Macrobb
Full Access Member
Pretty much. A non-worn-out TTB will do just fine, but once the rubber bushings are gone, it sags a bit and wears tires out.I just got rid of my D50 TTB setup. If you have one that's in good shape they're fine axles, but when they get worn they like to destroy tires (mine killed 4 in 20k miles). It's also damn near impossible to find a shop that'll touch that mess, much less do it correctly. And if you have a D50, don't plan on making any U-turns
They are absolutely dirt cheap to find used though, half the time people will be willing to pay you just to get it off their property. And if it's already out of the truck, you can rebuild it and make it nice before putting it under your truck, the actual parts needed are very inexpensive and the tools can be rented. A D60 swap is still a much better solution, but I'd take a D50 over 2WD any day.
Otherwise, it's a very simple setup - very few parts. Turning radius is a bit larger than a solid axle, but not that bad.
As far as finding a shop, yeah, it takes someone who knows TTBs. I found a good guy up here in Sandpoint who does all my TTB work(Elite Tire).