Yeah. What Grigg said. Most guys who obtain a 3/4 ton truck work to make it a 1/2 ton because you can buy disc brakes, freeway rear end gears and lotsa stuff you can't get for a 3/4 (like wheels and tires). It would make more sense to start with a 3/4 ton truck if that's what you want. The frame, suspension, spindles and hubs are beefier in a 3/4 and the eaton rear end is very heavy duty and appears to me to be more like a one ton (I've put 4,000 lbs in mine.) However the diff gears are 4:57 and there are no aftermarket gears for these things so you have to find a 4:11 third member from a later model truck to make it driveable at freeway speeds. (With the 3/4 chasis you could intall a later model 3/4 ton rear end. Take care to measure carefully to make sure it fits and you might have to move spring perches.) Keep in mind that the 3/4 has no roller bearing or disc brake conversion kit. (Guys have figured out how to do this conversion on their own)But the brake shoes on the 3/4 are big and with a power brake booster they stop pretty well.
Something else to consider... I had the leaf springs in my '96 F150 beefed up to give me better load handling capability and that has worked pretty well so you might consider that as a compromise.
Last edited by orchidskip; 08/06/2009 3:34 PM.
