Trail Master Suspension TM403N User Manual

400 W. Artesia Blvd. Fax: [phone]

Compton, CA 90220 Ph: [phone]

www.trailmastersuspension.com

FORD F-150 4WD SUSPENSION LIFT KIT

‘09- ’13 KIT# TM403N

WARNING

Installation of a Trail Master suspension lift kit will
change the vehicle’s center of gravity and handling char­acteristics both on- and off-road. You must drive the ve­hicle safely! Extreme care must be taken to prevent vehi­cle rollover or loss of control, which could result in seri­ous injury or death. Avoid sudden sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers and always make sure all vehicle occupants
have their seat belts fastened.

WARNING

Before you install this kit, read and understand all in­structions, warnings, cautions, and notes in this instruc­tion sheet and in the vehicle owner’s manual.

CAUTION

Proper installation of this kit requires knowledge of the
factory recommended procedures for removal and instal­lation of original equipment components. We recommend
that the factory shop manual and any special tools
needed to service your vehicle be on hand during the
installation. Installation of this kit without proper knowl­edge of the factory recommended procedures may affect
the performance of these components and the safety of
the vehicle. We strongly recommend that a certified me­chanic familiar with the installation of similar components
install this kit.

WARNING

Many states and municipalities have laws restricting
bumper heights and vehicle lifts. Consult state and local
laws to determine if the changes you intend to make to
the vehicle comply with the law.

WARNING

The installation of larger tires may reduce the effective­ness of the braking system.

WARNING

Always wear eye protection when operating power tools.

WARNING

Before you install this kit, block the vehicle tires to pre­vent the vehicle from rolling.

WARNING

DO NOT combine suspension, body, or other lift devices.
Use of vehicle with combined lifts may result in unsafe
and/or unexpected handling characteristics.

WARNING

This kit should only be installed on a vehicle that is in
good working condition. Before you install the kit, thor­oughly inspect the vehicle for corrosion or deformation of
the sheet metal. If the vehicle is suspected to have been
in a collision or misused, do not install this kit. Off-road
use of your vehicle with this kit installed may increase
the stress applied to the factory components. Failure to
observe this warning may result in serious personal in­jury and/or severe damage to your vehicle.

NOTE

Lift height may vary depending on vehicle configuration,
engine size, additional accessories, the factory suspen­sion package, and vehicle’s condition.

NOTE

Trail Master recommends using thread locking com­pound on the threads of all kit nuts and bolts unless
specified otherwise in these instructions.

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

2

Before Starting Installation

NOTE

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

Wheel & Tire Requirements
Stock 17” & 18” wheels will not work in conjunc­tion with this kit.

Kit parts are prefaced by the word kit and appear in
bold print.

1. Carefully read all warnings and instructions
completely before beginning.

2. Verify all parts have been received in this kit by
checking the parts list at the end of this docu­ment.

3. Only install this kit on the vehicle for which
it is specified. If anytime during the installation
you encounter something different from what is
outlined in the instructions, call technical support
at [phone].

4. Park vehicle on a clean, dry, flat, level surface
and block tires so vehicle cannot roll in either di­rection.

5. Measure ride height with the vehicle supporting
its own weight on level ground. To settle the sus­pension, the vehicle should be driven forward at
least 10 feet immediately prior to taking these
measurements. Ride height is the measurement
from the center of the axle straight up (vertical) to
the fender lip. Record this measurement for all
four wheels.

Fits 2011-UP w/ Electric steering rack.

Torque Specifications:

See factory service manual for torque values
when reusing OE fasteners.

See factory service manual for torque values when re-using

OE fasteners.

Bolt Size Grade 5 (ft.-lbs.) Grade 8 (ft.-lbs.)

1/4”-20 10 10
1/4”-28 10 12.5
5/16”-18 17 22.5
5/16”-24 20 25
3/8”-16 30 40
3/8”-24 35 45
7/16”-14 50 65
7/16”-20 55 70
1/2”-13 75 100
1/2”-20 80 115
9/16”-12 105 135
9/16”-18 115 150
5/8”-11 150 195
5/8”-18 160 210
3/4”-16 175 225

Tire & Wheel Information:

NOTE

Adhere to recommendations when replacement fas­teners, retainers and keepers are called out in the
factory service manual. When re-assembling the ve­hicle it is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
that certain fasteners are replaced in order to main­tain proper retention characteristics. This system
may not include all replacement hardware as recom­mended by the factory service manual. Additional
replacement hardware should be obtained prior to
installation of this system to meet the requirements
of the factory service manual.

Engine Compartment

1. Disconnect both battery cables. Disconnect
negative cable first, then positive cable.

Due to differences in manufacturing,
dimensions and inflated measurements, tire
and wheel combinations should be test fit prior
to installation. Tire and wheel choice is crucial
in assuring proper fit, performance, and the
safety of your Trail Master equipped vehicle.
For this application, 18” and larger wheel not to
exceed 9” in width with a maximum
backspacing of 5 1/2” is acceptable. A quality
tire of radial design, not exceeding 35” tall X

13.5” wide is recommended. Please note that
the use of a 35” X 13.5” tire may require fender
modification. Violation of these
recommendations will not be endorsed as
acceptable by Trail Master Suspension and will
void any and all warranties either written or
implied.

3

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

Prepare to Install Front
Suspension

1. Place your floor jack under the front
cross member and raise vehicle. Place
jack stands under the frame rails behind
the front wheel wells and lower the
frame onto the stands. Remove the
jack and remove the front wheels.

2. Remove any skid plates if necessary.

3. Work on one side of the vehicle at a
time.

4. Unbolt the OE brake line and bracket
from the side of the knuckle. Save the
hardware for reinstallation.

5. Remove the front caliper and bracket
assembly from the front knuckle by re­moving the (2) retaining bolts.
NOTE: Make sure you do not let

the calipers hang on the brake lines
or damage will occur.

7. Remove the front rotors from the front
hub.

8. Remove the dust cap and the nut from
the end of the CV in the hub.

14. Remove the upper ball joint nut from
the knuckle and separate using the ap­propriate tool.

15. Remove the lower ball joint nut, sepa­rate using the appropriate tool. Re­move the knuckle from the vehicle while
pulling it away from the CV and set the
knuckle aside.

16. Remove the three nuts from the top of
the coil over assembly and the one
large nut and bolt on the bottom. Re­move the coil from the vehicle. Save
hardware for reinstallation.

17. Remove the two bolts that retain the
lower a-arms and remove them from
the truck.

18. Repeat on the other side of the vehicle.

19. Mark the driveshaft orientation and
disconnect the front drive shaft from the
differential. Secure the driveshaft up
and out of the way of the work area.

20. Remove the rear cross member brace;
retain (2) of the bolts and nuts for rein­stallation.
NOTE: Careful heating of the OE

bolts may be necessary to loosen
the factory thread locker.

9. Remove the anti-lock wiring and sensor
from the hub if applicable.

10. Remove the vacuum line from the rear
of the hub.

11. Disconnect the sway bar end links from
the sway bar. Save hardware for rein­stallation.

12. Unbolt and remove the sway bar from
the vehicle. Save hardware for reinstal­lation.

13. Remove the tie rod end nut and sepa­rate from the knuckle using the appro­priate tool.

21. Make sure that the front differential is
well supported, remove the existing
hardware from both passenger and
driver side differential mounting areas.
Carefully lower differential out of vehicle
and set aside. Note the vent routing for
reinstall. Be careful the differential is
heavy.

22. In order to install the rear crossmem­ber, the driver side control arm mount­ing pocket needs to be removed.
Measure up 3 3/4” from the top of the
cam bolt hole and draw a horizontal line
across the entire pocket. See Illustra-

4

tion 1.
IMPORTANT!: For 2010-UP mod-

els ONLY, the front of the passenger
side rear A-arm pocket will need to
be trimmed approximately 1/4” in or­der to install the rear crossmember.
See ILLUSTRATION 1a.

23. Using a suitable cutting tool, (abrasive
cutoff wheel, Sawz-all, etc.) cut the
frame along the previously marked lines
as shown in Illustration 1 & 1a (For
2010 Models only). After cutting the
section out of the frame, clean the area
thoroughly and paint the exposed metal
with a good quality paint.

Illustration 1a

Pass Side Frame

Cut

Front of Passenger Side

Rear A-arm Pocket

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

2010-UP Models ONLY!

1/4”

Cut Piece

82-5504 Rear

Crossmember

Install Front Suspension

Illustration 1

Drvr Side Frame

Cut

Rear
Crossmember
Mounting
Pocket

Cut
Mark

Cut Piece

1. Install the driver side and passenger
side front differential drop brackets 82-
5526 drvr and pass) to the frame with
the previously removed OE bolts and
hardware. Leave the bolts loose. See
Illustration 2.
NOTE: The jog in the brackets will
face towards the front of the truck.

OE Bolt

Front
Diff Drop
Brackets

82-5526

3 3/4”

Front View

Side View

9/16” X

4” Bolt

Differential

Illustration 2

Front Diff Brackets

5

Illustration 3

Rear Crossmember

Install

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

Pass Side

OE Bolt

Pass Side

82-5518

Sway Bar

Drop

Drvr Side

82-5539

Rear

Differential

Bracket

OE Bolt

7/16” X 1

1/4” Bolt

82-TM241150 Front

Crossmember

Illustration 4

Rear Differential

Mount Install

82-5504 Rear

Crossmember

82-5504 Rear

Crossmember

18mm X

150mm Bolt

7/16” X

1 1/4”

Bolt

9/16” X

4” Bolt

Frame

Mounting

Pocket

Differential

Differential

6

TM403N

Revised

12.5.13

Illustration 5

Front Crossmember

Install

TM241150 Front

OE Bolt

Crossmember

2. Carefully hang the differential into the
front differential drop brackets with the
supplied 9/16” X 4” bolts and hardware
from pack (90-6302). Leave the bolts
loose. See Illustration 2.

3. Using the differential drop extension
pack (90-6189) fit the new hose to the
differential. Place the supplied plug in
the end of the tube and connect the fac­tory tube to it. Route the vent hose as
previously noted. Use the supplied zip
ties to secure the hose.

4. Raise the rear crossmember (82-5504)
into place and install the supplied pas­senger side 18mm X 150mm cross­member bolt. Install the bolt with the
head to the front. Do not install the nut
at this time. See Illustration 3.

5. Install the passenger side sway bar
drop bracket (82-5518) onto the previ­ously installed 18mm crossmember
bolt. Install the nut onto the crossmem­ber bolt. Leave the bolts loose. See
Illustration 3.

6. Secure the passenger side sway bar
drop bracket (82-5518) to the OE sway
bar mounting holes in the frame using
the supplied 7/16” X 1 1/4” bolts and
hardware. Leave the bolts loose. See
Illustration 3.

7. Install the (2) OE crossmember support
brace bolts into the (2) remaining holes
on the pass side of the rear crossmem­ber. Leave the bolts loose. See Illus-
tration 3.

8. Secure the rear crossmember (82-

5504) to the driver side OE sway bar
mounting holes in the frame using the
supplied 7/16” X 1 1/4” bolts. Leave

the bolts loose. See Illustration 3.

82-5516 Rear

Crossmember

Brace

82-5504 Rear

Crossmember

1/2” Drill

Bit

Illustration 6

Rear Crossmember

1/2” X

1 1/2”

Bolt

Brace Install

7

90-5692

Nut

Plate

1/2” X

1 1/2”

Bolt