im considering a re-gear. i currently have 3.73's and run 235-75-15 tires. im not going to change my tire size any but would like a little more power when towing. will 4.10's be enough of a change to be worth all the effort and cost? if i had a 2wd id just go for it, but i have 2 differentials to deal with. i think 4.56 would be way too deep a ratio, granted i could pull a dead bulldozer if i could get the traction, but then it would probly be floating the valves at 60 mph. i know there was a hugh difference in the farm pickups we had, one had 3.73's and the other had 4.10's but both trucks had different motors and transmissions, so its hardly a fair comparison. if i do re-gear im thinking of putting in a lock-rite or detroit locker in the rear. i want to leave the front a open diff. maybe the bottom line is that i need to upgrade to a bronco or F150. my trailer isnt all that big or heavy (6x10, 1,000 empty, 3,000 gvwr) but it is tall and even though it has a V-nose front, its like deploying a drag cute when above 45 mph. at 55 im getting about 10-12 mpg with only 500 pounds in the trailer. in fact fuel milage doesnt seem to change with trailer load, empty or 1/2 full of oak firewood, it still drinks fuel like a big-block. so would 4.10's be enough of a change to do me any good?

 

I would be interested in one of your 3.73 gears. If you do updgrade.

 

4.10's will make it drink fuel with out the trailer. It will have more pep off the line cruising you will be spinning at a higher rpm, again more fuel.

I think you should look into other performance mods.

 

If you are having issues with 3.73s and 235s with a 4.0l, I think the engine is tired.
My 98 pulled similar sized trailers pretty well with 3.73s and 31s with a manual trans. Before I put 33s on it I ran some 235s for a few days and I remember thinking it was pretty torquey with that set up and wouldn't want to have lower gears for the highway with that engine.
Instead of spending 1200 on new gears, I would look for a low mileage 4.0l donor myself.

 

You could just go to the junkyard and get the diffs. I would think that would be cheaper than buying new gears.

How many miles are on the motor? I mean I pulled a tractor loader on a trailer fine with my 4 cylinder and 4.10's. You should be fine with a 4.0 and 3.73's

 

I have 4:10's for sale if ur interested

 

Don't bother, I have 4.10s with 31s (vs your 29s) and its already geared too low. I would rather run 3.73s personally, so yours should be fine. If you're always in town then it'll be ok, but if you're on the highway you'll just wear your engine out even faster. I'm turning 2000 rpm at 56 mph currently with an auto. LR

 

Well, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. You can regrear, and it'll pull better, but it'll reduce your empty MPG possibly. If you stick with what you have, you have no pulling power but haven't sunk any money into the setup. If you upgrade the truck to a fullsize (that's what I'm looking at doing) then you're losing out on trade in, and then have something that will pull like a champ, but you'll sticking a ton of money into it.

It sucks, doesn't it?

 

im thinking of either building a wing for the cap or getting one with a taller back end to help with the airflow. that may or may not do much. or i might get a different trailer that isnt so tall and use my tall one to put all my tools in, a workbench, a generator & air compressor, small welder. and have a "mobile shop" ive never had all my tools in one place before, and the ability to take it all with me if i have to go work on something might be a good thing. most of the time i dont need for the trailer to be so tall, its just nice to be able to stand up inside it and not hit my head. (interior height is 6', overall height about 8') my sister has a trailer that is the same height as their trailblazer, and while it fits nicely in their garage, you have to be bent over if your inside it. its always some compromise or another i guess.

 

I'd get an f-150. That will solve your problem

 

I think 4.10 gears with 31" tires is perfect. That is what I run now with my 4.0 SOHC and I also ran that combination with my 2.9L 89 Ranger. I never use 5th (OD) when towing and cruise between 70 and 75 mph (~3500 rpm). I get on average 14 mpg when towing my race car with a low profile, enclosed trailer; if I can keep the speed closer to 70.

I think 4.10 gears with your size tires would be too low especially with the OHV 4.0 that is happier at lower rpm. I think the 3.73 gear are be better for you. Originally I ran the stock 3.73 gears with my 2.9L and 31" gears. It did OK on the highway while towing but had a difficult time starting up from a stop. The change to 4.10 gears was perfect but the 2.9L engine has less torque and I was running taller tires.

 

Just get a cheap set of small diameter tires that you put on when pulling a trailer. The smaller the diameter, the more pulling power you have. They'd be a whole lot cheaper to buy, and easier to sell.

 

you clearly know nothing about the ttb dana 35 and dana 28 the 4cly 4wd trucks had a hybrid dana 35. so it looks like a dana 35 but have dana 28 internals, in other words there junk. so that wont work for him.

only your gears for his 8.8 will work the 98+ dana 35 is normal rotation. the pre 97 dana 35 is reverse rotation gears.

if you have 3.73s and 31s you would want 4.10s. i just dropped down to a 30 inch tire because they were free, and damn is my motor snappy now.




like said above you are running pretty much the same tire i am. and i can pull out and stomp the gas and my truck will spin posi and then spin or chirp second. i have a manual trans just like you. i wouldnt spend 1200 just to swap to 4.10s i would go out and find a different trailer. why do you need an enclosed trailer to get fire wood. i have a 4x8 trailer that i fill full of firewood along with the bed of my truck which is some where around 4-5k and i tow it just fine and i get around 14-15 mpg when towing. i think you might have a weak motor. run a compression check on it

 

like others have mentioned, you'll be using more gas. think the debate came up before and a truck similar to mine was rev'ing about 500-700 rpms faster. that might not seem like much but it will add up.

do you need to tow the trailer when you load up firewood? how often do you use the trailer? from your post you should be able to load 500lbs of wood into your bed. maybe a different trailer more suited for your situation is what you need? i've moved a total of three fridges and used the trailer once, i find it's easier to load a fridge into the bed then onto a trailer. more secure too. i'm only using a fridge as example since it's the only heavy thing i can think of off the top of my head.

how many miles on your engine? a 4.0L with 3.73s and on 29s should be pretty decent for pick up, i mean your not gonna win races, especially loaded up. but it should be able to get outta it's own way.
when was the last time you did a tune up? maybe if your gonna invest the kind of cash into your truck it takes when spending on gears and installation, it might be cheaper to do what someone said and find a newer motor.

 

the truck has about 130,000 miles on it, ive only got wood with the trailer a couple of times, there was alot to get and it seemed logical to bring the biggest "basket" along to make fewer trips. the trailer gets its most useage between sept-dec when its on the road every weekend. last weekend i had it out for the first time this year and i may be pulling it to wisconsin this weekend. ive got a set of slightly smaller tires i may put on to see what that does, in theroy it may help. just have to flip the ball mount to keep the tounge level.

 

if you put smaller tires, your engine is gonna be spinning faster.

when was the last time you did an overhaul of the engine?

 

WTF are you talking about? I didnt say anything about what gears will work in what axle from different axles. I said go to a junkyard to get gears.

 

Where are you going in Wi?