The damper is a big chunk of cast iron, maybe 12 or 14" long, a few inches wide and a couple 3 inches tall, mounted with what looked like two rubber isolated bolts to the top side of the left frame rail very near the rearmost cross member. It's up on top, don't hardly see how it would affect a hitch installation.

If I think about it I'll try to get a good picture of it tomorrow.

I must say, mine don't act funny going down the road?

Like i said, I've never dropped my '07's tailgate to notice any vibrations though I don't doubt some would be generated. The video didn't look all that bad to me though.

Anyway, the bed bolts are tight you say and short of a major frame seperation / break ...
... don't see how could be much else but normal?

 

Thanks for the good suggestions. I did this a few months ago, and I found with the truck sitting on the ground the vibration was all the way into the leaf springs. I could see the springs shake when the tailgate was dropped. This carried all the way up the frame and to the cab. The tires and axle were solid and did not move. I originally had load range E tires on this truck with 80psi in them....I changed to load range D with 35PSI in hopes of correcting some of this shaking....both sets of tires demonstrated the same result.

 

Pics of the weight as it sits on top of left frame rail near extreme rear of truck under a 2007 Ford FX4 Scab 6.5 Flareside.

Looking straight up from ground, outside of frame rail, you can see the rear shackle and rear of left side rear leaf spring in left edge of picture to the right is the rear underbed cross support.



This picture and the one below it were taken by just holding the camera up inside the rear side and aiming.

Looking towards rear of frame from behind left rear tire



Looking across at front end of weight from same area behind left rear tire.



There are only two of these bolts going through rubber isolated mounts.

No doubt but that the rubber density and sleeve length and bolt torque are all very precisely tuned to perfection because ...
... I don't have any bed shake.

I tried it.

Must be a Styleside malady?

 

Thanks for the pictures. If that is mounted to the top of the frame rail, then I know it is there to solve my problem. The physics just make sense. Now the question is, where can I get one and will it work on my truck.

 

Maybe it will. I looked, there is none on the right side, just the onne on the left. Just two bolts. I was poking some fun at the Styleside folk above in my last post, but even as late as June 2007 Ford was putting them under some trucks still ... at some costs ... for some reason.

It's certainly big enough to dampen harmonics.

Any "Pic-N-Pull" yards near you.

It's certainly worth a try?

EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT:EDIT: EDIT:EDIT:

Just because I'm such a nice guy and all, I just went out in to the winter night across that cold driveway into that cold carport shed and with my genuin 2 D cell Maglite (LED) I scoped out a little more.

That weight is near 5" or more wide .... more wider than I first guestimated.

Also, look in the lower picture of the three in my last post. See that "diamond" shaped hole there on the left in line with what is the front bolt holding that weight on? You will have to go through that hole with a medium deep socket and ratchet to secure the nut, ... maybe a swivel and ext and keep the ratchet outside ... and use a wrench with offset to latch onto the bolt head up top.

I'm guessing about 15mm. Take a set of 14s and 17s to be sure .... but I'ld say it's 15mm.

The same goes for the bolt head of the rear bolt, but the nut inside the frame rail can be easily accessed through the rear iopening of the frame rail once the spare is out of the way I think.

All real easy if the bed is off as well. I think once the nuts are off that it'll rock over and the bolts come out. When putting back, I'ld almost try putting bolts in from inside frame rail and nuts on top?


My guess is it's gonna weigh some more than 10 pounds.

 

That's the same dampener I have under my 2008 crew cab. The pics I've seen of the dampener used on the 04s is different, but from what I can understand was in the general location.

 

Wonder if Ford only installed these on specific wheelbase trucks......mine is a SCREW with the 5.5" bed.
I have been looking thru online parts houses with the parts diagrams, and I cannot located this dampener in any of the diagrams. I even tried using TBEAR's truck as the spec, still no luck.

 

I found the part(s) on FordParts.com for your truck. For some reason Tasca Parts is only displaying data for Volvos and Mazdas. Go tto FordParts.com, select 2006 F-150 and then select the "Suspension" category and then the "Suspension, Springs and Related Components" sub-category. I found the dampeners on the last page of the items in that sub-category category and it's chassis and build date specific. The component for the later builds are a lot cheaper than the earlier builds.

 

$826.00!!!!!
Holy cow

 

Here's a TSB on this issue....too bad I am out of warranty....can't swallow $826.
http://www.phila.gov/fleet/Warranty%...sb08-24-02.pdf

 

WHAT?

For a chunk of steel?

Is this the magic steel with fairy dust, or what?

If someone on here has one, and is willing to take measurements, I'll see if I can get one made at work for you.

Otherwise, grab a 10lb barbell weight, some pieces of rubber, and a bunch of long wire ties, and strap it to the frame up under the bed to see if it helps any.

 

Bed bounce? Check out the Tundra.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjTbiYo3x0

 

That vid is the first thing I thought of when this post came up!

You thought your bed bounces check out the trucks in that vid!

IMO Ford put out that vid after they received many complaints and came up with the Dampener thing then had to show that they dont have bed bounce problems!

No Dampeners/ No bad bounce on my truck!

 

Oh dear me ... ... that's just effin great!

Now I feel like I should be sleeping under the truck with a shot gun in hand.



If I was wanting to try it, I'ld be scouring a junk yard. I'ld say a Styleside wrecked would be easiest to get it out from under. No hitch or spare would make it even easier.

Here's FORD 6L3Z-5D008-B DAMPER ASY (Package of 1) for $129.92 fits 06-08 according to the link above. The one for the 04-05 is 4L3Z-5D008-AA, I didn't see it.

 

agood1 did you see the build dates info for the various parts? The early 2006 build was 4 times more than the dampener on trucks built after December 2005. That's probably list price too. Check with the guy in the Tasca Parts thread and see what you can purchase it for. If it were me and I had the earlier build, I'd start a junkyard crawl.