Has Anybody used "Low Range Off Road" front axle rebuild kits?

[Rifleman]

I have a question for all the mud members who have already done this job, what was the condition of your brass bushings located inside your spindle housings. Now if your bushings were bad and needed replaced, how many miles were on them when you replaced them?

 

[half k cruiser]

185k on one set, 220k on the other. The spindle bushings all looked great.

 

[Tools R Us]

I have a question for all the mud members who have already done this job, what was the condition of your brass bushings located inside your spindle housings. Now if your bushings were bad and needed replaced, how many miles were on them when you replaced them?

The answer would be, it depends. If they have had grease are very durable, last virtually forever, If they have been run dry, not so much. So, it's not a mileage thing, more of a how have they been treated thing.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Just as an FYI, one of the other Mud members said it would be a VERY good idea to have "extra" inter axle seals on hand while doing this job just in case i screw one up while installing them. So i went to Toyota the other day to pick up an extra set of seals. The seals from my local Toyota dealer came 2 to a plastic bag, (not in the red & white box) with the P/N 90310-35010 printed on the bags label. Upon removing the seals from the bag and checking them, they are in fact now made by NOK, a company based in China. When i got home i did some searching on the web to find out all the information i could about NOK. This is what i found, it seems that NOK is a leading manufacturer, and supplier of seals for many of the leading car, and heavy equipment manufactures all over the world. I have to say i find anything made in China to be HIGHLY SUSPECT, but if they can pass Toyota's high quality standards,and are being installed by Toyota dealers in their service departments, well then i guess these Chinese made seals will now have to be good enough for me.

Your research is troubling. It is very possible that NOK makes seals in multiple locations. However I'm 100% positive our NOK seals come from Japan. Also, NOK isn't a new OE supplier, they have been a supplier for many years and are still a Japan based company with production and R&D in Japan: NOK Corporation - Nok Corporation

 

[Tools R Us]

Your research is troubling. It is very possible that NOK makes seals in multiple locations. However I'm 100% positive our NOK seals come from Japan. Also, NOK isn't a new OE supplier, they have been a supplier for many years and are still a Japan based company with production and R&D in Japan: NOK Corporation - Nok Corporation

Correct, they have been an OE supplier for about forever, but lets not let facts get in the way of a good rant!

 

[Rifleman]

Not a rant guys, just information that's available if you look. Company's in Japan are just like they are here in the states, they are always looking for a way to cut labor cost. In doing so NOK has transfer production of their products out of Japan, not only to factory's in China, but also to factory's in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and a place many of our military members will never forget, Vietnam. It all comes down to dollars and cents, where they can pay a worker penny's in China to make these seals, instead of paying dollars for the same worker in Japan. This is just a sign of the times, just wait until Obama signs into law the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2016, your going to see alot more high paying jobs leave our country heading for these third world sh1t holes, all so a company can make a few more bucks for their share holders.

Oh, and Tools R Us, thanks so much for the input on those spindle bushings, i was thinking about buying a set and just installing them, but at 160 bucks, i think I'll now wait till i get a chance to inspect mine first.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Not a rant guys, just information that's available if you look. Company's in Japan are just like they are here in the states, they are always looking for a way to cut labor cost. In doing so NOK has transfer production of their products out of Japan, not only to factory's in China, but also to factory's in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and a place many of our military members will never forget, Vietnam. It all comes down to dollars and cents, where they can pay a worker penny's in China to make these seals, instead of paying dollars for the same worker in Japan. This is just a sign of the times, just wait until Obama signs into law the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2016, your going to see alot more high paying jobs leave our country heading for these third world sh1t holes, all so a company can make a few more bucks for their share holders.

But how can you assert "a company based in China"? Again, my NOK seals are from Japan and I just looked at a dozen different other OEM Toyota seals (NOK marked), all state made in Japan. What am I missing?

Please share the "available" information that would set us straight.

 

[LS1FJ40]

Not a rant guys, just information that's available if you look. Company's in Japan are just like they are here in the states, they are always looking for a way to cut labor cost. In doing so NOK has transfer production of their products out of Japan, not only to factory's in China, but also to factory's in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and a place many of our military members will never forget, Vietnam. It all comes down to dollars and cents, where they can pay a worker penny's in China to make these seals, instead of paying dollars for the same worker in Japan. This is just a sign of the times, just wait until Obama signs into law the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2016, your going to see alot more high paying jobs leave our country heading for these third world sh1t holes, all so a company can make a few more bucks for their share holders.

Oh, and Tools R Us, thanks so much for the input on those spindle bushings, i was thinking about buying a set and just installing them, but at 160 bucks, i think I'll now wait till i get a chance to inspect mine first.

I knew somehow this would be Obama's fault...


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Tools R Us]

But how can you assert "a company based in China" when I can't even find info leading to them having a manufacturing plant building small seals in China let alone based there as you assert. Again, my NOK seals are from Japan and I just looked at a dozen different other OEM Toyota seals (NOK marked), all state made in Japan. What am I missing?

Please share the "available" information that would set us straight.

Their headquarters is in Tokyo, that is close to Peking,,, right,,, kinda the same thing?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...Oh, and Tools R Us, thanks so much for the input on those spindle bushings, i was thinking about buying a set and just installing them, but at 160 bucks, i think I'll now wait till i get a chance to inspect mine first.

Shop around, they are much less expensive for Joint Fuji, again OEM supplier

 

[LS1FJ40]

Generally when I am looking for expert advice on Toyota Land Cruisers I go to Mud. Then I wait for experts like Cruiser Outfitters, Tools, Jon Held, etc to answer. The Google is no match for the collective knowledge of the experts on Mud.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Rifleman]

Cruiseroutfit. thanks for the tip about Fuji Joint for the bushings I'll check into them if i need bushing. Anyway heres a link to Nok's web site that details a list of plants not only in China but other country's, and the dates they became part of the NOK parent company. I'm sure as you said that R&D is still done in Japan, but when it comes to making seals, and that all comes down to dollars, and cents, their going to have their seals made in country's other than Japan where their labor cost is cheaper. Company History|NOK CORPORATION

Here's another link to a plant in china where NOK oil seals are made. Products | NOK-Freudenberg Group China Anyway none of this really matters, because like i said above, even if they are made in China they must of passed Toyota's quality control. One thing i know about big company's like Toyota, they all have army's of "bean counters" and they all hate having to spent money on returned products due to poor quality.



LS1FJ40, please don't get your panties in a twist, i never said it was Obama's fault, i was only pointing out the FACT that our country will lose many more good jobs when the TPP takes affect. One more thing, just to prove i wasn't RAGGING on Obama, the TPP couldn't pass without Republicans in the House, and Senate voting for it, and they'll vote for it to help out their Wall Street masters make a few more bucks. I'm just glad I'm retired now, and don't have to worry about losing my job to a factory overseas, i really feel for young people today, I'm sure they must lose sleep at night not knowing if they'll have a job next year.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Your still asserting all their seals are made in China, for all we know the China plant simply makes products for Chinese market applications, they have a U.S. plant too, does that make them a U.S. based company? Our seals are marked made in Japan, I'm not too worried where othersz get their seals from

 

[LS1FJ40]

Your still asserting all their seals are made in China, for all we know the China plant simply makes products for Chinese market applications, they have a U.S. plant too, does that make them a U.S. based company? Our seals are marked made in Japan, I'm not too worried where othersz get their seals from

Which is why I'll buy my kit from an expert like Kurt aka @cruiseroutfit aka Cruiser Outfitters. When I tell him I want OEM quality for my knuckle rebuild he will make sure I get it. And he's done a few (haha) to be able to tell the difference between.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[DSRTRDR]

Cruiser outfitters works for me.

/this\

for three trucks and 15 years combined

 

[DSRTRDR]

and, with all the threads on the front axle rebuilt subject here on MUD, why are we still debating this ?

Kurt's the man - the end

 

[LS1FJ40]

and, with all the threads on the front axle rebuilt subject here on MUD, why are we still debating this ?

Kurt's the man - the end

Because some people are a) lazy and don't search b) think they are going to save $20 by going somewhere else c) think they have found the panacea to all knuckle problems with an off brand.

They are wrong on all accounts.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[nuclearlemon]

Just as an FYI, one of the other Mud members said it would be a VERY good idea to have "extra" inter axle seals on hand while doing this job just in case i screw one up while installing them. So i went to Toyota the other day to pick up an extra set of seals. The seals from my local Toyota dealer came 2 to a plastic bag, (not in the red & white box) with the P/N 90310-35010 printed on the bags label. Upon removing the seals from the bag and checking them, they are in fact now made by NOK, a company based in China. When i got home i did some searching on the web to find out all the information i could about NOK. This is what i found, it seems that NOK is a leading manufacturer, and supplier of seals for many of the leading car, and heavy equipment manufactures all over the world. I have to say i find anything made in China to be HIGHLY SUSPECT, but if they can pass Toyota's high quality standards,and are being installed by Toyota dealers in their service departments, well then i guess these Chinese made seals will now have to be good enough for me.

In most cases i would agree on china quality, but nok has been a respected brand for decades. Its the quality control that companies do that makes the difference is on chinese manufacturing

 

[Tools R Us]

... to factory's in ...

Wow, a multinational company,,, like Toyota, who also have factories in "sh1t holes" like the USA for instance.

 

[bxadook]

Does anyone know if the Low Range kit includes wheel bearing races and upper + lower knuckle bearing races?
Also seems to be missing cone washers for the hubs and knuckle.
Referencing this kit

Low Range Off Road Ultimate Knuckle Rebuild Kit

Low Range Off-Road Ultimate Knuckle Rebuild Kit At one time it might have been difficult to answer the question, "Who makes the best knuckle rebuild kit?" Since there was no complete kit on the market, people were forced to buy all the pieces separately. Now the answer is "Low Range Off-Road!"...

www.lowrangeoffroad.com