im a newbie and i want to know if it is possible to run a spool in the front axle and if so is it good because i dont see them anywhere?

from my understanding spools from the rear can be used for the fronts as well.. cause toy's axles are both 8 inch if pre 86'.. i could very possibly be wrong though..

I do suggest you go to the products section and call up a company i.e. detroit and get answers to whatever question you have.

You can run one and yes the front and rear are the same. I would not recomend it, birfields will break and it'll suck to drive in 4wd. I'd weld the rear and buy a locker for the front. I have detroits front and rear and it drives pretty well. Have driven a toy with a spooled/welded front and it was a real PITA to drive. That's all.

why is it a pita to drive. ive never driven with one. can you recemend a alternative similar in price. btw im only running 32's

Toy thirds are interchangable from F/R.

Throw a FULL detroit or an ARB ( if you can afford it ) in there. Some will say go with a lockrite, but IMHO a lockrite acts just like a spool in the front. I could NEVER get my piece of shiat lockrite to unload, unitl it exploded. So it always acted like a spool. Pain in the ASS to turn with on the granite, and if your going to do any 4H on the freeway for snow conditions forget it.

While I'm on the topic, don't even get one for the rear if your rig sees ANY street time, you'll be going through 1-2 set of tires a year easy. Trail only, go for it.

Do it right and get a FULL detroit. FYI, You can find a complete 5.29/ full detroit combo third for 500.00 or less on the PBB all the time. Lot's of people heading back to 4.10 / ARB diffs these days.

Lot's of people heading back to 4.10 / ARB diffs these days.
why?

because 4.10s are supposed to be the strongest gears, as you go up in ratio the pinion gear gets smaller and is more prone to loose teeth, although I believe this theory has been disproved by people who actually know what they are talking about and attribute the failures in other gear ratios to other factors like driving style and lockers etc.

The spool keeps your tires from turning at different speeds as they make different arcs through a turn. Not such a bog deal when the spool is in your rear end and you're draging the tires behind you, but when the (front) tires you are steering with are locked with a spool instead of pulling the truck to turn they kinda scrub and break traction and the result across the front axle is the tendancy to go straight foreward, and not turn.

Toy thirds are interchangable from F/R.

Throw a FULL detroit or an ARB ( if you can afford it ) in there. Some will say go with a lockrite, but IMHO a lockrite acts just like a spool in the front. I could NEVER get my piece of shiat lockrite to unload, unitl it exploded. So it always acted like a spool. Pain in the ASS to turn with on the granite, and if your going to do any 4H on the freeway for snow conditions forget it.

While I'm on the topic, don't even get one for the rear if your rig sees ANY street time, you'll be going through 1-2 set of tires a year easy. Trail only, go for it.

Do it right and get a FULL detroit. FYI, You can find a complete 5.29/ full detroit combo third for 500.00 or less on the PBB all the time. Lot's of people heading back to 4.10 / ARB diffs these days.


I have been running my lockrite for a year, and every time the clutch goes in it unlocks. no bangs, clanks, etc. It just works (and rips the wheel out of your hand).

I also think it has to do with how abused the carrier is.

Save your money. Weld it and use the extra cash to add hydro assist. Then turning will not be a problem.

while we are on the topic is it advisable to weld only the front diff? it would be for a dd and weekend warrior. this way the rig has no problem driving around town and would be welded up front for offroad use when front hub is locked.

what do you guys think????

I'm a noobie here but i've been reading for a bit. I've told my dad about the welded diff's and he feels it's a great idea to get more traction. he has a samurai and it would be a daily driver. I have an 82' shortbed and i was planning on welding the rears until this was brought to my attention.

Would welded front's be advisable for daily driver's?

weld the rear and save your money for a selectable for the front. i had my front welded for a wile the best thing i ever do is get an e-locker for the front.

weld the rear and save your money for a selectable for the front. i had my front welded for a wile the best thing i ever did is get an e-locker for the front.

while we are on the topic is it advisable to weld only the front diff? it would be for a dd and weekend warrior. this way the rig has no problem driving around town and would be welded up front for offroad use when front hub is locked.

what do you guys think????

I'm a noobie here but i've been reading for a bit. I've told my dad about the welded diff's and he feels it's a great idea to get more traction. he has a samurai and it would be a daily driver. I have an 82' shortbed and i was planning on welding the rears until this was brought to my attention.

Would welded front's be advisable for daily driver's?

I think you will break a lot of inners and birfs with a welded front but it will drive normal in 2wd. Also like stated above turning will suck.

Welded and spooled fronts are just a bad idea. Welding the front is essentially making it into a spool, only a lot more weak. As Moondog said, it will not allow your tires to spin at different speeds when needed, which will cause a problem in your steering as already explained. If you want a locker up front, AT LEAST get a lock rite, but if you want a sure bet, save up for a detroit or ARB. It isn't worth the hassle to go the cheap way. You've got plenty of people here who will vouch for that.

What is your intended purpose for your truck?

I run spool's in the front and rear of my buggy. I have full hydro so turning the wheels is not an issue; and 30 spline Long's, so I am not so worried about axle breakage. At times the buggy does want to go strait while turned but it has not been a hinderance. If you drive your truck on the street in 4wd or with your hubs locked, than a front spool is probably not for you. However, If you only lock the hubs when Wheelin' the spool will have no effect on road manners.

Also, I ran a spool in the rear of my daily driver 4runner, and loved it. I never wore out a set of tires before I wanted to upgrade them and the driving characteristics were not bad at all.

Ive been wheeling a welded front and rear for a little over a year now.

Definilty better than having nothing.
Although I have broken 5 super birfs and a stock inner in the last year

Turning is shitty but not the end of the world (in my experience and ARB doesnt make it that much better). I have gotten use to it

Driving on the slabs suck! Always have to unlock a hub or else more breakage

I am going to upgrade to an ARB soon.

Although I have broken 5 super birfs

That's cause your running the wrong brand. LOL J/K

You left yourself wide open on that one man :flipoff2:

Welded and spooled fronts are just a bad idea. Welding the front is essentially making it into a spool, only a lot more weak.

I know a lot of guys that run welded fronts and of the 10 or so I've welded none have broke over the last 3 yrs. I wouldn't say it's a bad idea or they're a lot more weak. Maybe if you don't know how to weld a diff. Turning only sucks if you don't have hydro assist. If you're not willing to put on assist then welded/spool is not for you.

TRD, WTF??? What kind of birfs are you running? I do a lot of slab driving in Moab with regular Longs and have never broke a birf while just driving. The only birf I know of that broke just with high traction turning are profaileds.

Going cheap isn't a hassle for me. It's more of a hassle to fix a bling selectable locker after a hard axle snap than it is to weld a diff. I've only had to swap one welded 4.10 diff in 3 years because the ring gear broke not the welds. I'm definately not going to blame all my front axle carnage on a welded front, I'll blame it on pushing the rig to it's limits. You guys saying run a detroit or lock right? All these lockers in my crew hardly ever unlock anyway, what's the point?

:flipoff2:

I have run in my truck:
Ringed Longs - Broke on slabs @ rubicon but were well used and clicking
$80 longs (EMPI Joints) - Broke doing vertical climb with starter @ moonrocks
Smurf - Took serious abuse and broke bound up pulling jeep @ fordyce