Poll: Which is better??

[Todd]

If going 40ish tires sterling.

Weld the carrier. With 5.XX gears you will like the bigger pinion of the sterling on comparison to the 9".

I love sterlings, shafts are stronger then 14 bolt by Randie's specs and more clearance then a 14!

 

[Maverick]

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

So the real question is do you want to spend $2500 or $500?

 

[RangerSVT]

Neither, where I shop, the price of either axle housing is the same, and I can build either one for less than $500...
I was thinking the 9" center cause of the third pinion support, max ground clearance, and the cheap availability of a spool. If for whatever reason I wanted to go back to open I could change carriers rather than source another due to it being welded. Now I can't argue that the lincoln locker is the most cost effective way to spool any axle (which is why I'm now thinking the sterling). I am narrowing the axle, which will in turn make it slightly stronger as the tubes and shafts won't have as long of a torsional twist to them, which also brings up that either axle I choose I will have to fab. 538's is what I'm looking at, since this is my limit of choice at this point...
SVT

 

[Maverick]

If you can build that 9" for $500, you must already have nearly all the parts...

Yes the 9" will have better clearance, but you can shave a 10.25 and have nearly the same clearance. Like previously mentioned, the third pinion support on a 9" is needed, where as the 10.25 it is not because of pinion size and proper bearing placement.

 

[86 slo-vo]

you cant build a 9in the right way for $500...

go sterling, gears weld it up and done... K.I.S.S. principle is in order