Should i swap my 7.5 out?

[Jnevrotski]

I have a 99 Ranger xl 3.0 Vulcan flex fuel 4wd torsion bar suspension, 4r44e transmission 112" wheel base 7.5 3.73 rear abs rear only and my speed/ abs sensor is in the rear. I upgraded my leaf springs from the 2&1 to a 4&1. Opening up my rear and seeing groves in the carrier from the pinion made me realize I'm buying some time with the bearing replacement. With the price of replacing the carrier and everything, then doing the work its cheaper to just buy an axle and swap it out. This was my 1st experience and lets say 3 times was a charm with shimming the carrier. Now should i go with an 8.8? I do roofing, and remodeling with it so it gets some weight at times. Is there an axle that has the sensor in the rear? What year axle can i just throw under the truck and jook up that dont have to be modified (if any)

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ranger axle from a 4.0 truck. Bolt-in swap. 98-like 2009-ish would be for sure. 1990-2009 would work. Just look for one with 3.73 gears at a junkyard. Or if you want deeper gears look for a 98-11 donor and take both axles

*edited the years to correct information

 

[pjtoledo]

skip the 2010-2011, they don't have the rear diff sensor and the axle shafts don't fit other Ranger housings.
do you tow much?
the 7.5 and 8.8 regular axles both use the same axle shafts and outer bearings. some 7.5 can be had with 10" drums.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Personally i dont see a reason to go with an 8.8 in your case

 

[bobbywalter]

with that powertrain i would never worry about the 7.5 doing normal driving....

you mentioned roofing. this is not normal driving...

if you are working anywhere near the level i worked.....i would rather the explorer. or if you are actually running 3k just get a 60.

they all can handle it in the short term.

your probably currently loading and working to the point of case deflection with the 7.5 and the explorer is a magnitude stronger in handling that. the ranger 8.8 is definitely better about deflection and tearing up bearings/spiders but lives with the same shaft/bearing limitations.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

with that powertrain i would never worry about the 7.5 doing normal driving....

you mentioned roofing. this is not normal driving...

if you are working anywhere near the level i worked.....i would rather the explorer. or if you are actually running 3k just get a 60.

they all can handle it in the short term.

your probably currently loading and working to the point of case deflection with the 7.5 and the explorer is a magnitude stronger in handling that. the ranger 8.8 is definitely better about deflection and tearing up bearings/spiders but lives with the same shaft/bearing limitations.

This is true. Explorer 8.8 isn’t exactly a bolt-in, but it’s stronger than the Ranger 8.8 rear which only has a slightly bigger ring & pinion over the 7.5 rear. My first Ranger I replaced the 7.5 with a Ranger 8.8 because the price was right and the 8.8 had limited slip which my 7.5 was open.

That all said, the Explorer 8.8 really just needs some bits cut off the axle tube and welded back in plus shock mounts added since it was spring under axle and the shocks mounted off the spring plates instead of the axle tube. If you can weld, it’s not a terrible swap to do.

 

[SenorNoob]

RuffStuff 8.8 31 spline simple swap kit and the hardest part it setting the axle level on stands, imo.

Put it on the stands and a jack under the pinion. Perched go directly above the old ones. I left the Explorer perches to have a flat surface for a jack or future attachments. You can use the Explorer original plates for the shock attachment if you want. (I think you have to have 2 of one side tho.)

 

[Mechrick]

IMO, swapping to an 8.8 isn't cost effective unless upgrading to 31 spline axles.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If you decided to change gear ratios don't forget to change the front to match.

IMO, swapping to an 8.8 isn't cost effective unless upgrading to 31 spline axles.

vs what, replacing his axle with another 7.5?

Nobody in any of the yard I frequent would charge more for a 8.8 than a 7.5.

 

[Shran]

How long did it take to tear up the 7.5? In terms of miles or years.

If you've gotten a lot of years out of the 7.5 then I would just run whatever you can find that's cheap and in good shape. If your choices are a clean 7.5 with fresh brakes or a nasty 8.8 that needs brakes, for the same price, then drop the 7.5 in it.

Now if you have torn up the 7.5 in short order, a Ranger 8.8 is not a huge upgrade... an Explorer 8.8 is much better if you can weld... but honestly if you are regularly carrying enough weight to cause a problem like this, a bigger truck might be a better choice.

 

[Mechrick]

vs what, replacing his axle with another 7.5?

The problem with the 8.8 Ranger axle upgrade is the weak point isn't the ring and pinion, but the 28 spline axles. It's similar to the Dana 44 in that an upgrade to a Dana 50 keeps the weak 30 spline axles.

Swapping to an 8.8 housing gets you halfway to a decent axle. At least at that point upgrading to an 8.8 carrier and axles gets you the rest of the way I guess...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The problem with the 8.8 Ranger axle upgrade is the weak point isn't the ring and pinion, but the 28 spline axles. It's similar to the Dana 44 in that an upgrade to a Dana 50 keeps the weak 30 spline axles.

Swapping to an 8.8 housing gets you halfway to a decent axle. At least at that point upgrading to an 8.8 carrier and axles gets you the rest of the way I guess...

The only real potential problem is if you have to rebuild the brakes, some may interchange with the 7.5 if it has good brakes I don't know.

Otherwise it is the same money to buy and the same work to put in.

 

[bobbywalter]

i specifically like my ranger because of its size. a modern ranger is stronger than any 1/2 ton in the 80s/90s. i built my main personal truck to roll with 7-8 k gvw because i hate towing.

it (chassis) has exceeded a million miles of brutality in a heavy work environment.

this was a long painful process of actual destruction during the 90s and 2000s.... swapping out a rear axle complete was a sub 1 hr job at one point on the side of the road.... this is how i know what case deflection is and why the explorer is a magnitude stronger then the ranger axles in regards to how long it will take an ass whoopin. i polished those turds for 15 years before i gave up.

this guy is on the more reasonable side of that from the sounds of it. so swapping whatever and go is a smart go. 7.5 or 8.8....if it fails in a year or so the explorer is a better idea...or like mentioned...bigger truck.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, as much as I love the Ranger platform… and I thrashed my first Ranger working it like an F-250 and being a dumb kid…

A bigger truck is better for bigger work. Period.

When I wrecked my first Ranger, I replaced it with my 95 F-150. 300 straight 6, manual transmission, 4x4, 8’ bed. I had to throw some upgrades at it like heavier suspension (one ton truck stuff) and a ZF5 manual because the M5OD wasn’t stout enough. That thing will work circles around a Ranger without breaking a sweat. It will show up newer trucks of its class too. Doesn’t do anything fast but I haven’t found anything it wouldn’t pull.

That said, the Ranger makes an awesome run-around and small projects rig.

 

[Mechrick]

a modern ranger is stronger than any 1/2 ton in the 80s/90s

I can agree with this statement except for Ford's choice for transmissions on the Ranger/Explorer platforms. I've seen fleet 2.3 trucks go 300k miles on the original engine, but all of them were on at least it's second transmission.

Ford's choice of the A4LD, 4R44 AND 5R55 transmissions wasn't the best one. Would've been neat to have a 4.2L/4R70W version of a Ranger, similar to a 4.3L/700R4 S10.