I was wondering if you can flip the rear axle so that the saddles are on the bottom. IE taking the left side and flipping it to the right. Everything would be inverted 180 degrees. So your pumpkin would be upside down. As well as the gears. I wasn't sure if this would give the gears the sufficient amount of oil needed. I understand axle flip kits are relatively cheap. This is more of a theoretical question of would it work.

 

It would work, as long as you like driving backwards.

The lubrication (or lack there-of) would be the least of your worries. The axle would be driving "backwards" of conventional.

 

Just buy a flip kit and be done with it.

 

So if you we're able to turn the pumkin right side up this would not be a problem. I was trying to wrap my head around this and once you said you would be going in reverse. It made sense. The gear would be on the other side. Going down would then be transfer to going up.

Thank you for reading the entire post. It was a theoretical question. I had no intent on doing it. I was considering flipping my rear end. And talking to a girl about it. She asked why can't you just flip it 180. I said I don't think it will work that way. But for whatever reason. Brain fart I geuss I could not give her an answer. I asked a couple friends and they couldn't give me an answer beside the vent and gear oil. None of us considered the gear would be on the wrong side. But thank you for clarifying things.

 

You would also have the gear oil draining on you haha. Flipping the whole unit would deff cause problems for ya

 

it would be physically impossible to flip it left to right. the center section is offset to the right side to clear the gas tank. so flipping it around would put the short side on the driver side, and the center section about half way into the gas tank.

 

Even if you could flip it you would be driving on the wrong side of the gear, it would be weaker than the 7.5 in some Rangers.

A number of companies on the web have kits to just bolt in the Explorer Axle but it would be better to get a weld in kit and get it done that way.

Here is the 31-spline kit from Ruff Stuff:

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...g/88SS-31.html

Here is the 8.8 28-spline kit from Ruff Stuff:

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/...g/88SS-28.html

luck