will i be ok?

[Nickbf2504x4]

camping at pismo beach this weekend... the access is across the sand and along the shore of the pacific as you can see from my signature i have not got around to re-gearing my front axle to match my 3.55's in the rear so do you guys think i will be ok with my mixed ratios for a total distance of like 4 miles low speed in the sand? thanks 4wd is a must to get to the dunes pulling a trailer

 

[towcat]

You're gonna be hopping around and digging in the sand. Careful, these trucks are nose heavy and make poor sand crawlers as a result

 

[Pacific]

Towcat is right these trucks are front heavy and sink I found out the hard way on a jobsite I was working on. I thought it was a minor patch of sand then the front end sunk to the axle no hope I could backout had to have a Toyota 4x4 to pull me out

As for running with two different gear ratios just be prepared to kick it out of 4wheeldrive when you get into places where the ground is too hard to let the wheels spin. Your transfercase may take a beating so try use 2wd as much as you can and lower the air pressure in your tires to give the rear some more grip.

I had a 79 F-150 4x4 with different ratios it was okay for really slippery but get on any hard dirt surface it would really lurch and bang.

It might be really worth the money to have the front axle gears changed before you go it will prolly be cheaper than you grenading the transfercase and having a tow truck to pull you back to a shop.

 

[Nickbf2504x4]

1,000 bucks jus like that...gears and an IP this truck is expensive -Deadhorse

 

[beretzs]

Nick, I for one will say DO NOT run your truck in 4wd, with two very different ratios. Even on sand and loose surfaces, you are putting massive strain on your t-case and EVERYjoint connected between the two. Remember you are 1/2 of a driveshaft rotation off, that is ALOT in the driveline world. You may get away with it today, but you will pay for it later. I know there are some who say you can, and will be okay, but 4 miles of that, well, good luck. Not trying to scare you, you are going to do what you need to, but that is massive abuse on a driveline. The only people who get away with it are mud racers, but they are only doing it for a few hundred feet, and they are running mega strength axles. Scotty

 

[apextrans]

VERY bad idea. I used to have a 4WD wrecker (97 F350 Powerchoke). I blew a rear it one nite & stuffed a loaner rear in it because I HAD to have it on the road running calls. I think it had 4.11's in it originaly & the loaner was 4.56's. The owner of one of the big stealership I towed for call & said his son buried his jeep in the dunes down near ocean city MD, would I go get him? I did. I aired down, kicked it in 4WD on the sand, & kablooey. Not even a mile on the sand. 1 Tcase & one driveshaft history. I got close enough to winch him to me & a friend who owned a towing co. down there pulled us both out. Very expensive mistake. Just my $.02

 

[Nickbf2504x4]

thanks guys thats exactly why i posted...got a smoking deal on a set of 3.55's for my dana 50...125 bucks brand new!!! a little research goes a long way

new dana 50 3.55 R&P...125 dollars

bill at randy's tire to install...probably another 125-150 dollars

the fact that this weekend i can be wheelin carefree...priceless

damn i know somewhere said this before but our IDI bros are awesome on telling eachother how to spend our money the economy owes us all a debt of gratitude thanks for the advice guys

PS>the best part is tommorow i can take that damn out of my sig!

 

[Agnem]

The only other option would be to change your tire size on one of the axles to compensate. You'd have to do some math there to see what size would be required.

 

[beretzs]

Good call Nick, your truck wil thank you for it. It is not worth destroying your rig, for a few miles of fun. Well, sometimes it is fun, but you will pay for it, one way or another. Scotty

 

[Pacific]

He is doing the best thing by changing the front diff ratio to match the rear. I imagine there would be enough bind to either break the chain or break a U joint. If one set of tires was abosolutely bald where they would spin real easy it maybe okay but what is the point in having it in 4wheeldrive then.

I think he will be busy digging this weekend trying to shovel his truck out of the sand when it sinks to the rocker panels

Like I meantioned I found out how fast the front end of my truck sunk in the sand. All I did was drive into a sandy area and she went down I couldn't back up couldn't drive forward if I wiggled it sunk even more.

I had to hang my head in shame when I had to have a 1/4 ton 4x4 Toyota P/U had to pull me out

 

[F350camper]

I had to hang my head in shame when I had to have a 1/4 ton 4x4 Toyota P/U had to pull me out

That's the worst thing I think I have ever heard..

 

[apextrans]

I had to hang my head in shame when I had to have a 1/4 ton 4x4 Toyota P/U had to pull me out

In the words of Rodney Carrington " I don't believe I'da told that"

 

[Nickbf2504x4]

there will be a digital cam on scene to document the trip hopefully a disaster like that will be avoided...then i'll need to be told how to post pics