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full floater toy axle opinions??

1908 Views 31 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  greasyjeep
I was just noticing that not very many people are running full floater toy axles. I know the exist and there is that kit from front range. I just wanna know why there aren't more people running FF. Is the expense not worth the added strengh?? I see guys paying more for FF d-60's, 14 bolts, etc, why not toyota axles??
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Sure it'd make changing a broken shaft easier and less to carry around for spares, but have you ever seen a broken Toy rear axleshaft? I haven't and I've seen a lot of Toys on the trails. IMO the $ is better spent elsewhere.
Originally posted by pmurf1:
<STRONG>Sure it'd make changing a broken shaft easier and less to carry around for spares, but have you ever seen a broken Toy rear axleshaft? I haven't and I've seen a lot of Toys on the trails. IMO the $ is better spent elsewhere.</STRONG>
I couldn't agree more... spend the money on more usefull stuff!
Originally posted by superbob:
<STRONG>I was just noticing that not very many people are running full floater toy axles. I know the exist and there is that kit from front range. I just wanna know why there aren't more people running FF. Is the expense not worth the added strengh?? I see guys paying more for FF d-60's, 14 bolts, etc, why not toyota axles??</STRONG>
I haven't broken a rear axle, but have bent a few axle shafts. I'm putting together a FROF kit both for that and the rear disc brake/e-brake setup.
Doesn't the FROR kit also widen your axle a couple of inches becasue you have to use a front hub assembly? You might be able to get closer to full with d-44 sizes with a 86 or latter axle and a FROR kit.
Kit does not change the axle width....though you might be able
to add the wide & vented kit to it.
Jay
My .02 I would say the best reason to go with a ff is to eliminate excessive end play so disc brakes can be easily used. Mine are mounted to the axle flange and i learn early when to do axle bearings. I personally have broken a rear axle, and have heard of a few others. There is drivetrain slop from the slines on a ff set-up. Redline is doing a ff set-up and it looks burly.
You will end up with a little more drive line slop with a FF, but not enough to drive you nuts over. I had to adapt a Warn FF for a Jeep to my Dana 44 to get one, but my main reason was to be able to flat tow without spinning my expensive diffs and tranny. After about 100,000 mies driving & 50,000 miles of flat towing I wore out my Factory Isuzu tranny, hence the Malin dual boxes.

There is another benifit to having FF rear axles. It's a long story but basically I had a seal tear on the axle and was slinging oil everywhere. All I had to do was pull that axle and put in a rubber plug to stop the oil from running out. Then I locked up the rear ARB and drove it to The Marlin Rubicon Roundup 1500 miles on the left axel. I was the (dark blue Rodeo sitting on the hill under the tree.)(Yep, Got the long distance award for that one.)
My plans are to cut another set of axels for spares before next summer. They store easy.

But like the guys have said, you don't see many busted Toy axles on the trail. So the overkill is your choice if all you want them for is the flexibility and keeping the wheel on if you snap one. Had I seen the Front Range kit before I bought the Warn I would have gone with them. They are already the same bolt pattern and the bearings are the same as the Toy fronts. Live and learn.
My $.02
CJ <IMG SRC="smilies/tongue.gif" border="0">
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Personally, I'd try to find a used 94+ FJ80 rear axle for the same price as the FF kit. It is wider, is already a FF, can be found with an E-locker, and has disk brakes. It's already set up for coils but could be converted to leafs easily.
Like SSSRodeo mentioned....nice thing about the FROR kit is that
the bearings, spindle and seals are the same on all for corners,
so fewer spares to carry.
Jay
Originally posted by blackntan:
<STRONG>Personally, I'd try to find a used 94+ FJ80 rear axle for the same price as the FF kit. It is wider, is already a FF, can be found with an E-locker, and has disk brakes. It's already set up for coils but could be converted to leafs easily.</STRONG>
The main problem with this idea is the diff is offset to the passenger side.

Phil
The pickup/4runner housing wasn't designed to be a FF (read weight-bearing) housing. I'm not convinced that any of these FF kits aren't placing excess stress on the axle housing.

Besides, I've never broken or seen a broken yota rear axle.
The FF kit wouldn't put extra stress on the housing. The weight is still transfered through the 4 bolt flange to the housing, just the axle isn't carrying any weight.
Nate.....what do you thinnk is bearing the weight of the truck on a SF axle?

It's still the housing.
Jay
i'm lost as to why the driveline would have extra slop because it's a full-floater. assuming the axles are splined to the same tolerance where they go in the pinion there shouldn't be any more slop than with the semi-floater.

unless what you're talking about is coming from using locking hubs on the rear (which is a bad idea in my opinion).

- jack
Originally posted by morpheus:
<STRONG>Uwhat you're talking about is coming from using locking hubs on the rear (which is a bad idea in my opinion).</STRONG>
Why? I always thought it would be cool to be ablt to unlock the back hubs, pull the rear driveshaft, and limp home with a broken rear axle without working on it at all on the trail.

Of course, the locking hub ain't as strong, but they should be plenty strong enough. Besides, if you can name an axle part that's easier to change on the trail, I'd like to know what it is. You should be carrying a spare anyway, since you've go 'emon the front, they're cheap,and they do break.</font>
Originally posted by ROKTOY:
<STRONG>Four spline joints instead of two?
Jay</STRONG>
Yep, Plus if you use locking hubs, they have a little play in them too. It all adds up. Like I said, once you realize that's what it is it's doesn't drive you crazy.
CurtisJ
Originally posted by SSSRodeo:
<STRONG>
Originally posted by ROKTOY:
[qb]Four spline joints instead of two?
Jay</STRONG>
Yep, Plus if you use locking hubs, they have a little play in them too. It all adds up. Like I said, once you realize that's what it is it's doesn't drive you crazy.
CurtisJ[/QB]
that's what I figured and why i like the dana 60 tpe full-floating axles with flanges that bolt to the hub. having locking hubs on the rear is just something else to go wrong to me. if something should go wrong with the axle just pull it out and stuff something in the hole and go on ... the only advantage to having rear locking hubs to me would be if you flat towed the vehicle. otherwise it's just something else to go wrong.

- jack
If you go to hubs on the FF, you go to 6 splined connections, 2 on each hub. But how much do you have on the front axle, which is also a FF, 4 per side, plus the birfs/u-joints.
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