Well, after almost five years of wheeling, I do believe that my TRD axle's days are numbered. Its starting to leak gear oil from from the top of the of the axle on both sides and it looks like the rear axle seals are going to need to be changed here pretty soon as well. We just got a pay raise here in my district and I was thinking of upgrading. Here are my choices
1. Front range off-road rear axle (Tacoma Length)- Brian makes some sick axles and I think he is running a special until the end of the month on his bare housings. Which means I could run these as well.
2. Front Range off-road rear axle (Tundra length) Wider is better, but that would mean that I would also have to up grade the front to a wider axle and I have way too much in this waggy front axle.
3. Dana 60- Stout and heavy, but bulletproof. $$$$ Curries Rock Jock rear can be had for $3000 fully loaded, but I don't know if I am ready to make that plunge.
What do you guys think? Should I up grade or should I just try to fix this one up. I won't be running anything bigger than 37s on this rig in case that is a question that comes up. :lmao:
Tim it seems one of the main people are upgrading from the trd rear end is becasue they have a tendancy to shed their teeth. I mean there are plenty of guys out their running toy 8" with big ass tires that are doing ok so it has fot to be working for some people. I think having a new fabricated axle housing for the trd rear would help it live longer by reducing the amount the housing can flex and thus causing ring gear destruction. :explode: With the addition of those polyperformance cromo shafts that axle could be styling!
But I think that if you are going to spend that much money on a new housing and shafts for your 8" you may as well just step up to a burlier axle. I guess front range is now making fabricated 9" housings which would allow you to get a bigger ring gear and 35 spling 1.5" shafts. There are plenty of other manufaturers out there though that also make custom 9" housings that are an option as well. Currie, chassisworks fab 9's, sunray eng., etc.
The 9" would help you keep it light and keep the clearance.
I now robert cannon upgraded his rear to a custom 9 inch and did disks at the same time. Mikes web page might have a link to it. Not sure where he picked it up but I am pretty sure it was under 3 grand.
I hear you, but I am also trying to keep costs down. I figure that if I upgrade the housing, I am not spending a boat load and my wife won't yell at me as much :bitchslap . Ideally, I would really like one of Currie's Rock Jock housings, as I have seen them in action and they just slide over the rocks, but in reality, they are running in the mid $3k range which is alot to be spending. Its only money right? :xbeer1:
Hey Todd, what do you think, should I stay Tacoma width or go wider? :xrocker: :xrocker:
dont run a D60 unless you plan on running 38+ tires or shaving the hell out of it, mine is a boat anchor with 39.5's. i dont have that much money in mine since i run a full spool, 30 spline chromos, and have rear disk, i think i may have a grand or so in the rear setup??? 9"'s are cool but unless you go custom the pinion kinda hangs low. i would just make sure its a full floater and 30 spine or bigger..
Well, after almost five years of wheeling, I do believe that my TRD axle's days are numbered. Its starting to leak gear oil from from the top of the of the axle on both sides and it looks like the rear axle seals are going to need to be changed here pretty soon as well.
So, just what is it that makes you think your axle's days are numbered? Axle seals - $10 in parts and 30 minutes each side and you are good to go. Whats this about leaking gear oil from the top of the axle?
But to answer your question I think you should just fix the one you have. Its definately the least expensive option. A FROR housing is a good idea in that it will give you a nice beefy housing for bashing on rocks. You could even swap over all your exising stuff and be up and running in no time. Then as time/$$$ permits you can easily go with disks, full float, cromos, etc.
If you are concerned about the strength of the toyota 8" then the 9" would be my next choice.
I wouldn't go with a 60 unless I spent the $$$ for some aftermarket high clearance diff.
As far as width goes, I wouldn't want to be wider in the rear than the front and unless you want to upgrade your front as well
The gear oil leaking from the top of the axle is a mystery to me, but I have heard that TRD axles have a tendency to be weak in the areas of the spring perches. Well, that is exactly where it is leaking from. Granted, its not bad, but it does concern me in the sense that I worry that there is some crack just waiting to open up. At this point I would rather spend the money on other things, but I also don't want my rear axle to take a dump when I am in the middle of no where. Quick question, what was that part number you gave to Yogi that is suppose to be the better axle seal?
The gear oil leaking from the top of the axle is a mystery to me, but I have heard that TRD axles have a tendency to be weak in the areas of the spring perches. Well, that is exactly where it is leaking from.
OK, that makes sense. I have seen a few housings that crush/crack/etc around the spring perch area. Its not just the TRD housings either. Where is the gear oil around the spring perches? Underneath? Between the perch and the drum? Between the perch and the diff? How bad are your axle seals leaking? I just trying to figure out if your housing is cracked at the perches or if its just your leaky axle seals that are making a mess.
Timbuddha said:
Quick question, what was that part number you gave to Yogi that is suppose to be the better axle seal?
90310-50006. I won't know for a while if they are in fact any better (my seals usually last a year and I put these in 6 months ago) but compared to the old style ones they are definately better.
It is leaking fron the top of the housing betweent the spring perch and the center chunk of the housing. Since I am off this week, I think I am going to re-do those seals pull the housing apart and see what is up. Its hard to see anything with all of this gear oil crusted to the housing. Thanks for the part number Shane. I will let you know how it goes.
Where do I gusset? The top? I don't have a problem with keeping this axle and I am not simply going to replace it because the axle seals are leaking, but I don't want to have the housing give up the ghost on the trail and if it is leaking gear oil from wierd places, that is cause for concern.
Tim as far as width goes I say don't go any wider than the front axle, so stock width would be ok.
Yea I understand about it costing alot to step up to an aftermarket housing and burlier axle compenets. As was mentioned earlier an 8" can survive in pretty built rigs but you have the problem of the week toyota housings and whatnot. As cronostrd said you could gusset it and run it, this should help alot to keep the housing strait. To take it one more step further, if you can find a competant axle builder who has a jig to keep axle housings strait you could cut the stock tubes out at the center section and step up to some 1/4 dom tubes or something similar, then gusset the housing at the same time (while it is on the jig) so it stays strait during the welding. I'm not sure what that would cost but I would think it would be cheaper than the front range housing.
Tim, just an FYI, if you decide to get a new rear, make sure it is 1 inch less wide than the front. That is the way ALL mfr's make all vehicles for tracking during turning. The FROR would be a GREAT choice, Brian can get 30 spline chromo's better than those you linked to and he can put full floater disc brakes etc for you, and you can use your 3rd. best of all the strength will be REALLY close to a dana 60 with better clearance. Check out : http://www.longfieldsuperaxles.com/graph.html
But as Shane as others have said rebuild yours and gusset and you'll be golden for many moons.
Well, after almost five years of wheeling, I do believe that my TRD axle's days are numbered. Its starting to leak gear oil from from the top of the of the axle on both sides and it looks like the rear axle seals are going to need to be changed here pretty soon as well. We just got a pay raise here in my district and I was thinking of upgrading. Here are my choices
1. Front range off-road rear axle (Tacoma Length)- Brian makes some sick axles and I think he is running a special until the end of the month on his bare housings. Which means I could run these as well.
2. Front Range off-road rear axle (Tundra length) Wider is better, but that would mean that I would also have to up grade the front to a wider axle and I have way too much in this waggy front axle.
3. Dana 60- Stout and heavy, but bulletproof. $$$$ Curries Rock Jock rear can be had for $3000 fully loaded, but I don't know if I am ready to make that plunge.
What do you guys think? Should I up grade or should I just try to fix this one up. I won't be running anything bigger than 37s on this rig in case that is a question that comes up. :lmao:
Tim, just an FYI, if you decide to get a new rear, make sure it is 1 inch less wide than the front. That is the way ALL mfr's make all vehicles for tracking during turning. The FROR would be a GREAT choice, Brian can get 30 spline chromo's better than those you linked to and he can put full floater disc brakes etc for you, and you can use your 3rd. best of all the strength will be REALLY close to a dana 60 with better clearance. Check out : http://www.longfieldsuperaxles.com/graph.html
But as Shane as others have said rebuild yours and gusset and you'll be golden for many moons.
True in a perfect world you want the rear narrower than the front. My rear axle is about 4" narrower than my front axle and it tracks great with the long wheel base.
I have some doubts that brian can get cromos "much better" than the ones that have been linked to. I am sure they are both using 4030 cromo and a similar design, so they are probably close to each other in strengh.
The FROR would be a GREAT choice, Brian can get 30 spline chromo's better than those you linked to... ...best of all the strength will be REALLY close to a dana 60 with better clearance. Check out : http://www.longfieldsuperaxles.com/graph.html
Whoa, settle down there beavis We are talking about rear axles here.. There is no special super duper bobby long close to d60 strength stuff involved here... Simply a new housing. The stock toyota rear axle shafts are pretty damn durable so really no need to move to cromo unless you are breaking them. In case you where thinking that the full floater axles were bobbly long's stuff, they aren't. The carrier side is already 30spline as is the hub lockouts so all you need is a stick of decent metal to connect the two. Nothing special about that
True in a perfect world you want the rear narrower than the front. My rear axle is about 4" narrower than my front axle and it tracks great with the long wheel base.
I have some doubts that brian can get cromos "much better" than the ones that have been linked to. I am sure they are both using 4030 cromo and a similar design, so they are probably close to each other in strengh.
Werd, was not aware, as Shane points out in another post, that the rear axles are all 30 spline. I was under the impression the ones that were linked to my Tim, were the necked down to 27 spline type, I was mistaken, my bad. That was what I meant by better, not the chrome quality, but spline count which turns out to be the same.
Whoa, settle down there beavis We are talking about rear axles here.. There is no special super duper bobby long close to d60 strength stuff involved here... Simply a new housing. The stock toyota rear axle shafts are pretty damn durable so really no need to move to cromo unless you are breaking them. In case you where thinking that the full floater axles were bobbly long's stuff, they aren't. The carrier side is already 30spline as is the hub lockouts so all you need is a stick of decent metal to connect the two. Nothing special about that
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I mean there are plenty of guys out their running toy 8" with big ass tires that are doing ok so it has fot to be working for some people. I think having a new fabricated axle housing for the trd rear would help it live longer by reducing the amount the housing can flex and thus causing ring gear destruction. :explode: With the addition of those polyperformance cromo shafts that axle could be styling! 
