had a thought in my head

[buffblazer]

was talking with my dad about clearance with axles and drivelines and he mentioned why dont more guys run top loaders (like rockwells) and i said a lot do but it sucks to drag them over rocks and mud and they are super heavy duty for most rigs (way overkill) he then suggested why not take a 14 bolt and move the spring perches and mount the pinion straight up and down with a slip shaft into a gear box, then run it to the tranny. he said that would allow greater clearance for the driveshaft because it runs straight back instead of angling and then you dont have as much stress on u-joints. i thought it was a good idea but im thinking im missing something since i have never seen it. what would be the downside to this?

 

[lectric80]

I would think that a vertical mounting of the pinion would create oil issues for the pinion and bearings. You would also run into increased power loss through the gear box. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.

 

[buffblazer]

how does the rockwells get oil up to it? i was thinking maybe you could have another gear reduction with the gear box if its possible

 

[lectric80]

I can't say, since I have never dealt with the rockwells. I do know that normal oil flow on a 14 is in and out of the pinion housing to lubricate the pinion bearings. There may be a bit of a pump mechanism in the movement of the ring gear, but I don't know enough about fluid dynamics to say for sure.