Some weekend flex

[Blown]

I'll be Mr. Obvious Don't forget the D44 carrier is all around bigger and stronger as are the gearz.

I didn't have heavy Broncs. Ok well a bit more than 4,000lbs but not heavy for a Bronco. As for power well

My other relatively light Bronco:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The D35's weakest spot is the crosses, problems with the diff itself are uncommon. The 44 diff is stronger but the d35 diff isn't the weakest link for it to be an issue.

My Ranger (V8, Ex 8.8/springs, 31's, grille guard, rollbar, bedliner, front bumper, full tank of gas, receiver hitch...) weighs 4k on the nose with me in it.

 

[Blown]

I saw them break on two occasions, them there d35 gears sets or carriers got crunched on 4 rated rock crawlin' trails here in Crawlorado. In light jeeps of all things. Depends on where you want to go with it as well.

 

[Blown]

Sorry to unofficially hijack this here thread.

Officially it is Time!
"Rumble in the Rocks"
In this corner yerrrrrrrr Dana 35!

Kidding OK, no, yes the 35 is probably adequate in most circumcisions till you drop in a V8 or blow or turbo yer V6 an try to run a 35 or better on a 4 rated rock trail, maybe? At that point I want the Dana 44, aftermarket carrier, better u-joints, axles and manual locking hubs.

 

[Kirby N.]

The D35's weakest spot is the crosses, problems with the diff itself are uncommon. The 44 diff is stronger but the d35 diff isn't the weakest link for it to be an issue. it.

I disagree. I would say it is the wheel bearings, steering and the hubs. I had issues with those. But that isn't the biggest reason to ditch the ttb- it's the wheel travel. I had a long travel 35. The solid axle is so much better. In the rocks and on the highway.

I know, I know, it is much easier to believe your ttb is better. It requires less work than a sas and it doesn't mean all your work up until this point has been a waste. I get it. I was there. But my experience says different and what is worse, is that you are steering people to make the same mistake you did. Putting 44 outers on a 35 doesn't fix it, it will still be ttb. And it will then be a ttb you invested more time and money in so you are more buried in. In my experience a solid axle has less moving parts, travels better, handles better, drives and works better. So guys can post up picks of ttb traveling, but it is obvious the ttb is being forced to travel because of the terrain or the rear is maxed out. I used to have ttb that I could get travel pictures of if I got it in the right spot. However, most of the time on the trail (and on the street for that matter) it was a liability that I had to pick lines and compensate for. My sas trucks both have the front axle as an asset. I don't drive into obstacles thinking about how the front will handle it until the rear gets there and soaks it up. With a solid front end my front is an asset and I drive into obstacles using it as an advantage to set me up for the next one.

It's a hard perspective to have without driving a truck with a modded ttb and after as sas.

Ok I am ready- flame on. I have met blown and disagreed with him on a few occasions- but this one he is right on.


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[4x4junkie]

I've owned and have driven many a straight axle vehicle, many a TTB vehicle, as well as many an A-arm IFS vehicle. Unless I was building an all-out dedicated tube truggy crawler, I would never consider swapping a straight axle in place of a TTB, period (and even then I'd be tempted to keep a TTB on that too... no doubt I would if there had been a TTB version of the D60). Straight axles beat you up driving over bumpy and/or washboarded roads, and have a much more fatiguing ride on the highway.

Myself and many others have posted in great depth on this forum and on many others about how to build and modify TTB suspensions not just for go-fast use, but crawling too (as well as submitted detailed articles for the Tech Library here too). It's not like the information isn't out there if you were to do a search for it... I've had my TTB rig on 35s over many many 4+ rated trails (and have been doing it for many years too), the pics are right there on my BII page for anyone who needs proof.

So I would say to the OP, have a look around, use the search box, ask questions if need be. It appears you may already have all the prerequisites for a great reliable wheeling rig, you probably just need to do a little fine-tuning on it is all.



2¢


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[Kirby N.]

I've owned and have driven many a straight axle vehicle, many a TTB vehicle, as well as many an A-arm IFS vehicle. Unless I was building an all-out dedicated tube truggy crawler, I would never consider swapping a straight axle in place of a TTB, period (and even then I'd be tempted to keep a TTB on that too... no doubt I would if there had been a TTB version of the D60). Straight axles beat you up driving over bumpy and/or washboarded roads, and have a much more fatiguing ride on the highway.



Myself and many others have posted in great depth on this forum and on many others about how to build and modify TTB suspensions not just for go-fast use, but crawling too (as well as submitted detailed articles for the Tech Library here too). It's not like the information isn't out there if you were to do a search for it... I've had my TTB rig on 35s over many many 4+ rated trails (and have been doing it for many years too), the pics are right there on my BII page for anyone who needs proof. 2¢





.

Yep. I read them. I think most of them are written by you. I like your b2. I think it would work a ton better if you sas'd it. This whole idea of the front opposite wheels working together with opposite forces is something you will never have on a ttb rig. Blown tried to describe it. It can't be understated how big of a deal it is. Even with super soft cherokee springs, you can't get the same travel and stability.

FYI my sas rig drives better than stock on the hwy and certainly better than my modified ttb exploder did. It doesn't beat me up. My ranger has as much body as yours and is sprung and dampened nicely and the bumps soak up excellent. I will say my ttb wasn't as highly modified as yours at any point ( maybe I wised up sooner?).

To the original poster- your truck is rad. I love the walkers and the creepys. I wouldn't sink anymore time or money on the ttb- Stay on track with your plan and sas the thing next summer. You won't be disappointed.



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[4x4junkie]

I like your b2. I think it would work a ton better if you sas'd it.

Thanks for the compliment.
However I seem able to get around just as good or better than the similarly-built Jeeps I'm invariably trailing with (which all have straight axles, BTW), I've noticed little difference in capability between it and the other SA rigs I've driven myself too. So how much room could there possibly be to improve it?
If I struggle on something, almost invariably they (a CJ, TJ, or YJ) struggle there the same or worse (Toyotas and 4-door JKs seem to be on a more similar playing field, yet they're considerably longer wheelbase too). Of course finding of the right line plays a role too.

Perhaps part of why it works as well as it does is the over-the-frame limit cable I put on it. When one side drops down, it pulls the other side up, so in effect it is the same thing as the forced articulation you have on a straight beam axle. However I did wheel it for a couple years before putting the cable on and didn't notice much more than a subtle difference in that aspect... The bigger difference was it keeping the suspension from unloading on climbs and throwing more weight onto the rear.

The TTB rides real nice when I'm doing things other than rock crawling (driving the trails of Death Valley and other national parks for example). It's turning radius is also several feet tighter than any similar-wheelbase SA rig I've seen. I'm not about to give either of those up if I'm not having any trouble elsewhere.

 

[Blown]

Try dropping one front wheel at an angle off a 2' plus ledge. TTB drops or hangs and the spring is the only thing there to catch you as the vehicle weight and body rolls towards the dropping wheel. A solid axle will articulate, as the wheel drops it is forced down as much as the high side is stuffed up. It is much more stable landing and you get much less body roll and your shorts stay clean.

I give TTB the advantage in go fast for the opposite reasons. The front right hits a bump and it isn't tied directly into the left side as a solid axle is. The bump does not effect the left much and it keeps tracking.

I like both suspension styles for different reasons, peace baby, peace.

 

[4x4junkie]

Try dropping one front wheel at an angle off a 2' plus ledge.

You mean just like this?

And like what took place here?

And here?

(and the other hundreds of times that I didn't get pics?)

Completely stable going down each of those.
.

 

[Blown]

I didn't say you can't with TTB. I rocked TTB too, but I prefer the greater amount of travel and forced articulation of the solid axles I ran. I think we really agree on all but the most difficult rock trails and those were the trails I went after and what I built for. A good TTB set-up would likely do even the most difficult trails but your line would maybe change to support it and it would be more tippy in the worst spots. TTB wouldn't support a large enough tire to do the hardest of trails.

In your first pic the vehicle is held upright by the fact that the drivers rear wheel is stuffed. In your second pic, I would like to see the drivers as it dropped off the ledge and how far the vehicle tilted vs a simialrly equipped rig with a solid axle. On bigger ledges than you show, I have had TTB hanging and gone back to the same trail after my SAS and wow, that forced articulation would press that wheel down firmly making contact vs hanging. Where a wheel would lift it was solidly there as the other side was forced up. When you land on that wheel, it is much more solid than TTB which only has the spring to catch you and not the force across the solid axle pressing down. I can't explain it any better.

Biggest thing is to enjoy, run what you brung and have fun. If I had not moved from Arizona to Crawlorado, I would still be riding TTB as I would have rocked less. I don't think there is a better independent front axle in any production 4X4 for the time. It was revisited by the rock crawlers for King of the Hammers, a go fast and rock event. I have lost track but it may still be in use at the Hammers as it probably is in desert racing.

I'll also add that just crawling to me is not as fun as a milder, scenic trail with a bike, hike, fishing, shooting, and camping. Maybe you don't need to build more for what you want to do.

 

[4x4junkie]

It sounds like your experience was with hard-core rock-buggy type terrain, which was the very thing I made a possible exception for in my 1st post in this thread.
The rig you posted earlier is indeed classifiable as a "truggy" (part the truck it originally was, part rock buggy). The OP's looks nothing of the sort, it appears mostly original other than lift, tires, and some fender trimming, and is in nice clean shape (I suspect he wants to keep it streetable, though maybe he should clarify).

My wheeling is more about going places, camping along the way as needed, doing a little hiking, etc. enjoying the outdoors ("overlanding" seems to be the new trendy word newbies are using to describe it). I've been to Johnson Valley... It was fun at first, but got boring after a bit only because you're not really "going anywhere", all the trails have basically the same scenery, and each trail lets out right about the same area where you went in. It's more of a rock crawler's playground than anything else.


Anyway, good discussion.
I've wanted to get out to Colorado for some time (same for Moab). Seen plenty of technical yet very scenic trails from both, yet taking a couple weeks to travel the Trans-American Trail has perked my interest as well.
Do you have any pics of the TTB setup you were running?

 

[Blown]

I may be able to dig-up some pics, but I ran Rancho Extended and bent RA's, TTB drop brackets, 6" BDS springs, SuperRunner steering with tie rods over the knuckles. The steering was in line with the beams. It had no bump steer, road nicely and tracked well. I made my own limiting cables. I learned how to align it myself with caster camber bushings.

 

[Kirby N.]

Your cable setup is interesting. You are buried in that thing though, dude. So it makes sense that you cling to it I suppose.

I will still say despite all your work, blown is right. It travels when it is forced. Your cable only works sometimes too. What about when you drive up to an obstacle and the front deflects or one side compresses and the other does nothing? It doesn't force the other side to droop. It only works when one side droops- which isn't the ttbs strong point. I would think it wouldn't be as efficient at effecting the other side when it does as a solid axle. I am intrigued by it though. How much did it affect things when you added the cable?

Anyway, I do dig your rig, and I do think your ttb works as good as a ttb could. I also still think a solid axle would work better. In my experience I was so blown away I wished I would have bit the bullet years sooner. I would have saved money and time. That's all I am getting at. Just trying to keep guys from spending years and dollars on something that will never work as well a solid axle would have in the first place.

My rig is clean with 35s. It went from bone stock to sas. I drive it every day and on the trail to camping spots and also to haul dirtbikes and sheet rock. I like to drive my rig to the trails (no trailer) and I like the scenic ones. I am over trying the roughest stuff around here. My exploder did it and looked like a crinkled pop can. I want to keep this one looking presentable.


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[Mightyfordranger]

That's what you use the ranger for to tow the little sammy for hard trails that beat the piss outta stuff and if it breaks o well who cares lol