Which differential do I have? (1 Viewer)

[Jdog]

Picture this........ you’re navigating a tight switchback going downhill and you must make a 2 point turn... you turn your wheels all the way to once side and start backing up the high side of the switchback when all of a sudden you hear a loud pop.... there goes your birfield. U see, in the front you can’t unlock and backing up a hill with wheels turned puts tons of pressure on birf. Most people have an switchable locker in front.

to the OP, you might checkTrail Taylor. He’s done a lot of ARB locker installs and probably has the spider gears you need.

 

[F226continental]

With 33” tires breaking a birfield is not easy

 

[RockDoc]

I have done it with 33s. And people who deal with ice and snow do use 4wd on road.... at speed.

 

[F226continental]

What about running in 2wd with studded tires? Is that as good, better, or worse than 4wd without studs? I’m asking. Not much call around here for that stuff.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

I am NOT a previous owner of that FJ60, but I am familiar with it. See my comments on another thread. Those axles or the knuckles might be off of a FJ80.

For Sale - Atlanta, GA 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60

1983 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 195k miles. A very stout machine with the Trollhole car. The engine runs and pulls beautifully. 4-speed shifts great. The floor is sprayed with bed liner so washing out is a breeze. It has a nice head unit could use new speakers and the interior is decent for its...

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I hope this helps.

 

[Seth S]

What about running in 2wd with studded tires? Is that as good, better, or worse than 4wd without studs? I’m asking. Not much call around here for that stuff.

Studs while still available are kind of old tech these days. Modern snow tires have gotten really good and work on both snow and ice. Studs don't do anything for you in the snow and only aid on ice. I haven't put studded snows on my car in 15 years and have been running a good set of siped snow specific tires on my DD which is fwd with an open diff. The only time I have trouble is if I am going up a steep hill and someone stops in front of me....then I might have a hard time getting going again.

4wd in an old truck like a 60 on the highway seems pointless to me unless the snow is piling up in a storm or it hasn't been plowed. In both those cases the road will be slippery enough that the negative affects of a locker won't be noticed (unlike on dry ground). 4wd will help with engine braking in the snow but it won't affect your normal braking. 4WD will only help pull your through a corner if you are on the gas. Around here many of the 4wd vehicles we see drive too fast for the conditions using a new set of Alabama all season tires...and mostly end up further off the road or on their roof.

 

[F226continental]

Good analysis Seth, Down in these parts we either run full street tires for mpg or mud grips depending on how much off pavement time we spend. And a few all terrain types. Winter down here gets really sloppy Off pavement, and if you don’t have mudders you are stuck a lot.