible nor is it safe to put 3,000 lbs on the back of any Ranger with or without a flat bed and "gusseting" the frame. They were never designed for that and on top of being stamped out of regular old 11 gauge steel, the frame under your truck is two pieces. I didnt even like having a 700lb four wheeler in the back of mine.

The only difference in fuel economy that you might notice from the tons would be from the weight and maybe a small amount of wind resistance from the shear size of the axle itself. You will likely end up with a minimum 4"-6" lift over stock to get your track bar/ brackets and steering to clear and judging by your axle gear ratio choice, you arent planning on running a tire much bigger than 31" to 33". In that case, with SD axles, you are going to lose a TON of ground clearance and your truck will look akwarly tall for the tire size. Wheel size is also an issue for clearing brakes. Smallest you can go on 05+ axles is a 17.
I dont think one ton axles are any kind of advantage on this small of a rig until you get to 37's. Even then, you may only have a little over stock ground clearance. 40's are probably ideal for Super Duty axles under a Ranger and that totally defeats the purpose of your build. Just food for thought and a lot of it has been proven. These trucks are tough enough if you build them up with the right stock parts. For what you want to do, youd be better of getting a trailer for the steel loads and just running it with the TDI swap and the stock axles.

Maybe I'm missing the point here or looking at it wrong but to me, your plan seems a little contradictory to itself.

 

[RonD]

And just to add, "legally" the maximum weight any vehicle can carry(GVWR) is set in stone by the VIN
And its on the Build Label on drivers door

GCWR(gross combined weight rating) is usually in brochure or Ford Towing Guide, this is the weight of the Ranger, its load, and a trailer and its load combined

Doesn't matter what you do to the axles or even install a V8 or 4BT, the GVWR and GCWR can't be changed without changing the VIN


That being said, for your own use you can do what you want, but as said the frame would be a concern over the current Rangers 1/2 ton rating

 

[FFR96]

I dont know that its really possible nor is it safe to put 3,000 lbs on the back of any Ranger with or without a flat bed and "gusseting" the frame. They were never designed for that and on top of being stamped out of regular old 11 gauge steel, the frame under your truck is two pieces. I didnt even like having a 700lb four wheeler in the back of mine.

The only difference in fuel economy that you might notice from the tons would be from the weight and maybe a small amount of wind resistance from the shear size of the axle itself. You will likely end up with a minimum 4"-6" lift over stock to get your track bar/ brackets and steering to clear and judging by your axle gear ratio choice, you arent planning on running a tire much bigger than 31" to 33". In that case, with SD axles, you are going to lose a TON of ground clearance and your truck will look akwarly tall for the tire size. Wheel size is also an issue for clearing brakes. Smallest you can go on 05+ axles is a 17.
I dont think one ton axles are any kind of advantage on this small of a rig until you get to 37's. Even then, you may only have a little over stock ground clearance. 40's are probably ideal for Super Duty axles under a Ranger and that totally defeats the purpose of your build. Just food for thought and a lot of it has been proven. These trucks are tough enough if you build them up with the right stock parts. For what you want to do, youd be better of getting a trailer for the steel loads and just running it with the TDI swap and the stock axles.

Maybe I'm missing the point here or looking at it wrong but to me, your plan seems a little contradictory to itself.

Hey DRanger024, thanks for the helpful input. I remember back when I was a wee lad, I used to work part-time doing commercial demolitions, and there was a guy who would occasionally pick up dunnage and help out the company by moving a ton (and I mean literal ton, if not probably more) of gravel and dirt for us. He had an old ranger that he put airbags on what I believe was pretty much stock or stock-spec rear suspension. Funny story about it too, that thing was accidentally rammed with a forklift. I don't know the context or why or how, but it had two big fork holes in the lower side of the bed near the cab. It was an absolute brute and never quit. But anyways, I saw this thing haul over a ton of gravel with it's bed filled to the brim, on bags, at least a handful of occasions. I appreciate the input on the axle decision. I think I am nearly decided on doing a D44 and 8.8 rear and truss them. I overlooked the tire and wheel size consideration. I will likely go with 33s, maybe 35s. And probably on 17" B.R.A. wheels. I am having trouble determining:
1) finding a D44 front and 8.8 rear (f150 rear) that have matching lug patterns
2) Driver side, passenger side, or middle mounted diff? tradeoffs, etc. Would I want to choose whichever side (or middle) that creates the shortest driveshaft length between the diff and the transfer case?

 

[FFR96]

And just to add, "legally" the maximum weight any vehicle can carry(GVWR) is set in stone by the VIN
And its on the Build Label on drivers door

GCWR(gross combined weight rating) is usually in brochure or Ford Towing Guide, this is the weight of the Ranger, its load, and a trailer and its load combined

Doesn't matter what you do to the axles or even install a V8 or 4BT, the GVWR and GCWR can't be changed without changing the VIN


That being said, for your own use you can do what you want, but as said the frame would be a concern over the current Rangers 1/2 ton rating

Thankyou RonD, I am aware of the legality of the GVWR and GCWR numbers. I did not know that by changing the VIN (I'm assuming by essentially making it your own vehicle through extreme enough mods), you could change these ratings legally? I haven't looked too deep into this. As much as I would like the ability to haul a total of 3000 pounds, I think the most common "heavier" load I would encounter is probably around 1000-1200. With an all-aluminium, or mostly aluminum, flatbed, and some other fiberglass body components, the TDI actually will shed some total weight too, I should free up some total curb weight. The bags in the rear will be essential as well. I'm still on active duty and move around every 2-3 years, and I have a lot of equipment. A lathe and mill (but smaller than what you may be thinking, they're "bench style") of about 600 pounds, welding machines, a lot of power tools and batteries, and a whole lot of metal stock and different materials. A lot of which I could fit on a flatbed when properly packed and loaded for a deliberate move from duty station to duty station. Aside from this, I tend to haul scrap metal and material runs and move furniture, and also known as the guy with an old truck that can be used for insert your wildest idea. I once loaded a 1500 pound mill in a chevy 1500 that was probably around a 2005 model year, with a cherry picker and straps. Ya know, your every day sketchy shit.

 

[RonD]

In most States you can get a Custom or Modified Title assigned to the VIN(legal ID)

It can be expensive to do the inspection to get that status