Poll: Which is better??

[RangerSVT]

This poll is about the center section of a 9" or a Ford 10.5" Both axleshafts will be the same, 35 spline full floaters, same length. Only variable is the centers, which would you choose and why??
SVT

 

[4x4junkie]

9" might have better clearance, but the 10.5" is a buttload stronger. I guess it would depend on tire size (>40", 10.5" for sure)

 

[RangerSVT]

Rock crawler, DTT (drive to trails), some mud, rear will be spooled, 40+ tires, 5.xx gears
SVT

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Like I have said before and quoted from a unknown source...."If you break a 10.5 you should apologize to your truck!"

 

[CHKNFKR]

9" for ease of service. Especially if you run them front and rear. Just think, if you should happen to shear a pinion shaft (i've seen it happen on rockwells) or rip the ring gear from the carrier, just drop a spare third member in there and drive on.

Not sure if its applicable but my uncle is using a 9" is his s10 he's building as a drag car he'll dd. He's putting one third together open with 3.73s, for dding, and one 4.88 spooled for the strip.

 

[RangerSVT]

Just did some research and to my knowledge a spool is not available for a 10.25/10.5 Ford, and I'm not shelling out $670 for a Detroit Locker, so it looks like I'm going 9"...
SVT

 

[Surrey]

Just did some research and to my knowledge a spool is not available for a 10.25/10.5 Ford, and I'm not shelling out $670 for a Detroit Locker, so it looks like I'm going 9"...
SVT

Isn't that what Gwaii runs??
Although I think his might be welded...

 

[wahlstrom1]

Third bearing on a 9" takes the pinion deflection away that a sterling would have. Under constant stress (towing) I'd take the sterling but for a wheeler the 9" center rules, hands down.

 

[RangerSVT]

Third bearing on a 9" takes the pinion deflection away that a sterling would have. Under constant stress (towing) I'd take the sterling but for a wheeler the 9" center rules, hands down.

Thats what I was thinking, Andrew...It really won't see any more towing duties since I have a new to me tow rig...
SVT

 

[Maverick]

A 9" won't be happy with 40"+ tires without some serious upgrades (as in everything). You will easily have $1200+ into a just a third member, not including axles and bracing or replacing the stock housing. For what you want these items are a must:

Aftermarket (not factory Ford) nodular iron center section with at least the 3.062 bearings.
Daytona pinion support.
Chromoly axles.
Heavily braced factory or aftermarket housing.
Minimum of 1350 billet yoke.

A full floater set up would even be better. I have flat destroyed a stock 31 spline 9" with 35" tires, to the point that even the housing got screwed up and was not salvageable. Said 9" was destroyed in the mud too, not on rocks were you have way more traction.

So you can spend all that money on a 9" and have a little better ground clearance and 100 lbs or so less weight. Or you could pick up a sterling for next to nothing or free, weld the spiders, gear it and forget about it.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

With 40+" tires ground clearance is hardly an issue. Go with the Sterling.

 

[4x4junkie]

I think pinion deflection in a 10.5" should be the last of your worries when the pinion shaft is just short of a whopping 2" in diameter (take a look at the pinion shaft and bearing placement on a 9". There's a very good reason it requires that nose bearing).

I have to agree, a Lincoln Locked Sterling is completely in order here. Gears as deep as 5.38:1 are available for it.

 

[RangerSVT]

A 9" won't be happy with 40"+ tires without some serious upgrades (as in everything). You will easily have $1200+ into a just a third member, not including axles and bracing or replacing the stock housing. For what you want these items are a must:

Aftermarket (not factory Ford) nodular iron center section with at least the 3.062 bearings.
Daytona pinion support.
Chromoly axles.
Heavily braced factory or aftermarket housing.
Minimum of 1350 billet yoke.

A full floater set up would even be better. I have flat destroyed a stock 31 spline 9" with 35" tires, to the point that even the housing got screwed up and was not salvageable. Said 9" was destroyed in the mud too, not on rocks were you have way more traction.

So you can spend all that money on a 9" and have a little better ground clearance and 100 lbs or so less weight. Or you could pick up a sterling for next to nothing or free, weld the spiders, gear it and forget about it.

Refer to post #1. It will be setup as a full floater axle, it will have 35 spline full float axle shafts (which will require the 3.250 bearing 3rd member), 1350 yoke is the biggest you can get for a 9" ( I wanted a 1410 or 1480), and the minimum carrier I was planning to get was a nodular. I am thinking about the sterling route though (now)...
SVT

 

[bobbywalter]

this has to be task specific.


if there is any reason to even consider a 10.5 a 9 inch isnt even an option.


if your thinking of a 4x4 situation then a 9 in is stupid when the dana 60 floaters are falling out of the sky for next to nothing comparatively. a disk unit from a later van is a no brainer right?

those are 75-125 bux where i shop.

i have not seen a usable 9 in in that yard in 7-8 years.

so what you want to do and what is most available and cost effective where you live seems to be the rule on this.....well.....fawg any rules anyway...

you know what i mean?


question does not compute in my tiny little mind

 

[Surrey]

Someone around here was getting rid of his 9" because he was sick and tired of finding parts for it...

He was asking us whether he should downgrade to 8.8 or upgrade to 10.5... but his application was for much smaller tires I think.