98 Ranger Frame Bent?

[conyers73]

My 98 Ranger sits higher on the passenger side than the driver's side. Could it be that the frame is bent or it has been in a wreck?

 

[Snoranger]

Weak springs... It's a common issue.

The driver, fuel tank, and battery are all on the same side. That causes the drivers side springs to wear out faster.

 

[RonD]

Rear leaf spring hanger can rust out and cause one side to drop.

 

[bigmark303]

If spring hangers and springs themselves look to be in good shape its pretty common just to have a slight lean with a full tank of gas vs almost empty.

All of my Rangers showed the same lean with a full tank of gas and then when it was almost empty 1-2 gal left the truck leveled off a bit. Over the age of the truck though the driver side is just going to sag a bit anyway from the extra weight on that side of the truck.

 

[James86]

Weak springs... It's a common issue.

The driver, fuel tank, and battery are all on the same side. That causes the drivers side springs to wear out faster.

Don't forget the transfer case is off-center for the driver's side front differential too

If you look at a lot of vehicles, they compensate by shifting the engine slightly off-center to account for always having a 150+ lbs person (being nice here lol) in the driver's side:

In a FWD, the (typically) cast iron engine is off to the passenger side while the smaller cast aluminum transmission is on driver's side.

That's how I always looked at it - I've seen it called "Ranger Lean" lol.

 

[James86]

When I had my T-bars cranked it pretty much went away, along with new rear springs, but my truck isn't exactly new, nor am I particularly light... I'd imagine if it bugged you enough you could adjust the torsion springs to even it out without lifting it. After 14 years, my front sagged almost 5" lower than the back stock springs.