welding the front diff

[built2bashranger]

has any one done this on the stock front end if so how did it effect the steering, do the axle shafts hold up???? if i am thinking right if i leave one hub unlocked it wuld be like a open diff right???

thanks marcus

 

[philzilla]

an open diff with constantly wearing out hubs ? are you driving it on street

 

[bobbywalter]

unlocking one hub can allow easier steering as long as your in 2wd your fine on the trail


but under power with one locked in is a different story as one shaft is getting all the power available to the front. it can cause rapid breakage with stuck twisted splines in the lil 23 spline front diff. pia to get the lil suckers out.

in a d28 its moot.

with those just weld it up and a few sets of shafts welded up and run em till there done.


or just do a brake controller mod to stop the spinning wheel. works good in trail applications but not too good in mud bogs.

 

[built2bashranger]

unlocking one hub can allow easier steering as long as your in 2wd your fine on the trail


but under power with one locked in is a different story as one shaft is getting all the power available to the front. it can cause rapid breakage with stuck twisted splines in the lil 23 spline front diff. pia to get the lil suckers out.

in a d28 its moot.

with those just weld it up and a few sets of shafts welded up and run em till there done.


or just do a brake controller mod to stop the spinning wheel. works good in trail applications but not too good in mud bogs.

mostly trail drivin now and then a trip on the street but not much

what is the brake controller and how do you do it???

 

[built2bashranger]

unlocking one hub can allow easier steering as long as your in 2wd your fine on the trail


but under power with one locked in is a different story as one shaft is getting all the power available to the front. it can cause rapid breakage with stuck twisted splines in the lil 23 spline front diff. pia to get the lil suckers out.

in a d28 its moot.

with those just weld it up and a few sets of shafts welded up and run em till there done.


or just do a brake controller mod to stop the spinning wheel. works good in trail applications but not too good in mud bogs.

what did you mean by this how is it done ***with those just weld it up and a few sets of shafts welded up and run em till there done***

 

[Jspafford]

He means there is no point putting a lot of money into a D28. It will not last long if used the way you plan to.

 

[Hahnsb2]

A D28 will not last 10 minutes welded.

 

[built2bashranger]

unlocking one hub can allow easier steering as long as your in 2wd your fine on the trail


but under power with one locked in is a different story as one shaft is getting all the power available to the front. it can cause rapid breakage with stuck twisted splines in the lil 23 spline front diff. pia to get the lil suckers out.

in a d28 its moot.

with those just weld it up and a few sets of shafts welded up and run em till there done.


or just do a brake controller mod to stop the spinning wheel. works good in trail applications but not too good in mud bogs.

what is a brake controller mod and how do you do it??

thanks
marcus

 

[Dishtowel]

what is a brake controller mod and how do you do it??

thanks
marcus

Have you ever heard of a "line lock"?
I THINK... It is about putting valving in your brake lines, so when you are on the trail and one tire is spining you adjust your valves so to apply the brakes to that tire, thus engaging the other tire to help you out.

I dont know how to do it, neither am I interested.

 

[Loanranger]

has any one done this on the stock front end if so how did it effect the steering, do the axle shafts hold up???? if i am thinking right if i leave one hub unlocked it wuld be like a open diff right???

thanks marcus

I have no experience welding the d28, but have welded the front samurai gears and powered it with a 2.3 ranger motor, and it has held up fine. (for now) As for how it will affect steering, it will affect it greatly. It will essentially cut your turning radius in half. There is really no more effort lock to lock, you'll just be dragging the inside tire in turns. It's bearable, just get used to 2 and 3 point turns out on the trail on 180 degree switchbacks.
As far as the shafts holding up, the samurai shafts are a little smaller than a d28 shaft, and I haven't broken one YET. The thing about it is, with both ends locked up, you shouldn't be spinning wildly where you used to with open diffs. It will allow the truck to walk over things that used to leave you spinning wildly. Since welding the front, I have only been in a position where I needed wheelspin about twice, and both were on straight shots, uphill, on slick rock.
Your thinking on the leaving one hub unlocked is a little off, I thought that too for the first 2 seconds out on the trail, and locked it back in and decided to live with multi point turns. The thing about it is, an open diff is exactly that, it differentiates between both tires, sometimes when you need it to, and sometimes not. But with a welded diff, and one hub unlocked, you are guaranteed that the unlocked side will never help you when you need it. Basically, open diffed, you have a 50/50 chance of the tire you need traction on giving you traction, with it welded and hub unlocked, you have 0% chance of that tire giving you traction when you need it, unless you stop, get out, and lock in the hub.

All this aside, I say grab a few spare shafts, weld up the gears, leave both hubs locked in, (might want to grab a few spare hubs too) and get really good at working on the front end. Sometimes the fear of breaking stuff is just what you need to go a little easier on things, and work on driver skill rather than just going out and beating on your truck.

 

[Evan]

I know Cheapthrill ran a locked D28 without many problems. If you have a smaller engine behind it, and go easy when the wheels are cut you can run a 28 locked.

 

[raiper]

I had a TTB35 welded up in the front of my B2 powered by a 4.0. Got stuck in a creek, started to attempt me to get unstuck and swing the rear around into the creek, grenaded both hubs instantly. mind you i was stuck pretty well. if you keep it easy you shouldnt have a problem, but carry a few extra hubs with ya

 

[built2bashranger]

thanks for the info been alot of help

marcus

 

[mkpecor]

x2 if u are out there beating on it then your going to snap a shaft, but if you take it slow then it could last for ever. its all on on how you use the skiny peadle.

 

[Evan]

It will essentially cut your turning radius in half.

Maybe on some trucks it would, but not on an RBV. I have run open, welded, and lunchboxed on my truck. You can notice a difference when you weld the front, but it still turns quite well. Even locked I was able to turn better than most full-size rigs that were open, due to the great stock turning radius of an RBV and my short wheelbase.

I can say for sure that turning radius is not a worry when it comes to welding the front of an RBV. Yes, it's affected but the truck will still turn fine.