How big is Too big?

[85_Ranger4x4]

I change the bearings when I change the rotors, they are pretty cheap, too cheap to beat out the old race and beat it into a new rotor... and while you are there you might as well put new cones for an extra $20-30 a side in it too.

If I hadn't had a rubber brake line go check-valve on me and lock up a front brake I doubt I would have changed them yet.

 

[PlumCrazy]

The races that come with the rotors are junk.

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[3.0ranger1227]

37s on an RBV is turning into normal for the race trucks... Getting insane. Of course the guy running beams with peterbilt spindles on 42s on a SCSB T100 is pretty nuts too.

 

[4x4junkie]

The races that come with the rotors are junk.

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Yep
It only takes maybe 5 minutes to punch those POS china crap races out of a rotor and set in decent-quality ones.
I would hope someone who buys a quality bearing set (Timken SET-37) isn't just discarding their USA-made races in the trash and using only the cones...

This one is just as baffling to me as the too-short drop pitman arms that come with suspension lift kits, yet it affects far more consumers. WTF's hair-brained idea is it to supply one part of a matched assembly without providing the other parts? It is no different than trying to use a USA-Standard pinion gear with a Ford ring gear.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

No but if I fry a rotor and am not going to salvage the races out of the old one...

 

[AgPete139]

Junkie, I have slotted and drilled rotors from some American company (forgot name, dunno where they source parts). I replaced them with National, so that could be my problem. Then again, I have 35's with a 4" offset, so that could contribute, too. Dunno. I figured replacing bearings after wheeling a dozen times a year and DD-ing is normal. Oh well, a 44 HP is replacing it anyways. Your preload is finger tight only on your D44?

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[PlumCrazy]

I go just hand tight then back a tick, when you torque the outer nut the inner will turn a smidge.

I also build up the tab on the lock ring with weld and file it square to keep it from following a thread around.

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[4x4junkie]

Junkie, I have slotted and drilled rotors from some American company (forgot name, dunno where they source parts). I replaced them with National, so that could be my problem. Then again, I have 35's with a 4" offset, so that could contribute, too. Dunno. I figured replacing bearings after wheeling a dozen times a year and DD-ing is normal. Oh well, a 44 HP is replacing it anyways. Your preload is finger tight only on your D44?

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National bearings I believe should be decent also (not sure if they have different grade ones, whatever their better one is that is USA-made, if so).

I would assume you meant 4" backspacing on your wheels? If you did infact mean 4" offset, then for sure that's your problem (my wheels are -½" offset IIRC, 15x8" w/3.75" BS).

Yes, the inner nut (preload) is finger-tight (I use the socket by hand on my D44 only because the nuts aren't right there exposed like they are on the D35). Like Plum said, it usually turns just a slight bit further when you crank the outer nut down, as well as it gets forced inward the distance of the clearance within the nut's threads (so it's not like there's no preload at all on it).

 

[craveman85]

Back in the day 2" lift and 31's was the norm and could do almost anything you needed to.

 

[JackDW]

My daughter is currently using the ranger for driving back and forth to school and work. Was thinking about going bigger but since it is mostly used for highway driving, remained with 31s. Do not want to pay the extra gas to push the bigger tires down the highway.

Bottom line, how are you are using your truck determines how big is too big.

 

[Will]

Depends on the axles, obviously, but you can go a lot more places on the same tires with a short wheelbase. A B2 on 31s is better than a Ranger on 33s. A B2 on 35s is a video game. A D35 can be made to survive a 4.0 with 35s with a lot of yoke clearancing and grinding in the beam window. Nothing larger than 35s is going to survive on a Ranger front axle for long. I've been hit by exploding lockouts before as a bystander. It's critical to work the axle shaft yokes and axle beam window--Ford didn't know we were going to be asking 15"+ out of their suspension. Many breaks, especially when using good joints and lockouts, come from binding of the yokes and the shaft jamming up into the beam window.