Ford service trucks breaking studs

[hotspur]

We have had 2 incidents with studs breaking on our Ford 550 service trucks. (on the rear duals ) Is anyone else having this trouble ? I thought there was a previous thread about this problem but can't find it.

[659Lineman]

Yes, we've had one incident that I know of.

[old lineman]

We have had 2 incidents with studs breaking on our Ford 550 service trucks. (on the rear duals ) Is anyone else having this trouble ? I thought there was a previous thread about this problem but can't find it.

Your right, there was a post on this subject and lots of people were experiencing the same problems.
I would go directly to Ford and demand answers. This is a safety issue, especially a lighter truck like this.
Trucks this size often don't have outriggers and depend solely on the suspension for stability. Should a weakened wheel rim let go just when the boom is in an extreme position you know what could happen.
It's not a maintenance problem it's a design problem.
The Old Lineman

[grillman]

our problem with the fords has been with transmissions going out

[BigClive]

In the UK the problem with Fords has always been RUST!

That said, I've always had a Ford van and currently have a shiny new T260. (It's a UK style van.... Don't know if they do them in the states.)

This style of van has consistently won the "best van" award in the UK because it's designed for maximum driver comfort. Even at 6'4" and size 16 feet I fit in comfortably. I tried all the other brands of van and they were hell for someone my size.

[spur]

Here in New Brunswick most of our ford 550"s are havnig these stud problems some are soo bad that one truck is in the ford shop at least once a week for new studs also you are not supposed to spin the tires on ice or when you are stuck as this breaks studs and ruins tranny"s. In NB, winter is a given with ice and snow so you can imagine how much trouble this particular model is giving us. A private contractor would be run into the ground with the repair bills on these models.

Work safe or not at all spur

[BigClive]

So is this just a bad batch of studs or are they breaking on an ongoing basis?

What if alternate brand studs are used (instant removal of liability from Ford unfortunately.)

If your talking about the wheel studs then what could be unique that is causing them to snap? Are they just not rated for the heavy load of a bucket mechanism?

[duckhunter]

We had the same problem with 2 different Ford F-550, different model years. We also had transmission and engine problems.

We have replaced one of them with a new GMC. Wow is it quiet, smooth and strong. It has a higher profile, but that Allison transmission and the brakes on it are so much better than the Ford.

[spur]

So is this just a bad batch of studs or are they breaking on an ongoing basis?

What if alternate brand studs are used (instant removal of liability from Ford unfortunately.)

If your talking about the wheel studs then what could be unique that is causing them to snap? Are they just not rated for the heavy load of a bucket mechanism?

This particular model has broken so many studs that the tire shops in the area will not even change a flat and tell us that the truck has to go to the dealer [ford] as they are scared of being liable if anything happens.
Spur

[hifihaxor]

holy crap. we used to use f550 with the altec .. i think its an at-37g bucket.

we have been thru about 2 or 3 lease cycles with this same type of truck, we run around 10 of them at any time. in my years at this company i have never heard of wheel stud breaking issues at all. if i get in touch with our old mechanic, ill ask him about this.

the new trucks are total crap though. the 6 liter engine is a fucking joke.. pitching turbos and injectors.. we had one truck get a new engine under warranty.. twice. the transmissions are marginal.. but when theyre running theyre fast trucks. we have had other assorted drive line problems with them. our new international bucket trucks with the larger booms have the same engine, and of the 2 we have, we have 1 lemon already.

my old truck, #203, was a 2002 ford f550 and it had a 7.3L v8.. that truck never quit... we retired it with over 70k miles in 2005. that truck was an exception though... other 7.3s we had developed problems later on.

our new trucks, we have gotten 2 so far to replace the dead fords, are gmc c5500's with the at-37g... they are goofy looking, but they are nicely designed... 6.6L (i think its even a v6), THEY TURN ON A DIME.. very easy to do u turns in a small intersection... theyre extremely quiet and we have had very little problems with the new truck 203, its got around 18k on it already and i dont think its been down for service yet.. nice interior too.

thats my story and im stickin to it.