Ford Leveling Backcountry System 2.5-3.5″ Lift – 2017+ F250/350 4×4 Diesel

Description

The Super Duty Backcountry 2.0 system is designed for people seeking the best ride on and off-road quality on a budget; basically, the Commuter for those that want to have a little dirt-road fun in their 8,500lb truck without losing the on-road ride quality or usability for which the truck was designed. You’re no longer limited to the highway while gravel roads become uninteresting as you can drive them at speed with one hand on the wheel. Utilizing Fox 2.0” Remote Reservoir Shocks, we’ve developed a tune that delivers all around comfort and ride quality designed for on-road, in town, highway, towing/hauling as well as slow to mid speed off road use. The Fox 2.0s boast extruded aluminum construction with a clear anodizing for corrosion resistance, are fully rebuildable and are built with hour-glass bushings in the rod-ends. Fox builds these shocks with their legendary red shock oil that flows well down to -55° F.

The truck will sit 3.5” higher in the front and have more wheel travel thanks to the lighter rate Carli Coil Springs. The Adjustable Track Bar centers the front axle and Stainless Brake Lines firm up braking and ensure there is enough line for the newfound travel. To round off the front end, we include Caster Shims to tighten the steering and a fabricated, High-Clearance Bump Stop Drop to keep the springs clear from the contacting the factory bump stop. The front Sway Bar Geometry will need to be addressed with your choice of a Sway Bar Drop Bracket (more economical, maintains the factory Sway Bar End Links) or our Extended Sway Bar links with relocation brackets – a FAR more robust option. For those seeking the most possible ride quality, we offer our full replacement Torsion Sway Bar that lightens the most neglected spring rate – the factory sway bar. From the Torsion Sway bar upgrade, one can expect a far more compliant feel and increased articulation with only slightly more body roll.

The rear can be outfitted with a replacement Full Progressive Spring Pack (reduces capacity to a “light” ¾-ton) or factory leaf-pack modifying Progressive Add-a-Pack (eliminates the factory block and maintains payload capacity; pairs with a rear bump stop drop). This is where the F250 and F350 are a bit different. Since 2008, the main spring packs on these two trucks is different; the F250 has a lighter rate spring pack (2 main leaf springs) than its 350 counterpart (3 main leaf springs). The F250 Add-a-Pack equipped systems are a nice improvement over stock; the F350 with the Add-a-Pack is still very stiff in the rear as the main pack doesn’t move much unless loaded. We recommend the Full Replacement Leaf Spring packs for both trucks but especially the F350 given the super-stiff factory springs. If capacity is a concern, an aftermarket airbag system should be installed to complement the Full Progressive Leaf Springs to restore the F350 capacity. We recommend a system that will allow the airbags to disconnect from the lower mount during suspension cycling to ensure you’re able to take advantage of all your rear suspension travel. The Full Progressive Leaf Spring Pack will shift the axle slightly forward in the wheel well to ensure maximum tire clearance for a 37” M/T at full compression.

This system will not achieve a proper rear-high stance without the installation of the Add-a-Pack or Full Progressive Leaf Spring Pack. Without any rear option, an F250 will sit about rear-low. If a Carli rear spring option is not purchased, one can install the taller 2017-19 Ford 3″ rear block for a leveled stance but rear ride quality will not be optimized (Factory Block PN: HC3Z-5598-A and HC3Z-5598-B)

Wheel and Tire: Factory Wheels SHOULD NOT be run with oversized tires. They’re known to rub the radius arm, sway bar and most concerning – Brake Lines. Factory tires and factory wheels will work without issue but we DO NOT recommend running oversized tires on factory wheels. On our Ford Leveling Systems, we recommend 17”-18” wheels, no more than 9” wide with 5.5” of backspacing with Carli Fabricated Radius Arms or 5” Backspace with factory arms; 5” will require a bit more trimming. Tires, 37×12.5” will fit with some trimming; 35” will likely fit without trimming. The more rubber, the better the small bump compliance will be at proper inflation pressures. The ride will firm up as you go larger in wheel diameter. For more details, see our article on wheel and tire selection and tire pressures: