What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

how many of you have run different gears front and rear?

monster man

monster man

1/2 ton status
Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Posts
282
Reaction score
1
Location
Reno, NV
I just got a 14bff open carrier with 4.56 gears to replace my Gov-Loc 3.73 carrier. Will throw a Detroit in and all will be well- except for the front. My plan is just to run in real two wheel drive until I get stuck- at which point I'll engage the front 3.73 gears to unstick me, and then go back to 2wd. How feasible is this? It will be a pain, I'm sure, but I won't have the spare funds for the front for another month or so, and by then I could have a line on a 4.56 Dana 60 front, who knows. What do you think, am I asking for trouble? I figure if it's stuck enough to need four wheel than it won't bind my t-case up. :confused:
 
I'm not so sure about doing that. I supose that if you aren't going to be on any paved surfaces... basicly anything but slick mud. If you want to do some fourwheeling on lots of different surfaces I would not recomend running different gears. I would say just sit on the 14bff... maybe clean it up make it look pretty until you can afford the D60 with the matching set of gears.

You can maybe get away with it but I would just hold on to what I got until things match up. :o
 
the 14b is in the truck now, and I really need the gears after the tire swap, so I bought the open carrier with 4.56's to kill two birds with one stone- acceleration and real traction. I guess the good news is 4.56 carriers for a D44 are cheaper......
EDIT...... or.... can I use a set of thick gears for the front D44, or is that only an option on the 14b?
 
If your not planning on using it regularily it should be fine. Some of the hardcore mud guys run higher gears in the front for more wheel speed up front. All that will happen is your front tires will spin faster. If its just to pull you out of somewhere you got stuck go for it.
 
you can break lots of spendy pats doing that even in mud.also will be hard to control with tires spinning at dif speeds.
 
Thats what I did--temporarily!!

I bought a 71 K5 for 300 bucks years ago--found out why it was so cheap the first time I locked he hubs and used 4wd!..it had a 3.08 ratio rear axle,and a 3.73 front!(evidently someone blew the rear end,and tossed in any old 2wd truck one they could find to sell it!)..it binded up so bad the frame flexed,and one hub went "POW"..it slipped out of engagement due to the bind.. :doah: (this was on my tar driveway--in sand or snow,it might not have been so apparent..)

I put 33" tires on the front,and left the stock 235/15's on the back--I was then able to use 4wd without it feeling like I was going to split the transfer case in two..

I located another rear axle with 3.73's,but I ended up selling the truck before installing it--I gave the new owner the other rear end--but he never installed it either!--,he said it worked good enough for him the way it was--and he was moving to Texas anyway,where you rarely need 4wd on the street!

His dad called me one day,about 2 years later!--
asked me if I wanted the axle back!
so I took it,ended up selling it to another guy who needed it... :crazy:
 
4.10's in front 4.11's in the rear no problems so far. miller locked rear and trutrac front.
 
That don't count , 4.10 and 4.11 , thats within tolerance :D

Tj ran 3.42 fronts and 3.73 rears before when he got the 14bff , and still had the 6 lug front . He ran two tire sizes so it was close enough for dirt when we went fishing and camping .

Hit hard pack , and it bind a little .
 
On my '90 I currently have 4.10's in the rear and 3.73's up front. But I haven't put it in 4WD. :eek1: I've got 4.56's for both ends, just have to get time to install 'em. :cool1:
 
If you run it in 2wd there should be no issues with having different gears in the front axle. Along those lines, if you get stuck in 2wd there should also be no issue with engaging 4wd to get unstuck.........if there is so little traction that you are stuck there is absolutely no reason you could put enough force into the drivetrain to cause binding and breakage with the different gears.

With that said, I would only use 4wd in an emergency stuck.......simply because I would recommend keeping away from any trails or other places that you will probably need 4wd until you get it fixed right (ie..matching gears in the front).
 
that was pretty much my line of thinking- the tricky part will be engaging it just long enough to get unstuck but not a second longer :D
Maybe now's a good time to fab up a twin stick as well to use 2 Low.......
Then again I think regearing the front would cost less :rolleyes:
 
Thats basically what i did for awhile, but with 3.42 in the front, and 3.73 in the rear,,they are very close anyways, and then to top it off, i had smaller tires in the front as well,

I would use it ONLY when needed, get unstuck, then back to 2wd, but if i were to keep going with it, like try to drive down a hard packed dirt road, it would try to bind up on me.

Not recommended, but can be done, just be careful with it, and do not hammer on the throttle also listen for any odd noises, if ya hear them, get it out of 4wd asap.
 
A little off topic but im almost positive you need a new carrier to run that detriot. i dont think it works w/ the gov lock carrier, or am i just a little off base...?
 
dude a detriot for a 14 bolt ff is a lunchbox locker
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom