Thanks for sharing.

I have a 99 V10 Dually crew cab 2wd with 3.73 gears. I tow a relatively small 7700 lb trailer (compared to what some tow with these trucks) but we are looking to upgrade. What annoys me is that that this truck can't hold OD on the slightest of hills.

I think I want to upgrade to 4.56 in my 2wd.

Right now I get about 11-12 mpg mixed city and highway, 7.5 towing.

thanks!

 

I guess the next question is, what brand gears is everyone having luck with?

 

i have yukon 4.56s and 37s...i drive fast and got 13.5 at 80 with 35s and 3.73s. now get 12.5 at 75-80, got 13.2 keeping it under 72. gears definitely woke it up but affected mileage more than i thought. i only went to 37s because it was too much gear for 35s. i paid 300 for gears and shims and did it myself. not fun but good experience.

 

Thats a good price, i thought yukons would cost more

Edit: i see you're 2wd , that explains it

 

What tools did you need? How long did it take? I'd rather change the rear gears myself for the experience and cost savings. Is there a book that will walk you through it?

 

ya, 2WD is alot easier...dont need 4x4 in the excursion. It has been stuck just once in 9 years and my sister pushed me out.

The job is not one for a first timer unless you are lucky. I had a ford mechanic near that walked me through everything. He was my QC and it worked well. You need a micrometer and back lash tool for starters...a press was used a few times, we used a lift also, it would suck to do this lying down. The shims are very precise and thin. You need to measure what comes out and put it back in similarly and test the backlash. When the backlash does not fall within spec, it has to come out again. The pinion also needs to be similar to what you started with. I had to remove and reshim the pinion only once, the chunk came out to be reshimmed about 4 times. Really good for a first timer my buddy said. it can take as little as 3 hours to do and as long as 8. Some times first time is a charm. Sometimes you go back to store for more shims. The gear chalk is used to test how gears line up. Make sure you mark the drive shaft and put it back on the same. The pinion is the front to back adjuster and the chunk is the left to right adjuster. Shims is the adjustment tool and they are as this as .01" I think, paper thin and easy to mangle.