Back in action!

[Ken Cooke]

After having to wait 14 months to afford a set of gears for my Ranger, I finally got them installed. I went with a set of 4.56:1 gears on my Ranger. I had a front Lockright and a rear Limited Slip unit for the Ranger, but the mechanic at 4WP here in Riverside (originally from TriCounty Gear) told me that he could not get these parts to fit. Well, I'm still open but I'm able to turn those 33's much easier.
I have done trail runs with the Jeeps, and I made those stock TJs and YJs look silly on some of the hillclimbs, rock climbs, and stairstep sections of the San Bernardino National Forest. So, am I concerned about still being open? Nope. My Ranger will do just fine out there.
Hey, Ranger X! I guess I won't have to ride along w/you the next time I see you out on the trail!

 

[RangerX]

Good to see you back in action, Ken!

What LS were you trying to put in the rear? I can't imagine why neither unit would fit.

So, you going to make the next T-haven run???????

 

[Ken Cooke]

What Limited Slip?

The Limited Slip unit was a Trac-Lok unit from a '93 Explorer. In fact, it was Thunderhorses to begin with. Maybe the spline counts didn't match up correctly? Hmmm - I don't know. Then, the Lock Right was for a Dana 30, not a 35. Just a few pieces needed to be swapped to make the Lock Right fit. But the mechanic is shrewd, and he didn't want to risk any liability using this unit. So, my Ranger is still open, but it can kick plenty of ass out there on the trail!

 

[Jason_25]

What you should do is just buy a powertrax for the rear, and install it yourself, and leave the front open for now.

 

[Ken Cooke]

Powertrax Reliability

How reliable are Powertrax units? I can't be caught w/o a rearend down in the Mexican outback. I've heard of people having Lockrights being installed in the rearend of their rigs, and these units blowing up (for whatever reason). So, I'm not too convinced that a Lockright is sturdy enough to carry a massive load of camping gear along with 20 gallons of water and 10 gallons of gasoline. What are your impressions of this?

 

[Jason_25]

I have never heard of that happening. I have the no-slip and it seems strong as heck. There is NO wear on the unit at all after the abuse I have put it through over the last year I have had it. Combined with the strength of the 8.8 axle you should be a-ok.

 

[Ken Cooke]

My 1st run - Joshua Tree Mining Roads

I went with Dan (Starsailor) on the Brooklyn Mine/Old Dale roads in Joshua Tree. With the 4.56 gearing, the difference in ability was night and day. Now, I could crawl through rock shrewn washes that I would have had to 'clutch' my way through. Crawling up hillclimb areas was a luxury I quickly got used to. Although I have BFG-All Terrains, I didn't suffer very much tire-spin. I just lined up where I wanted to go, and just crawled right up (and sometimes around) the obstacles. We did not suffer any tire failure problems on these trails, although when I had to hug the hillside due to some washouts, I cut up some of the lugs on these meats.
My suspension was very flexible and compliant through many of these sections. I did not disconnect the swaybar, and lifting tires was not a problem on this gnarly trail. Traction from the BFG's was comparable to the TSL-SXs these tires replaced just over a year ago. The one difference I keep noticing is that the BFGs have about 60% of the original tread left, while the TSL-SXs took just over 1 year to wear down to the wear indicators.
I sent out an email to my Jeeping buddies that I'm now available to 4 wheel thanks to the regearing, and I can't wait now to go on a "beginners" run with Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs and spank some a-- off of those Jeeps like I did the last time I ran with them!