Who has there front diff welded?
Im thinking about welding mine mainly for offroad traction. I have Manual hubs so its not gunna hurt road driving until winter. I am a little worried about CV's they are a weak link, Whos done it?

Justin

 

my aussie was basically welded and i went through CV shafts left and right on 35s.. i never had an issue on 285s, but i never really pushed it on 285s either.

 

thanks for the insight.

 

lmao, don't do it. With the front axle and CV joints, 33" tires and a welded diff you're going to be breaking CV's like nobodies business.
You are MUCH better off stuffing an aussie locker in there. I had an aussie locker in front of my sport trac (same truck) and even the locker tightened up the steering a lot in 4x4, but it atleast allowed me to turn in 4x4, and would release the pressure when you are off the gas. A welded diff up there is going to bind like crazy and break the CV joints in a hurry. Plus it was drivable in snow, not great but totally drivable.
An aussie locker for the front really is not expensive, $250, and super easy to install.
http://www.offroadlockers.com/item.p...6/106014/.html

On a side not, if you don't have the rear locked I would do that first. The ranger is light up front and generally keeps both front tires on the ground, while lifting a rear tire. I locked the rear of my sport trac first and it was a HUGE difference, likely more helpful than the front and the steering was better (especially in snow).

 

BrianJ is right!
If you want the traction, either find a limited slip front end or get one of the aftermarket lockers.
Some I have known just took a correct size limited slip from a rear housing and installed that in the front housing, using the front ring and pinion, I always thought that they wouldn't lock up except in reverse. now we need someone who knows this is true or not.
If you do weld the front up, you will get real good at changing out CV joints. LOL

 

I have ls front and posi rear. For the trail around here a front locker would be better than the rear. I havea buddy with an older ranger with welded front and it run decent in 2wd and sucks the winter which was to be expected. I was just wondering who has a welded front and hows your cvs holding up.

 

What LS do you have in the front?

 

lol
I'm going to disagree with you about having a limited slip in front, since there have only been 2 or 3 that were produced as test units and standard d35's don't fit up front.
Considering you used "posi" and "limited slip" in the same sentence I don't think you know what you are talking about.
Limited slip and posi is the same thing. You have an open differential up front.

I worried about the CV's even with an automatic locker up front, and carried spare cv's and gear oil everywhere I went.

 

X10. Rangers never had anything other than an open front diff from the factory.

 

hahaha owned.. I would listen to BrianJ.. Just get an aussie for the front..

 

x3

Although...
would a TTB Dana 35 posi work??? When I pulled the diff out of my old front end it had a posi in it, but the spider gears were busted.

 

just lock the rear and keep the front open. the slightest bit of binding up front and your cv axle is gonna be toast. ask me how i know. matt already said he went through cv after cv after cv up front with an aussie. leave the front "ls"(open) and lock the rear. youll be surprised. trust me

 

Posi and limited slip are two different creations.
LS only works with the torque generated by the engine against the resistance of the ground.
Posi is engaged all the time like a Detroit Locker.
Ford made a "4 pinion" rear end for there full size in the 60's and 70's, maybe later. These were in essence, posi, when one tire slipped they both slipped or you moved.
For the most part, all any of us will ever need, unless we are going rock crawliing or extreme off roading is LS.
As I said in my earlier reply, I have seen people take the LS carrier from a rear end and put it into a Ford RBV so they could have LS in both ends. But because LS is clutch operated in the carrier under engine torque and the carrier is now turning in the oposite direction, they only had a LS when they they were in reverse. (Sometimes that would be a real advantage)
If you really think you need more traction than you can get from a LS, go to an ARB, Detroit locker, or one of the other aftermarket lockers.
But if you do go to a full locker (posi traction), be prepared to start replacing front tires and front end parts, a posi will try to push you in a straight line all the time and making turns just became a lot tougher on the front end. The ARB is on demand and doesn't create these problems, I am sure there are other brands of on demand lockers, ARB is just what I am familiar with.

Ray

 

Sorry, you are wrong. (unless you are referring to a different and very old version that I can't find info about, which wouldn't apply to what you're talking about)
Posi LSD Differentials

A positraction is a name of a limited slip, clutch based. It is also used as a general term for limited slip. It is NOT a full locker such as a detroit, it is completely different. It is "engaged" in the sense that the spring keeps tension on the clutch packs, but it is able to differentiate.

WHICH RBV's are you referring to that have put a "posi" in the front differential? Maybe in the TTB version of rangers, explorers and B2's, I'm not sure.

But I have talked with many people who state that you cannot fit a standard D35 limited slip or locker in the front of a 98+ ranger, 95-01 explorer or 01-05 sport trac.

What you're saying about only working in reverse is garbage too. A limited slip will work in either direction.

 

Based on everything I have read and heard from the ranger differential guru's, no.

 

I do agree that you will be much better off in general installing a full locker in the rear and leaving the front open.
An actual locker in the rear versus a limited slip is a HUGE difference in offroad traction. Plus the rear axle is stronger than the front so it will be much more reliable, drive better in the snow and turn maneuver easier on trails. It is money/time better spent, in my opinion.

There are no selectable lockers available for the front. Just the aussie lunchbox locker, and a lock-rite or something like that. For the rear if you have a 28 spline 8.8 you can get a lock-rite or powertrax lunchbox locker, the ARB for the 28 spline 8.8 is discontinued.

 

i could use your l/s in the front of my truck tyler

 

I will not degrade myself by telling you.

Ray

 

lol
Don't get all pissed off because I think you are wrong, I didn't make it personal at all.
If in fact your friends have installed limited slips in front diffs of TTB rangers, by all means, share. I don't know much about the TTB axles.

 

why not? if you have info none of us has ever heard of please share...

 

just weld the damn thing already lol

bring it on down, I'll weld it.

 

LMAO...giggidy

 

Not worth my time to be told I am incorrect. I have only done a couple rear end mods @ year for maybe 35 years.
I understand that the technology has changed and I am still working with the old iron, but what we had in 1965 still mostly holds true today.

Ray

 

So, if you are that sure on it, why not pass the information along? Thats really what we are all here for. Not to get all pissed off when someone debates an issue that you talked on.

come on man, lighten up

 

I find when someone refuses to back up something they said that someone counter pointed, it usually means they have no real info to back up what they said, and just don't want to admit that they got owned. I could be wrong, but thats been my experience.