Mildest SAS.

[Broaner]

I'm interested in doing an SAS on my 95. So the minimum lift is 6"; correct? In order to get this 6" height which leafs would be best to use? I'm interested in using the shortest leafs possible so the front hangers don't have to be way out there. And then whats the best and max tire size to use with this combo? Would 36's work out fine with no rubbing for street use?

[zainyD]]

I would use a set of stock Wagoneer 7 leaf packs. I believe the are right around 46" eye to eye and should provide just enough lift for 35'-36's. Either the Waggy packs or a set of Rancho 44044's which would provide a bit more lift, perhaps more than you are looking for.

[Broaner]

Does 46" eye to eye result in less flex? What is the eye distance on Ranger rear leafs?

[4x4junkie]

Rear leafs are probably too long (they'd stick forward of the front bumper).

Why not use coils? Your truck is already set up for coils, it be easier than fabbing up all the new mounts needed for leaf springs (that and the ride quality will be far better too).

[chico4554]

yea it would be much easier to just use coils. Get some 3.5" early bronco lift coils for 6" of ranger lift. (assuming you have a supercab) more lift if its a regular cab.

[Broaner]

Not interested in coils. In my experience heims don't do well for daily street duty. I need something that is simple and reliable. I'm actually interested in less flex so whatever leaf will limit flex is what I'd like.

[JohnnyU]

Not interested in coils. In my experience heims don't do well for daily street duty. I need something that is simple and reliable. I'm actually interested in less flex so whatever leaf will limit flex is what I'd like.


If you dont want to run anything bigger than 36's and a 6" lift, nor are you wanting much suspension travel, why are you wanting to do the axle swap? I fail to follow your logic here, care to elaborate?

[dangeranger01]

If you dont want to run anything bigger than 36's and a 6" lift, nor are you wanting much suspension travel, why are you wanting to do the axle swap? I fail to follow your logic here, care to elaborate?

+1, get a cheap 6" lift for the TTB.

[zainyD]]

Perhaps he doesn't want to deal with all of the issues that come with the TTB.

[Ranger5.0]

TTB issues? the D35 is a prety stout axle.

[Toreadorranger]

Not interested in coils. In my experience heims don't do well for daily street duty. I need something that is simple and reliable. I'm actually interested in less flex so whatever leaf will limit flex is what I'd like.

So dont use heims. Use a Johnny joint or Flex joint. These are the types of joints that come on just about every off the shelf linked lift kit.

[dirtraider]

Not interested in coils. In my experience heims don't do well for daily street duty. I need something that is simple and reliable. I'm actually interested in less flex so whatever leaf will limit flex is what I'd like.

Thats the stupidest reason to swap in an axle i've ever heard. I have coils with no heims...if you don't want flex keep the TTB.


TTB issues? the D35 is a prety stout axle.

This statement is also dumb if you think the Dana 35 is a stout axle not only do you have no idea what you are talking about, you have never tried to do ANYTHING that resemebles serious wheeling.

Sure a FEW people on the board get by with TTB but they just like being different.

[Dusty_Ranger]

dirtraider dont be a asshole listen to wut Broaner has in mind it could be interesting and yes the danna 35 is a ok axel maybe some ppl like it its not up to you to be an ass and contradict wut ppl got to say so my advice to you is to shut up and listen to the full story and respect ppls views. have a good dog****ing day

[BlackBII]

dirtraider dont be a asshole listen to wut Broaner has in mind it could be interesting and yes the danna 35 is a ok axel maybe some ppl like it its not up to you to be an ass and contradict wut ppl got to say so my advice to you is to shut up and listen to the full story and respect ppls views. have a good dog****ing day

Nicely Put.

My D35 has held up to some serious shite.....

[Broaner]

Really, I don't know if an SAS is for me. This thread is more or less to determine that. Ultimately I'd like to have a very capable and versatile truck. Very capable to me means good in all weather conditions; I love going for a drive in a blizzard when most others don't dare and the occaisional off road adventure be it through snow or a simple trail. Hauling @ss down a dirt road is one of my favorite activites followed shortly by bombing through a field covered with two feet of snow. At this point this truck is my DD and its got a really straight body on it so I don't wanna go messing it up just yet on rocks or extremely technical trails with trees and such.

Currently I've got dead balljoints on the D35 and I'm debating with myself which route to go. I've already had my fair share of problems with the hubs, now the balljoints and I'm getting rather fed up with it. And thats only with 31's. My thinking is that anything larger will really take a beating on the front end with my driving habits. Also, I'm very hard on my brakes. I'm so used to having light cars with discs all around that the braking on this truck has me wishing for more. To help with that I'm gonna do an Explorer rear end.

So, my thinking for the SAS using a D44 is that everything that I've had problems with so far is beefier and will stand the abuse better. Am I correct in thinking this?

[Dusty_Ranger]

well its true u know everyone's all talking mutual respect but once in a while u get idoits that think there above everything like c'mon man lol it worked tho i hope i dont get reported lol

[dirtraider]

dirtraider dont be a asshole listen to wut Broaner has in mind it could be interesting and yes the danna 35 is a ok axel maybe some ppl like it its not up to you to be an ass and contradict wut ppl got to say so my advice to you is to shut up and listen to the full story and respect ppls views. have a good dog****ing day

Why don't you learn how to speak the english language before trying to tell me anything.

Nicely Put.

My D35 has held up to some serious shite.....

And i blew up my spider gears, axle shafts, 2 u joints, a set of stock hubs and a set of warn jeep hubs on blad 33's, open...whats your point?

Really, I don't know if an SAS is for me. This thread is more or less to determine that. Ultimately I'd like to have a very capable and versatile truck. Very capable to me means good in all weather conditions; I love going for a drive in a blizzard when most others don't dare and the occaisional off road adventure be it through snow or a simple trail. Hauling @ss down a dirt road is one of my favorite activites followed shortly by bombing through a field covered with two feet of snow. At this point this truck is my DD and its got a really straight body on it so I don't wanna go messing it up just yet on rocks or extremely technical trails with trees and such.

Currently I've got dead balljoints on the D35 and I'm debating with myself which route to go. I've already had my fair share of problems with the hubs, now the balljoints and I'm getting rather fed up with it. And thats only with 31's. My thinking is that anything larger will really take a beating on the front end with my driving habits. Also, I'm very hard on my brakes. I'm so used to having light cars with discs all around that the braking on this truck has me wishing for more. To help with that I'm gonna do an Explorer rear end.

So, my thinking for the SAS using a D44 is that everything that I've had problems with so far is beefier and will stand the abuse better. Am I correct in thinking this?

If thats what your looking for go SAS, as long as you are willing to put the money in to get everything right. You basically want the same shit i wanted out of mine and i haven't looked back.

[4x4junkie]

Uh-huh..., for years now I've watched people here over and over who broke something on their D35s go swapping to D44s thinking they're such a badass axle and whaddayaknow... they still break shit (yeah don't forget about yours too, dude). Kinda funny how that happens, most of the shit in a D44 is the exact same crap that's in the D35. :no2: You are hardly upgrading whether you think so or not.

Coming from someone who DOES do some fairly serious wheeling, I can also easily say straight up the Dana35 is a plenty stout axle (especially for someone who just simply wants to bomb down some trails occasionally or through some fields).


Really, I don't know if an SAS is for me. This thread is more or less to determine that. ...... So, my thinking for the SAS using a D44 is that everything that I've had problems with so far is beefier and will stand the abuse better. Am I correct in thinking this?

Well, sortof yes and no.
Have you read through this (http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29) post at the top here? Everything is pretty clearly explained about the D35 and where it can be upgraded (such as the hubs for example).

Although on the other hand, if you like stabbing the throttle to the floor and holding it there, then you'd probably be wasting your time with both the D35 OR a D44, you might want to consider something bigger still (D60 or maybe the AAM9.25" out of a late-model Dodge 2500).

[crbnunit]

I have a lot of offroad miles and some SERIOUS pounding on the d-35. Sure, I break stuff once and a while and it takes a bit of maint. to keep it alive but if I weren't doing really serious 4x4 work, I'd keep it. My biggest bitch is I can't keep the water out of the hubs/wheel bearings and I play submarine a lot up here! The Dana 35 is a tough little axle. If you treat it right, it will get you through some nasty stuff.

[dirtraider]

Uh-huh..., for years now I've watched people here over and over who broke something on their D35s go swapping to D44s thinking they're such a badass axle and whaddayaknow... they still break shit (yeah don't forget about yours too, dude). Kinda funny how that happens, most of the shit in a D44 is the exact same crap that's in the D35. :no2: You are hardly upgrading whether you think so or not.


I broke my 44 being stupid, doing something the first time out i'd NEVER attempt with my TTB shit plain and simple. Since then i've beat the living shit out of the 44 and it hasn't skipped a beat, ask some people who wheel with me i'm not easy on it at all.

I DD my truck on bias ply 36's with 5.13 and a welded rear, driven it 4+ hours to go wheeling (work is 60mile commute), followed trailered rigs all over trails (which i would have never done with the 35), destroied driveshafts, and yet it gets me home everytime. I haven't touched the wheelbearings/balljoints/hubs once other than checking on them when rotating my tires and they are still fine almost 2 years later. If you can honeslty say thats not ANY improvement over a dana35 then so be it, but theres no comparison in my eyes.

[littleredrangerhood]

I agree that the D35 is a pretty tough axle and is similar in strength to a solid D44. The D44 does have several advantages over a D35 TTB including better clearance, increased flex, better steering, etc. but I don't thing a increase in strength is necessarily one of them. However, the solid D44 does allow you to upgrade to alloy shafts but by the time you spend all that money to upgrade a D44 you might as well just bought a D60.

[BlackBII]

[QUOTE=dirtraider;71066]
And i blew up my spider gears, axle shafts, 2 u joints, a set of stock hubs and a set of warn jeep hubs on blad 33's, open...whats your point?
QUOTE]


Perhaps my point is that some people know when and how to use that pedal on the right, some do not....:icon_thumby:

[dangeranger01]

This is starting to get like pirate4x4 in this thread lol:stirthepot:

[4x4junkie]

I broke my 44 being stupid, doing something the first time out i'd NEVER attempt with my TTB shit plain and simple. Since then i've beat the living shit out of the 44 and it hasn't skipped a beat, ask some people who wheel with me i'm not easy on it at all.


But certainly you never broke your D35 by being stupid... :huh:
Although if it's working for you, then that's wonderful. It's not because you put some incredibly stronger axle under there though.

[JohnnyU]

This is starting to get like pirate4x4 in this thread lol:stirthepot:
You say that like it's a bad thing.




:nopityA:

[Broaner]

Dammit you guys aren't making this any easier. I feel like theres three chicks tuggin on my balls in different directions.

Short story to illustrate my driving style. Yesterday and last night was an awesome day for people like me that live in south central Wisconsin. It snowed over 9 inches all together yesterday here in Madison from 12PM to 1AM. It was pretty steady most of the day but really kicked up at about 11P. Being the crazy @ss that I am, I went out for a spin with a buddy at about 10:30P. I was awseome! Near whiteout conditions at times. I was bombing down every road I could find. Passed a couple cops doing about 65 in a 55 and they didn't even bother. My roost musta been 200ft long. Well after about 15 minutes of bombing down the completely covered and occasionally drifted roads I got bored. It was ditch running time. At first I was a bit timid and just ducked in a out of the ditches keeping speed up. But the snow was so fluffy that even in almost 2ft of ground cover my open diffed truck could easily push through. So I got a little bolder. I went for a really deep one with my buddy in the passenger seat hollerin the whole time. I was cooking through it pretty good with everything spinning with the go pedal pinned and at redline in 1st. All the sudden the motor bogged down to about 3k. I'm like, "Oh sh!t" and pull outta the ditch before it dies and we're stuck. I get to the nearest streetlight to check it. The entire front end is packed with snow and popping the hood reaveals a serious steaming pack throughout the engine bay. I know already why the motor bogged but I pull the air filter anyway. It is 99% covered with packed snow. Only one "fin" of the filter wasn't packed so the motor was breathing through that tiny restriction. Pics of this coming.

So, am I the type that would benefit from a 44 or do I need a 60?

[BlackBII]

Dammit you guys aren't making this any easier. I feel like theres three chicks tuggin on my balls in different directions.

Short story to illustrate my driving style. Yesterday and last night was an awesome day for people like me that live in south central Wisconsin. It snowed over 9 inches all together yesterday here in Madison from 12PM to 1AM. It was pretty steady most of the day but really kicked up at about 11P. Being the crazy @ss that I am, I went out for a spin with a buddy at about 10:30P. I was awseome! Near whiteout conditions at times. I was bombing down every road I could find. Passed a couple cops doing about 65 in a 55 and they didn't even bother. My roost musta been 200ft long. Well after about 15 minutes of bombing down the completely covered and occasionally drifted roads I got bored. It was ditch running time. At first I was a bit timid and just ducked in a out of the ditches keeping speed up. But the snow was so fluffy that even in almost 2ft of ground cover my open diffed truck could easily push through. So I got a little bolder. I went for a really deep one with my buddy in the passenger seat hollerin the whole time. I was cooking through it pretty good with everything spinning with the go pedal pinned and at redline in 1st. All the sudden the motor bogged down to about 3k. I'm like, "Oh sh!t" and pull outta the ditch before it dies and we're stuck. I get to the nearest streetlight to check it. The entire front end is packed with snow and popping the hood reaveals a serious steaming pack throughout the engine bay. I know already why the motor bogged but I pull the air filter anyway. It is 99% covered with packed snow. Only one "fin" of the filter wasn't packed so the motor was breathing through that tiny restriction. Pics of this coming.

So, am I the type that would benefit from a 44 or do I need a 60?



From that description, perhaps you should consider building a 'pre-runner' with some serious coilovers up front....It sounds like you want to go fast and 'bomb' the shit, not crawl the shit.....

[brendank69]

From that description, it sounds like you'd be more than fine with the D35. Hell, I'd probably do that type of 4x4ing with a D28.

You don't need to do an SAS to bomb through snow. That type of 4x4ing doesn't require a high strength frontend.

[F150hybred]

Personally, I'm thinking you should get a snowmobile and save the "wheelin" for the summer time.

[4x4junkie]

I agree, the D35 (or a 44) is pretty tolerant of snow abuse, although antics like that on dry, hard surfaces could call for having some beefier hardware under there (blasting past cops like that on the road is a bit reckless too, don't you think? :no2: ).

One sure-fire way to break almost any axle is to slam into a ditch with the throttle pinned and the tires spinning. The shockload from the spinning tires bouncing can easily strip gears, twist shafts & u-joints apart, bust driveshafts, t-case, you name it.


I'll also 2nd getting a snowmobile or ATV or something small that can better handle balls-out abuse.

[crbnunit]

I feel like theres three chicks tuggin on my balls in different directions.

Dude! You have three chicks. What are you bitching aobut? :rolleyes:

[littleredrangerhood]

I feel like theres three chicks tuggin on my balls in different directions.

Better than three dudes.:icon_rofl:

[Broaner]

I was kinda beginning to think that as well. The 35 has stood up to two years of my BS in stock form with 100k on it. With a nice service of every part it should do it again for another 5 years.

Reckless? Yes, but only endangering myself because there aren't any other crazy @ssholes out on the roads.

A nice small two up sled is in the works for next season. Looking to spend below $3k. ATV's lick my balls in any snow worth ****ing around in.

If anyone really worked three chicks you think I'd have time to do anything but keep them all happy?

[JohnnyU]

Reckless? Yes, but only endangering myself because there aren't any other crazy @ssholes out on the roads.


Quite the contrary; Emergency vehicles, DOT/County/Town trucks and private contractors are likely out trying to clear the snow. I'm not going to start in on that argument.....

[brendank69]

ATV's lick my balls in any snow worth ****ing around in.

Wanna bet?

[Broaner]

I've had my share of time on ATV's in the snow and it was less than impressive. A sled can do everything 10x better in the snow than any quad can do .

Also, I'll continue to hold my opinion that lettin loose for an hour during a viscious blizzard is not endangering others. I don't do it around other vehicles whether they be civilians, plows or emergency vehicles. A cop stting in a driveway waiting to get called somewhere is not being endangered by my "antics". Loosen up a bit. The best way to deal with winter is to embrace it.

Pics up of the latest snow adventure. She took it like a champ.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/2990000-2990999/2990060_3_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/2990000-2990999/2990060_4_full.jpg
At this point I'm keeping the D35 TTB but putting all new serviceable parts in and 4.56's with an Auburn. Gonna be buying that with my tax return. Anybody have a good list of all the parts that I should be replacing or upgrading while I'm in there?

[4x4junkie]

Anybody have a good list of all the parts that I should be replacing or upgrading while I'm in there?

Spicer balljoints (use the good ones... "Pro series" or something like that)
Spicer #5-760X axle u-joints (don't substitute anything else here, try to find specifically the Spicer 760s)
Warn "Jeep" hubs
Replace all seals

Also, do the full-circle clip mod on the u-joints.

Should keep you going for a little while anyway.

[4byRANGER]

either do a high clearance lift on the D35/D44 or put some 4wheels tracks.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i58/suzuki450/coolshot.jpg


Mattracks & Litefoot - All popular models of 4x4 vehicles catered for with additional adapters being added regularly. this is what you need!


http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i58/suzuki450/supatracks.jpg

[Born24wheel]

Another option instead of sas(which is a lot of work for just a daily driver) is to swap in a D44 TTB out of a 80-96 which is a lot beefier. Theres an article about this in the tech library. If its just ball joints that are the problem, those are relatively simple to replace with some buddies. If you do consider the sas though, i'd stay with coils, easier swap and nicer ride, especially haulin down a dirt road. Just my thoughts.

[mkpecor]

if your gunna flyin down roads in stuff, i would stay with coils. any thing you put in your rig can be broke.

[solid93x]

you also don't have to use heims or j joints, I'm using bushings. and it rides great.

[thoughtcriminal]

Really, I don't know if an SAS is for me. This thread is more or less to determine that. Ultimately I'd like to have a very capable and versatile truck. Very capable to me means good in all weather conditions; I love going for a drive in a blizzard when most others don't dare and the occaisional off road adventure be it through snow or a simple trail. Hauling @ss down a dirt road is one of my favorite activites followed shortly by bombing through a field covered with two feet of snow. At this point this truck is my DD and its got a really straight body on it so I don't wanna go messing it up just yet on rocks or extremely technical trails with trees and such.

So, my thinking for the SAS using a D44 is that everything that I've had problems with so far is beefier and will stand the abuse better. Am I correct in thinking this?

sounds like your wants are really just a locker, some performance shocks/springs and some better tires.
A solid axle will not help your grip in snow.
And if you want to do a lot of high speed field bombing, sas is a BAD idea. There is a reason desert racers use independent suspension setups rather than solid axles.

Yes, a D44 is beefier internally. so its gonna hold up better with larger tires. but you still don't want to run huge tires on it (36s would probably be ok if you don't slam on the gas a lot)

[alaskan155]

wonder what he has done to his truck in 7 months....