By James J. Weber
In case you haven't noticed, the hottest trend in 4x4s is the Radically-Lifted Look. gone are the days when enthusiasts just cared about having the tallest truck, regardless of the truck's ride quality or dependability.
Today, enthusiasts are much more savvy, having become aware of aspects such as ride quality, suspension travel, and proper damping.
To that end, the overall cost of many exotic and tall suspension systems can exceed $50,000. One up-and-coming company that specializes in such extreme suspensions is 4 Play Motorsports of Simi Valley, California.
4 Play's owner Mike Troxler and his crew originally began their business to build and design long travel suspension sandrails. However, upon becoming tired of repairing the suspension systems on its tow vehicles weekend after weekend and feeling as though it needed kidney belts for the harsh drives to the dunes, the 4 Play crew decided to diversify into the extreme lift fabrication market. Its mission was simple: create custom suspensions for Ford F-Series Super Duty 4x4s that exceed the scope of run-of-the-mill bolt-on kits. The company's first suspension kit, a full 10.5 inches, pales in comparison to its newest 22.5-inch suspension kit. "Like most everyone who begins a project, by the time you finish it, it has evolved into something well beyond your original expectations," says Troxler.
The vehicle chosen to showcase the new 22.5-inch kit is an '01 Ford F-350 Super Duty Crew Cab 4x4 with a 7.3L PowerStroke Turbo Diesel. Once the factory front and rear suspension was scrapped, a set of 4.5-inch custom drop spring hangers were created so the custom-milled and machined shackles could hold onto the 18-inch-lift Atlas leaf spring packs that are installed atop the front Dana 60 axle, which has had its pumpkin rotated upward 18 degrees by Dynatrac. The rear spring packs were installed in the factory hangers. Due to the extreme height of the spring packs, a 1.75-inch custom-fabricated 4130 chrome moly stabilizer bar was run between the two packs to completely tie them together laterally.
Providing the SD with a smoother-than-factory ride are dual 2.5-inch-diameter, 16-inch-long King Racing shocks with piggyback reservoirs in front and matching King units with remote reservoirs in the rear. Tasked with keeping the rear Atlas spring packs horizontal with the frame is a set of custom-fabricated traction bars with 1.25-inch Heim joints and 5/8-inch misalignment bushings that allow the suspension to fully cycle. The traction bars are mounted to a set of custom-built shackles that are attached to the truck's tubular frame extension, which was created so the Ford's frame height would be fully legal for street driving. Completing the lift was the exchange of the factory front and rear driveshafts for units lengthened by Ventura Drive Line in Ventura, California. Grade 8 hardware replaced the factory nuts and bolts throughout the entire suspension.