I was told my rear wheels were wobbling and assumed I had bent axle shafts so I went to the junkyard to get new shafts but the wobble did not go away. I had gotten this rear end (8.8, 4.10) from a junkyard a few months ago and didn't have any problems until recently... Since the wobble didn't go away after the shaft swap I assumed the rear end was possibly bent so I went back to the junkyard and got another rear end (7.5, 3.73) but alas the wobble did not go away. My wheels and tires are newer so I had not assumed they were the issue but at this point I took the truck in to get the wheels checked and balanced to no avail. The only thing I have not swapped out at this point are the drum brakes and am wondering if those could be causing the wobble somehow? About to buy new drums, shoes, and hardware but thought I'd ask the question before pouring money into this.

 

The first thing I would do is put the rear axle securely on jack stands so the tires are off the ground. Make sure you block the front wheels so it cannot move forward or back. Start the engine and put it in gear to get the wheels turning. Take a look to see if the wheels are really wobbling. If they are, the only thing that can cause it is; bent axle, bent wheel, bad tire or the drum is not installed properly. From what you have done so far it seems the axles, wheels and tire are OK.

Once you have determined there is actually a wobble, make sure there isn't something between the drum and axle or wheel. Then see if the drum mounting surfaces are true as well as the axle and wheel mounting surfaces. Be sure you are using the proper lug nut install sequence install also. If you are using spacers, they could be the problem too.

If you have not verified the wheel wobble, someone could be playing with you.

 

Yeah I had someone drive off while I watched and a definite noticeable wobble on both rear wheels. Like I said, I got all the wheels checked and balanced and even swapped front to back while making sure lug nuts were properly tightened but the wobble persists... Just hoping I didn't somehow have the worst luck and have 2 bent rear ends and/or 3 sets of bent axle shafts... I'll try and swap out the brakes just not sure why they would all of a sudden cause a wobble.

 

If you don't mind me asking, did the brakes being fixed cause the wobble to stop? I just bought my 97 ranger and I have a wobble too. Tires for balanced and were ok. I did notice the brake drum came right off with ease and the shoes are shot. Just wondering how you fixed it. Thanks!

 

So… I remembered that I had swapped my rear axle out for a rear axle that came out of a 1999 Ford Ranger. Low and behold the hub is slightly larger on that year so the drum would not seat all the way… I guess be sure that you have the correct drums on the correct axle.