TTB front axles

[87Bronco2Ark]

I would like some information on the TTB AXLE JUST some pros and cons. I know nothing about them thank

 

[bobbywalter]

google



ttb pro.....if the one you have works..... it works.


ttb con. if the one you have is broke. you have to find parts.
ttb con. good luck.

 

[bobbywalter]

looks like the cons have it


somebody.































stop me

 

[87Bronco2Ark]

I don't want write ups about them that some one who has never had them did I want experienced people's advice that why I joins the forum but I see Google would have been more helpful

 

[bobbywalter]

i thought someone would stop me like 4x4junkie...


dont be mad. i do have some extensive experience thru the ranges of the capacity they have.

there are some ok pictures of my old set up here

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ford/1097826-ttb-crawlers-multipurpose.html




i dont remember all of the places on this site. but there is a metric shit ton of work here to explore


my truck is primarily a work truck and gets the holy living hell flogged out of it on a near daily basis for 15 years of the 20 plus i been driving it....not a simple commuter car like so many use thier trucks for.

i never meant to insult you, i actually though one of the other guys would pick it up and start a proper dialog.

 

[adsm08]

You waited 3.5 hours before giving up.

TTB pros, they are stronger than the IFS. The parts are a lot cheaper than IFS ($24 for wheel bearings per side, instead of $150).

Cons, they hard parts are getting hard to find, repairs like ball joints and rotors are more in depth because more stuff has to come apart, they are older and so more likely to be rusted up/have stuff stuck, it's not good for the U-joins to leave the hubs locked in, getting it aligned can be a bit tricky, and if you can't wait more than a few hours over time that people are usually at work or having dinner/family time for a comprehensive answer you probably don't have the patience to work on one.


Looks like the cons have a longer list, but I have been driving TTB vehicles since I started driving, and I work on the IFS ones all day, and I would rather have the TTB. It's the only place I want to design that makes more work for me when it breaks.

 

[87Bronco2Ark]

That was directed only at bobbywalter

 

[bobbywalter]

That was directed only at bobbywalter

and i deserved it, so again i am sorry for being a smart ass, the 1st post had me suspicious of trolling due to another thread.

the link i posted above runs through the extreme end of the capacity for the non welding diy side.


and like adsm08, i far and away prefer the ttb over the sla. not that the sla can not be vastly improved with some junkyard scrounging.

 

[adsm08]

and i deserved it,

As usual.

so again i am sorry for being a smart ass

But it's just not TRS it SOMEONE isn't being a smart ass.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I pitch in. I have limited experience compared to bobby or adsm but I've studied and driven a bit.
Pros;
great for long travel front suspensions.
great for jumping.
good ride characteristics for a truck.
Cons;
NOT good for hard cornering, they like to jack up in a left/right/left manuever.
Getting harder to find, they've been out of production for quite awhile.
Harder to understand how they work.

There's some very knowledgeable people on this site that have taken the time to write up some articles about the TTB. Check the "Tech Section" at the top of the page in the blue header bar. Also check out the magazine;
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/index.htm
and the stickys at the top of every sub-forum.

 

[87Bronco2Ark]

It ok man I was just letting adsm08 know I wasn't griping about TRS I am a new member and that was the first response I got and was a lol ticked of but thanks for the apology bobbywalter

 

[SenorNoob]

there are some ok pictures of my old set up here

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ford/1097826-ttb-crawlers-multipurpose.html

Is there a detailed listing of what you used for steering in those pics? It looks damn near perfect for me..

 

[4x4junkie]

i thought someone would stop me like 4x4junkie...

I guess the humor must've somehow went over my head

Though I do agree a LOT of information is available by reading the sticky posts around the forum here (also the Tech Library).

But to answer the OP's post, I've wheeled trucks with all 3 suspension types (TTB, SA, SLA-IFS) over the last 2 decades, so here are pros & cons specifically of the TTB I've observed...


Pros:
Nice ride & handling (when set up properly),

Strong/durable in stock form (excepting for the locking hubs, which can be easily swapped for better ones), needs only a few cheap upgrades to handle 35" tires reliably,

Very modification friendly with excellent return on the dollar,

Good junkyard parts are VERY easy to find (at least outside of the rust-belt they are),

Exceptionally tight turning radius (though I haven't quite exactly nailed down how or why),

Nice strong aftermarket for deeper gears and lockers (I'm not sure there is a locker made that doesn't have an application to fit the D35 TTB).


Cons:
Finding competent alignment guys is occasionally difficult (my best guess is training materials that don't properly address TTB suspensions, so some techs are left scratching their heads as they try to guess at it). It's not rocket science though... If you know something about TTB and alignments, it can be done at home using just a tape measure or a telescoping rod between the wheels.

An aftermarket with many pitfalls that are severely outdated and/or poorly-engineered products. Few suspension lifts for example properly address steering geometry out of the box making complaints about tire wear and bad handling prevalent (of course it doesn't have to be this way, there are ways to fix the steering after a lift is put on),

Beams are a bit weak if not braced,

D35 wheelbearings are apparently finicky about proper setup & preload (I've never had any issues out of mine, but there is some number of reports from others who have). The use of cheap (chinese) bearings and mixing of races & bearings (like with new brake rotors) can be a source for problems.

.....

I guess I should ask what your intentions with your rig are (I see you've listed an '87 BII in your profile)... You thinking of maybe a Dana35 swap? Or a solid axle? So far everyone has made comparisons between the TTB axle and the SLA-IFS seen on later Rangers & Explorers, but between a TTB axle and solid, the pros & cons of each are not as clear cut unless you're also contemplating putting 37" or larger tires on it.



.

 

[87Bronco2Ark]

As of now I'm just wanting a two inch body lift and 31"

 

[87Bronco2Ark]

But eventually I want to swap in the D35 and 8.8 rear with explore springs