kris is gonna weld up a sterling diff for me when i get the 8 lug outer **** from dillin, if he ever comes up with a price for it. i'll run it myself for a while and make up my own mind. it won't be going longer than 25 miles at a time on the street. if i don't like it, i'll spring for the detroit, but i can't see much difference in why it would bother me on road. my old white truck was locked and i don't coast around corners. never really caused too much of an issue for me, so i think i'll probably be ok with it, even in winter.

 

Bwhahahaehaha!!

 

Welded and locker way different.

That's why I spent the $500+ on a front locker.

 

Lol I love how every thread on this forum seems to turn into some petty argument between two (or more) people. Grown men are we?

Anyways, I am pretty familiar with these tires. Like I said, I have extensive experience with the vehicles they were intended for. My dad also runs them on his Scout.



BTW, they aren't aired down in this pic. Just to hold off that wave of CPT Obvious posts.

They do flex if you run really low air pressure in them, and the Goodyear MVT's aren't that bad on the street believe it or not. This is not intended to be my DD. Is it long? Yeah, compared to what a lot of people run. Is that kinda what I like about it? You bet your a$s it is. Driving a truck with 38's is probably like driving a Honda Civic for most people. Ever drive a HEMTT wrecker through downtown areas in Korea? It changes your perspective.

Anyways, I do appreciate the input on the axle/suspension issue. I guess Rockies are the way to go eventually, but I'll probably do my best to break what I've got first Would I love to go Rocks, linked suspension, etc? Yeah, eventually. But I don't want it sitting in the garage while I wait for everything to come in. I gotta wheel!

Also, the ZF6 has a lower granny gear than the 5, plus it's stronger. The transfer is stronger as well. If I went Rocks w/ the 6.72 ratio, plus the low gear in the zf6 of 5.79 and the 4low transfer of 2.72, that's a crawl ratio of roughly 106:1. Not too bad in my book. Obviously not gonna be an insane crawler but should do the trick just fine. That's why I would swap in a ZF6.

 

The tires being able to flex is a big key to traction. Here is how a good tire will flex, this was taaken when I run 4 psi. I usually run 4 in the rear and 6 in the front.

 

Yeah. Believe it or not, the Mils I've seen will flex like that at low pressure. Like 1-2 PSI ish. Haven't had any issues coming off the wheel either. On a light rig like a tube buggy or something I could see it being a problem, but I don't think I'll ever be able to call my truck lightweight.

 

AHAHAHAHAHA this is great! I always wondered what happened when you drove on the street with a welded or spooled diff.

 

Tyler's right. Take your arguments to another thread. Nobody wants another "Dan's never built a truck and still gives advise." argument.

Tyler what kind of off-roading do you do? I assume mud.. 46's seem a bit tall for trails. I think Rockwells would be a good choice. All I can say for something that big is just what I've heard, and what I've heard is that one tons won't do well with a 46" military tire.

What kind of suspension are you running? (It doesn't really have anything to do with the question, i'm just curious..)

 

It depends on what axle you use.
I ran a welded 10.25 for while. With 40's and 44's and never had any problems with it.

 

Key word is for a wile. If its a DD, eventually something is going to give. The shfts will always have tension/stress on them in a welded diff. And over time the shafts will get fatigued and let loose.

 

I actually do a little bit of everything. Right now I have Skyjacker softride 6" lift springs and the shackle mods in my sig. Not my ideal set up, but it really doesn't do too bad for now. I probably get more flex from my frame than me leaves though... lol. Once the bed comes off and I start into the cage I'm gonna try to get some custom springs made, or maybe just try my luck at a linked set-up. We'll see.

 

Hey hav2wheel, do you have any pics/info on the bed on your rig? I like the design of it. Also how do you like your rig on trails? From the pics/vids I've seen it seems to do just fine but everyone up here (mostly Jeep/Toyota guys) say you can't run anything that big because it won't fit (too wide).

 

Linked suspensions are not hard to do, at least in the rear. I have done one on my Ramcharger both front and rear. I think you could get away with doing a rear four link for about $4,000 and could even be less if you think you can get away with farm implement joints instead of using heims. If you have some steel laying around and some springs you can shave even more off. The front four link I did really was not done correctly. This is why my rig is now in Idaho at a friends shop. Don't be afraid of them. Heck if I can do it then anyone can.

You might be right with your tire choice. I have never run them but, I have wheeled with some folks who have used military tires in the past. Your rig just might be heavy enough to make the tires flex well enough. They would not be my first choice but, if you are familiar with them and you can get them cheap enough then why not?

LT.

 

I know for sure I could flex them in the front. Particularly if I went rocks, but as is, my truck weighs in at 8k, mostly in the front. If I built a heavy flatbed on the rear and carried a matching spare I wouldn't be surprised with 10k worth of truck.

 

JTyler, I have to say there's a special art to wheeling with a fullsize rig.
Don't be afraid to get a few dents.