If only we had known...

I got the 47 1 ton axle from a guy in New York who swore it had 4.11 gears in it. He gave me the axle since he hot rodded the truck, but I had to pay shipping. It has 4.86 gears. If you need it you can take the complete axle for whatever it costs to ship, but I suspect you can find a cheaper option. I think the axle assembly is the same from 42 to early 51 and I think the brake parts interchange.

The axle is at my folks place about an hour out of town. If you have any other locals running through my area give me a few days advanced warning and you will have a replacement axle for the cost of thanking your locals.

 

From James Wagner's FTSO4 the '38 tonner came stock with the 4:11 diff. After that it was an option. My friend Mark showed up tonight with his '76 landcruiser. It was beautiful, but he bought it that way. I still think it would be cool to have a pirate hot shot trucker take your rear axle up to minnesota and a local mechanic could put it in the panel. Then it's a roller and it could make it's way out west....

 

I have driven an 38 flatbed tonner with 4.11 gears. It was an interesting truck but the seller wanted way more than it was worth.

 

That doesn't look like a 38

 

It's a '42, and I have a '47 tonner pickup axle for it here under a trailer. We were just discussing that the '38 model, first year for the tonner, came with 4.11 gears in it. That's what I had in my '38 and with 7.50 x 17's it was actually geared higher than many 3/4 ton pickups from the 70's and 80's. The tires are 34" tall as opposed to the 7.50 x 16s or 235 85 16s, which are about 32" tall. 70 mph was not at all out of the question on the freeway in stock form. I did have a later flathead 59ab with a 4" merc crank, but otherwise stock. I'm guessing the axle under my trailer is the 4.86 or whatever, but at my age I don't really need to go 70 in a rattle trap panel. I was hoping to maybe get the tonner axle from '38 coupe, so the panel could be transported better and I could keep my old box trailer all Ford with the hubcaps etc. Anyone know of a derelict tonner out west?