stupid question??

[tim123104]

I think I know the answer, but want to be sure. How bad is it to run 2 different gears on a 4x4? 3.73 rear 3.43 front. Its only going to be for a short time untill i can change the ball joints on the matching rear.

[snj8198]

just don't use 4 wheel drive till you change gears.

[Eichorst69]

It's not a good idea! BUT, I did it once when I tore up my 4.56 rear. I stuck a 4.10 in and ran it with the 4.56 front until i was able to find a 4.56 Eaton rear. You could tell there was a strain on the drivetrain and I had to fight to get it out of 4 wheel.

Rob

[msgross]

If you have the hubs unlocked and the T-case in 2Wd then no worries......but I wouldn't dare try it unless I was on pure snow or deep mud. I have heard that 3.07/3.08 isn't an issue but I wouldn't go further than that spread.

[LONGHAIR]

Its only going to be for a short time untill i can change the ball joints on the matching rear.

I am interested in the ball-joints in a rearend?

[msgross]

some people call any axle a "rear"... front or rear

I assume that his matching gear front axle needs the ball joints....

I wouldn't hook up the front driveshaft if it were me...

[454_72_4X4]

Originally Posted by msgross

If you have the hubs unlocked and the T-case in 2Wd then no worries......but I wouldn't dare try it unless I was on pure snow or deep mud. I have heard that 3.07/3.08 isn't an issue but I wouldn't go further than that spread.

My wife's 80 has 4.09 front/3.73 rear right now. It's been that way for a couple years. Waiting on one of those roundtoit's to swap the front to 3.73's also.

3.07/3.08 is probably a factory setup, but I'm not sure. I do know 3/4 tons that have 4.10 rear gears, have 4.09 front gears. It's a designed in "lead" so the rear is less prone to try to pass the front in low traction conditions.
IE fishtailing in mud/snow/etc.

[Mudder]

A lot of mud racers will use a "little" higher gear in the front, but I wouldn't recommend doing it just out 4wheeling. Never on the road.

[special-K]

You can compensate with tire diameters.I just wouldn`t use 4wd at all.
I`m swapping the rear in my`92 work truck and the replacement is a 3.73.Once I get the original rear out,I`ll pull the 4.10 R&P,run it to my mechanic,and have him swap that out.I can`t have the truck down more than a day and I don`t want to pay him to do the whole job.

[Zoomad75]

To avoid breaking something I'd follow Msgross's suggestion. Leave the front driveshaft out. This way even if some how you manage to forget and shift the t/case from 2hi to 4hi or 4lo, you won't grenade the t/case.

I would say this though. If the front is just needing ball joints, why swap the whole axle out to fix it? Seems like it would be easier just to change the ball joints to me. Then you don't have to worry about the mis-matched ratios.

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

To avoid breaking something I'd follow Msgross's suggestion. Leave the front driveshaft out. This way even if some how you manage to forget and shift the t/case from 2hi to 4hi or 4lo, you won't grenade the t/case.

I would say this though. If the front is just needing ball joints, why swap the whole axle out to fix it? Seems like it would be easier just to change the ball joints to me. Then you don't have to worry about the mis-matched ratios.

I was just going to point out and ask the same question?

[special-K]

I was just responding to the different ratio question.Whoa!Now that I read the queastion,Zoomad`s is right.Don`t pull that axle to do ball joints,no need.

[tim123104]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

To avoid breaking something I'd follow Msgross's suggestion. Leave the front driveshaft out. This way even if some how you manage to forget and shift the t/case from 2hi to 4hi or 4lo, you won't grenade the t/case.

I would say this though. If the front is just needing ball joints, why swap the whole axle out to fix it? Seems like it would be easier just to change the ball joints to me. Then you don't have to worry about the mis-matched ratios.

I was just trying to save some time and money. Getting alittle lazy!!!

[LONGHAIR]

I assume that his matching gear front axle needs the ball joints....

I wouldn't hook up the front driveshaft if it were me...

Wow, I certainly didn't get that out of the first post. I guess it's because I would never consider swapping an entire axle housing to get less used ball-joints. They aren't that hard to change. They are not very much money either.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by tim123104

I was just trying to save some time and money. Getting alittle lazy!!!

No big deal. I'm lazy too, but I'd much rather deal with ball joints than wrestle a heavy axle out to only do it again later once I got my butt in gear to do the ball joints.

Sometimes I have to get motivated to get stuff done. go rent the ball joint press and get to work!

[tim123104]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

No big deal. I'm lazy too, but I'd much rather deal with ball joints than wrestle a heavy axle out to only do it again later once I got my butt in gear to do the ball joints.

Sometimes I have to get motivated to get stuff done. go rent the ball joint press and get to work!

Yea thats the way im going. Thanks for the modivation!!

[Stano]

Yeah I wouldn't put in 4x at all. I do however have one of the sets of 3/4 ton axles with 4.09's in the front and 4.10's in the rear. I am refurbishing them and putting them in my crew cab project.

[Zoomad75]

4.09's and 4.10s are close enough that the ratio mismatch isn't and issue. If I did my math right its around 1/4 of a percent different. Whereas, the original example of 3.73's and 3.42's is an 8 percent difference in ratio. That's a big jump in ratios.

Most of the GM 4wd's that were equipped with 4.10s had the same difference in ratios. That small of difference won't hurt anything.