Who's running TG Birfs or Marfields?
09-29-2009, 10:59 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Who's running TG Birfs or Marfields?
Curious who has experience with these aftermarket Chromoly Birfields...
Not Longfields.
I ordered Trail Gears birfs to install this weekend when I regear to 529 and mount on my 37's. I've yet to break a stock birfield on 33's and my buddy's never broken a stock birf either, on 35's.. So dunno, might be the wheeling we do isnt the "HAMMERS or the RUBICON" .. but still, like peace of mind knowing I got something in there that can take a bit of abuse.
Not Longfields.
I ordered Trail Gears birfs to install this weekend when I regear to 529 and mount on my 37's. I've yet to break a stock birfield on 33's and my buddy's never broken a stock birf either, on 35's.. So dunno, might be the wheeling we do isnt the "HAMMERS or the RUBICON" .. but still, like peace of mind knowing I got something in there that can take a bit of abuse.
09-30-2009, 04:45 AM
#2
Never an issue of "if" but "when". Even chromoly ones will break, thing is they have a lifetime warranty if you got the hub gears or drive flanges to match.
No experience with Marfs but the Dirty 30s look beef to me and just like a Longfield minus the stamping. Im sure they are just as strong but nothing is immune to breakage. Buddy just busted some last week.
No experience with Marfs but the Dirty 30s look beef to me and just like a Longfield minus the stamping. Im sure they are just as strong but nothing is immune to breakage. Buddy just busted some last week.
09-30-2009, 10:06 AM
#3
Contributing Member
Why not Longfields?
Also, are you looking at stock replacements or 30 spline upgrades?
Personally, I went with the tried and proven 30 spline Longs when it came time to replace busted birfs (yes, both) in Molly's rig.
Also, are you looking at stock replacements or 30 spline upgrades?
Personally, I went with the tried and proven 30 spline Longs when it came time to replace busted birfs (yes, both) in Molly's rig.
10-01-2009, 11:22 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
it comes down to $$$ really. I'd like to put longs in but christ they're expensive. Worth it, yea probably. But I don't wheel my stuff quite as roughly as if it were a trail-only rig.
Unfortuanetly it needs to get to the trail, do the trail and then come back home, then drive me to work the next day =P So we don't wheel anything to extreme and take it easy on the rigs and have a great time.
and i just ordered the stock upgrades. 27 spline.
Unfortuanetly it needs to get to the trail, do the trail and then come back home, then drive me to work the next day =P So we don't wheel anything to extreme and take it easy on the rigs and have a great time.
and i just ordered the stock upgrades. 27 spline.
10-01-2009, 02:19 PM
#5
Contributing Member
Waste of money IMHO. You're just going to break inners where they neck down now instead of (the easier to replace) outers.
The way you use your truck, the more important it is to buy quality parts!
Fortunately, Toyota front axles are full floating so you can drive home with a broken (or even removed) axle shaft.
The way you use your truck, the more important it is to buy quality parts!
Fortunately, Toyota front axles are full floating so you can drive home with a broken (or even removed) axle shaft.
10-01-2009, 11:34 PM
#6
Registered User
Thread Starter
Waste of money IMHO. You're just going to break inners where they neck down now instead of (the easier to replace) outers.
The way you use your truck, the more important it is to buy quality parts!
Fortunately, Toyota front axles are full floating so you can drive home with a broken (or even removed) axle shaft.
The way you use your truck, the more important it is to buy quality parts!
Fortunately, Toyota front axles are full floating so you can drive home with a broken (or even removed) axle shaft.
10-02-2009, 04:26 AM
#7
Registered User
Have you ever broke a birfield??? Not a good idea to drive home with chunks of metal and ball bearings floating around in the closed knuckle... 2 of the 3 I broke I had major steering issues. one of them I could only turn left to almost staight. Wouldn't let me go right at all... 12 point turnarounds suck! Yes you could remove the inner but who wants to do that job twice if you don't have to . Don't forget about getting gear oil out in the knuckle also. Not supposed to happen but it probably wouldn't hurt, just might leak a little more than the grease does
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10-02-2009, 12:59 PM
#9
Contributing Member
10-03-2009, 01:45 PM
#12
Registered User
Thread Starter
cool, alright
well, I'm sure I'll post once i bust something upfront
I'm doing the gear install right now, probably just get the rear done. The front is such a pain i dont know if i'll feel like it this weekend. :-p
fun stuff =) 37 mtrs look so nice
well, I'm sure I'll post once i bust something upfront
I'm doing the gear install right now, probably just get the rear done. The front is such a pain i dont know if i'll feel like it this weekend. :-pfun stuff =) 37 mtrs look so nice
10-04-2009, 12:38 AM
#13
Registered User
Thread Starter
529's installed in the rear, solid spacer. What a PITA that was. I fully expected the hassle to be the solid spacer and getting the preload to around 10lb's.. no it was the pinion shim(s)..
Finally got a perfect gear contact pattern at .205" which is unheard of it but it worked. About 10+ tries, we lost count. You'd think I was installing 4cyl gearset in a 6cyl third. Christ! And a .016" shim for the solid spacer to get ~6lb of preload. 24yr old bearings i didnt use new bearings. They still spin smooth.
See how it works out
Finally got a perfect gear contact pattern at .205" which is unheard of it but it worked. About 10+ tries, we lost count. You'd think I was installing 4cyl gearset in a 6cyl third. Christ! And a .016" shim for the solid spacer to get ~6lb of preload. 24yr old bearings i didnt use new bearings. They still spin smooth.
See how it works out
Last edited by drew303; 10-04-2009 at 12:39 AM.
10-04-2009, 06:10 AM
#14
529's installed in the rear, solid spacer. What a PITA that was. I fully expected the hassle to be the solid spacer and getting the preload to around 10lb's.. no it was the pinion shim(s)..
Finally got a perfect gear contact pattern at .205" which is unheard of it but it worked. About 10+ tries, we lost count. You'd think I was installing 4cyl gearset in a 6cyl third. Christ! And a .016" shim for the solid spacer to get ~6lb of preload. 24yr old bearings i didnt use new bearings. They still spin smooth.
See how it works out
Finally got a perfect gear contact pattern at .205" which is unheard of it but it worked. About 10+ tries, we lost count. You'd think I was installing 4cyl gearset in a 6cyl third. Christ! And a .016" shim for the solid spacer to get ~6lb of preload. 24yr old bearings i didnt use new bearings. They still spin smooth.
See how it works out
I don't even bother to mess with gears, lockers, shims, bearings in diffs. I take the punkin to a buddy and drop them off at his house. $150 a diff for a bench gear/locker install is worth every penny for not having the headache.
10-04-2009, 10:47 AM
#15
Registered User
Thread Starter
like i said, bearings spin smoothly so didn't hassle with them. My buddy does gear installs as well (for free for me too) but I wanted to learn so another friend who's a mechanic helped me a long. Just took a loooong time and a lot of put together tear apart over n over. I have all the tools required tho so that made it a lot smoother going, just tedious.
I did the 30 minute break-in and no noise or vibrations. SO thats good haha
I did the 30 minute break-in and no noise or vibrations. SO thats good haha
10-04-2009, 10:52 AM
#16
Registered User
Thread Starter
oh yea i should mention the main reason im not wasting money on bearings is.. my original plan was to install elockers f/r... but the deal fell through so im putting the gears in now to run the 37's and for the obvioius reasons of having gears. but i still plan to install elockers ASAP. Of which use different bearings.
10-04-2009, 11:29 AM
#17
Registered User
.205?? wow that is crazy! and 6lbs of preload is nothing on the old pinion bearings, there suppose to be about 15 inch lbs. how much preload did you put on the side bearings? and what did you set the backlash to?
10-04-2009, 03:43 PM
#19
Registered User
Thread Starter
yeah, thats what we thought to but we started at .080 with the stock shim and worked little by little to that number. And everything I read was 6-10lbs on old bearings and lil more for new ones. .016" shim on the solid spacer (which is unusually little amount of shimming ... worn races?)
Backlash came to an exact .009". I had .008" but setting the preload on the bearing caps it moved a lil. Which I set as much preload as my 3ft bar and my arms could muster...
tc I dont have pics but we were using Zuk's site and a few others to check gear patterns as well as the Yukon install book.
These pics off Zuk's site look identical to what the final result was
When we started with the stock shim (why not right? ) the pinion was hitting the ring extremely shallown and favoring the heel entirely which isnt horrible but it needed to go much much deeper.
I think the bearings could probably be replaced and the races are probably worn down which would make sense why we only needed a .016 shim on the collar compared to the average .050. Ultimately this dif will go in the front where it hardly gets used.
When the elocker or ARB goes in the rear, i'll be using all new components.
Last edited by drew303; 10-04-2009 at 03:46 PM.
10-04-2009, 06:04 PM
#20
Registered User
what brand of gears? sorry for all the questions lol. im not trying to call you out, its just that is allot of pinion shim lol. and yea worn bearings and races would require less collar shim.
