Axle swap by myself - Am I insane?

[MojoWorkin]

OK, kids - I've finally sourced a rear-end for my 97 Ranger 4x4. It's sitting in the bed of the truck, and I think I've hatched an ingenious (or delusional) plan to do the swap all by my bad-backed self.

If I leave the wheels on and support the truck by the frame with the wheels barely touching the ground, I think I can then raise the truck and roll the whole shooting match out the back. The new one goes back in similar fashion, only reverse. Once it's loosely bolted together, I can then lift the wheels clear and finess things around before tightening. (I hope) This seems safer to me than the examples I've seen of jacking the axle up or down on each side.

Maybe (probably) this is not a new approach, but it's new to me, and I couldn't figure out how to search the internet for such a thing.

Thoughts?

 

[Roert42]

I did pretty much that when I did the one in my F-150, except I did it with the wheels off and slid it on the ground on the drums.

With jack stands on the frame I couldn't get the wheels off the ground because my stands where too short. I had to take the wheels off before I could let the suspension decompress.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Should work fine, I've manhandled my explorer 8.8 out by myself a couple times. 6 ton jack stands (or 12 ton are better, but expensive and I don't have a set yet) with some stacked 2x4's under them work to get some extra height. To be safer being high up, get all the tough bolts loose (just a turn or two so you're not jarring the thing with breaker bars or something, if using air/electric tools then not as big of a deal) before you get it jacked up.

 

[RonD]

Yes to the brake drums(with a couple of spacers and lug nuts to hold them on) or just rims, no tires, to move it out and in

If your jack stands can safely support rear high enough then leaving tires on is fine

 

[Shran]

You working in a shop or outside?

If you've got a nice smooth floor to work on, putting a couple of wheel dollies under the back wheels will help a LOT for side to side adjustments and moving the old one out/new one in. Transmission jack works good for putting them in with the wheels off too... I have done it both ways, they both work fine.

Be aware that putting your jack stands in front of the rear axle will make the vehicle significantly more unstable than putting them back by the bumper. There is a lot of weight hanging off the back when they're positioned in front of the axle

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

With a stock suspension and 31's the tires have to come off for me.


Assembly is reverse of disassembly.

Jack truck up as high as I dare with the jack under the diff. Put jackstands under frame ahead of forward rear spring mounts. Lower axle onto a second set of stands and remove bits that hold axle on springs (and brakes etc) to stabilize axle while you fight with it. Once it is free, lift axle, remove stands and lower axle.



Carefully roll axle out with jack under the diff.









I like the wheel dolly suggestion. Just plain wheels was very awkward to move around. Even with it on a jack, how I ended up doing it they pretty much just protected the rotors and really didn't help installation in any way.

 

[Shran]

I have a nice scar on the tip of my right middle finger from the time I tried balancing an axle on a jack. With two people it's no problem, it's very difficult to keep it from falling off the jack by yourself though. They like to rotate at the worst possible time.

 

[Curious Hound]

I did mine by myself and I ain't no spring chicken. 54 yrs old when I did it and I'll do it again if I do another project truck.

 

[racsan]

I did my axle swap-out with the bed off, truck was backed into the barn and I used a overhead hoist to hold up the back end. Rolled old axle out then “new” axle under. Had plain 14” wheels/tires on both axles. Used a floor jack one side at a time to raise axle to the spring pack. Having the bed off made things easier. (brake lines, drive shaft, shocks) Didnt pull bed just for the axle swap, needed to repair rusted frame and had a better bed to put back on, in fact it had no bed when I drove to pick up the new axle, I just threw a sheet of plywood on the frame with some eyebolts to hold plywood and give me a strap tie down. Not a flatbed fan but it worked.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Last axle swap i did was about 4 or 5 years ago swapping a 9 inch around in a 79 F150.

Its very doable by yourself