Trail Master Suspension TM407N User Manual

400 W. Artesia Blvd. Fax: [phone]

Compton, CA 90220 Ph: [phone]

www.trailmastersuspension.com

FORD F-150 4WD 6” SUSPENSION LIFT KIT

2004– 2008 KIT# TM407N

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

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.

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.

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.

TM407N

Revised

6.14.13

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TM407N

Revised

6.14.13

Before Starting Installation

NOTE

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 (877) 695-

7812.

4. Special tools needed:
a. Torsion bar tool
b. Welder or access to a professional welding

shop.

Ride Height

6. 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.

Wheel & Tire Requirements

The factory wheel and tire combination will not fit
once this kit is installed. The following are specifi­cations for choosing a proper wheel and tire com­bination:

Minimum wheel diameter = 17” x 8”
Maximum wheel backspacing = 5”
Maximum tire diameter = 315/70R17

c. Die grinder or similar tool capable of cutting

metal.
d. Transmission jack
e. Rust resistant metal paint

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

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.

Torque Specifications

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

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TM407N

Revised

6.14.13

See factory service manual for torque values
when re-using OE fasteners.

Fasteners

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.

3. Remove lug nuts and front wheels from
vehicle.

4.Remove Sway Bar from vehicle.
a. On both sides of vehicle, remove Nut at

bottom of lower control arm connecting link to
lower control arm.

Lower Nut on bottom
side of Lower Control
Arm

Prepare to Install Front
Suspension

Front Suspension

1.Loosen, but do not remove, lug nuts on
each front wheel.

2.If working without a shop hoist, use a hy­draulic floor jack to slowly lift front axle until
front tires are 3-5” off ground. Position jack
stands under frame behind lower control arm
perches. Lower vehicle onto jack stands
while maintaining hydraulic jack pressure un­derneath front axle.

WARNING

Use extreme caution when lifting vehicle from
ground. To prevent serious personal injury, prop­erly position the lifting device.

b. Unbolt Sway Bar Clamps at Frame rail on
both sides of vehicle and remove Sway Bar
from vehicle.

5. Remove spindle from vehicle.
a. Disconnect vacuum line attached to 4WD

vacuum assembly.
b. Note the routing of the brake line, make

sketch if needed for routing of new brake line
later during installation.

c. Unbolt brake caliper and remove from spin­dle. Zip-Tie out of the way.

WARNING

Do not allow caliper to hang by brake line. Damage
to brake line and/or caliper could occur. Personal
injury could occur if brake caliper or line is dam­aged.

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TM407N

Revised

6.14.13

Sway Bar
Clamp

d. Remove brake rotor from spindle.
e. Remove dust cap on center of spindle and

remove axle nut.

Axle nut

g. Loosen nut securing tie rod end to spindle.
Use tie rod end puller to dislodge tie-rod end
from spindle and remove.

Tie Rod
End

h. Loosen but do not remove nut securing up­per ball joint to spindle. Use ball joint puller to
dislodge upper ball joint from spindle.

f. Unbolt ABS sensor and tie up out of the
way.

ABS Sensor

Upper
Ball Joint

i. Loosen but do not remove nut securing
lower ball joint to spindle. Use ball joint puller
to dislodge lower ball joint from spindle.

Lower
Ball Joint

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pg p

Revised

6.14.13

j. While holding spindle, remove nuts on up­per and lower ball joints.

k. Slide axle out of spindle and lift spindle off
of ball joints and set aside

l. Repeat previous steps on opposite side of
vehicle.

6. Unbolt front Axle Half Shaft from differen­tial on both sides of vehicle and remove.

Half Shaft
Bolts

c. Remove large bolt securing lower end of
shock to lower control arm.

d. Slowly lower the lower control arm making
sure to grab the shock assembly to keep it
from falling.

e. Repeat previous steps on opposite side of
vehicle.

8.Remove factory skid plate if equipped.
a. Remove 4 mounting bolts and remove skid

plate.

Factory
Skid plate

7.Remove front coil/shock assembly.
a. Support lower control arm with jack.
b. Remove three nuts securing upper studs to

upper shock mount pocket.

Upper
Nuts

Lower
Bolt

9.Remove both lower control arms.
a. Remove pivot bolts securing lower control

arm to frame and remove lower control arm
from both sides of vehicle.

Pivot
Bolts

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10. Remove front drive shaft from vehicle.

TM407N

Revised

6.14.13

12. Remove differential.

a. Unbolt driveshaft from front axle pinion.

Unbolt
Drive
Shaft

b. Unbolt driveshaft from front side of transfer
case.

Driveshaft un-bolted
from Front side of
Transfer case

a. Support differential and remove three bolts
securing it to the vehicle.

NOTE

There are two bolts securing the driver’s side differ­ential and one bolt on passenger side.

b. Lower differential and remove from vehicle.

13. Cut driver side of rear crossmember tab.
a. Mark vertical line on front face of the driver

side rear crossmember tab 2-3/4” from the
outside edge.

Mark line to
cut as
shown.

11. Unbolt and remove factory rear cross­member.

Remove
Crossmember

About 1/2” up from
bottom mark notch to
clearance for fin on
differential as shown.

b. Mark vertical line on rear face of the same
crossmember tab 3-3/4” from outside edge
and then across the top connecting the two
lines.

Line marked 3-3/4”
from outside edge
and connected
across top to previ­ous marked line on
other side.

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6.14.13

c. Cut frame using saw-z-all, cut off wheel,
plasma, or other appropriate tool.

Install Front Suspension

(90-8009) and kit rack & pinion bracket (90-

1964).

Kit 5/8” x 5
1/2” Bolt

Kit Rack &
pinion
Spacers
90-2726 &
90-8009

Rack &
Pinion

Rack &
Pinion

1. Relocate rack & pinion assembly.
a. Remove bolts securing rack & pinion as-

sembly to vehicle and remove factory mount­ing brackets. Keep horizontal bolts for re-use.

Rack & pinion
assembly

Horizontal
& vertical
mounting
bolts

Kit Rack
& pinion
bracket
90-1964

NOTE

NOTE: The goal of this kit is to get as close to a
1” rack drop as possible without steering shaft
hitting the frame and band clamps.

c. After installing the kit rack & pinion spac-
ers to achieve a 1” drop, inspect for steering
shaft and steering U-joint clearance at the
frame.

d. If no contact is made and the steering shaft
has no interference, proceed with step h.

b. Secure the steering rack using the kit 5/8”
x 5 1/2” bolt, 1/2” kit rack & pinion spacers
(90-2726), (2) 1/4” kit rack & pinion spacers

e. If the steering shaft and/or steering U-joint
has/have interference at the frame, re­configure kit rack & pinion spacers to create
¾” drop

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