We'll for all of ya'll who have thought of making this modification you now have someone to ask questions. I thought i would give you a little review.

First off the Yukon gears have made it 500 miles with little noise and so far i have nothing to complain about. If you have 31 or 32 inch tires definitely go with the 4.56 Gears It makes a big difference. More power when you take off and especially noticeable going up hills.

For the Trutracs front and rear that is the best mod i have done yet. No buttons to push or air compressors to worry about leaking. Although these wouldn't be a choice for extreme every week end hard core rock crawling. I can now conquer stuff that was impossible in four wheel drive in two wheel drive. Even if you do lift one tire of the ground which i have done in several occasions only a slight application of the E-Brake may be needed. Lock her in four wheel drive and usually the torque between front and rear will pull you out of most anything. In the mud it is 100% traction to all four wheels except in the most extreme of situations. I like the fact of being able to cut dough nuts easier. Only a slight under steer is felt in four wheel drive which is well worth the added traction for a little pull every now and then.

We'll if anyone wants to ask a question or to hear more I will be happy to help you and get you set up with a dealer. I really wish to make a demonstration video to put on the web so ya'll can see the improvement.

Hope this helps someone. Clint

 

I've drooled over that setup, sorta startin' to right now. $$$ the only thing holding me back. I went the poor mans route, welded my front up. Left the rear open. Shoulda did the reverse, or neither. Anyway, being locked in the front only, SUCKED! To say the least. I think sometimes that I only wanna lock the rear axle, because I wan't/need to be able to turn better. If you promise me I won't hate it, like the spool I made, I'll be doin' just like you. For those about to tell me ARB, or e-locker, hold your breath. I ain't goin' there, first anyways. Now continue breathing.

 

I have that setup f/r tru-tracs and 4:88 yukon in front not sure what is in rear had a shop install it in 05 after i blew my rearend with stock 4.10s. running 4.88 and 33s are the perfect combo. love the trutracs all 4 tires spin in snow, mud in hills as long as somewhat equal pressure is all the way around (not totally flexed out) I wouldnt chose anything else especially for my daily driver. Parts alltogether b4 installation was $1050 not bad for front and rear axles.

 

By all means get them. It was worth every penny.

 

I got 4.56 Yukon gears with a Loc-rite up front and a Truetrac in the rear. I love the Yukon gears with the 32's and the Detroit Truetrac in the rear. I don't really care to much for the locker in the front as it wants to pull the steering in every direction in 4WD. I would like to eventually swap it out. Any body wanna trade a front locker for a Truetrac??? Didn't think so. The locker really doesn't fit my offroading needs as I am usually four wheeling on the beach or muddy riding trails around a farm. It does give some piece of mind at times though. I have yet to get stuck in any situation, but figure when I do it's gonna be bad since I don't know anybody with a recovery vehicle.
Anybody got 4.56's and 33" tires??? Hows that work out for ya??

 

I've been running a TT in the rear of my truck for more than a decade. Then again, I'm now on my third TT. The first one flaked off the gear face surfaces at around 80kmi. The second one lasted 10-15kmi and had the bolts come loose (the 3x factory bolts holding the TT together) which resulted in ruining very nearly the entire rear end (everything in the chunk was junk, and it got the axle splines on one side too.)
No assistance was offered from the manufacturer Eaton on this factory defect.
#3's in there now.

I've had Detroit Lockers, power locks (clutch type LS), Lincoln Lockers (welded), GM's governor locker (sucks balz) and the TT.

IMHO they all have their advantages and disadvantages
DL: pros: extremely strong, 100% application of power, nothing to fiddle with; cons: harsh, will push, will also cause you to swap ends real fast and sudden like, tough on tires. Well suited to rear diff long wheel base trucks which see moderate to extreme offroad use. I have it in a CJ5 and the street manners are terrible. You have to be soooo careful w/ throttle when going around a corner on any kind of slippery roads or it will swap ends in a heartbeat and you'll be facing oncoming traffic (done that lots too.) A longer wheelbase would help this.
Clutch Type LS: Pros: fairly smooth on the street; Cons: requires special expensive additive (whale cum), clutches wear out, w/ 1 wheel in the air spinning like mad it can give a sudden lockup which will usually blow the outter joints (been there, done that, lots.) Suitable for front diffs or rear diffs if you wheel rarely. Also in my CJ, w/ a SBC and I have to be real careful when lifting a wheel. Have had it blow premium D44 outter joints when it decides to grab.
GM's governer locker: Pros: none I can think of; Cons: weak, very little bias. Comes stock, when it blows up replace it with something better.
Truetrac: Pros: very predictable street mannors, gives good traction on wet conditions, doesn't 'push' can handle moderate amounts of power; Cons: w/ 1 wheel in the air you have an open diff - no bias. Low tire size and horsepower limits. No rebuilding. Factory bolts have no retainers, just loctite holding them together (you better weld those bolt heads to the housing.) Suitable for street rigs, snow country and other light duty offroad uses.
I have not used either of the cable or air activated lockers. Reason is that I use it on the street and NEVER want an open diff.

IMHO the ultimate diff would be something like the TT which had the ability to be cable/air/elec locked.
To my knowledge the only diff that does this is the D44 Rubi in the new Jeeps. However I see peeps dumping that diff for Ox & ARB lockers so maybe it doesn't work that well.

Q: Why do I keep going back to something that keeps dieing?
A: Because I use my truck 99.99% on the street and no other diff is as smooth on-road.

If your use is appropriate for the TT I suggest you hunt in the used market where lots of people that go SAS sell them, you can save a fortune.
For example, when the bolts came out and did all that damage, the chunk alone (housing, R&P, TT and bearings & seals was $1200.) I also upped it to 4:88s at the same time.
About a year later I bought a complete front 4.88 (w/o ADD) end w/ a Truetrac off craigslist for $100. Took it apart, cleaned it, put new seals in and stuck it in the truck.
So now I have 4.88s and TTs front and rear on a tire which is equivalent to a 33x12 w/ a 5spd and 3.slow

 

my TT is on its 3rd R&P....

Dual TT and 4.56s

 

So ... all you guys with "Yukon" gears - did anyone look at them before install to see what you REALLY have? Would be interested to see how many got Precision Gears vs how many Richmond ...

 

On my 82 Hilux I was running 33 inch tires with 4.88 Yukons and a TrueTrac in the front, open diff rear. On really hellish trails I'd get some wheelspin in the back, but my flex usually kept the meat to the ground. All in all I was very happy with the setup, and I never got stuck. I'm considering Truetracs for my Landcruiser.

 

i'd like to revive this thread one more time... who here has installed a truetrac? i am about to replace my front axle seals (85 4runner) and am considering installing a TT at that time, since i will have the axles out. is it plug and play, or do the gears need to be set-up (by a professional, i can't do that job)? thanks for any info...

 

A TT replaces the carrier and requires a full setup on the diff.

 

why not swap your thirds around so you have a welded rear and open front, if it is so bad?

 

Not a full set up, you don't do anything with the pinion, which is supposed to be the difficult part. Resetting the backlash is super easy with a dial indicator. I've never separated or pressed on bearings, but that can't be rocket science.

 

Thanks for feedback peeps. A friend of mine has alot of 4runner experience, and has done gears before, and we could do it no problem. As much as I trust him, I really don't want to do a flub job on the gears. I like the idea of saving some dough, but I am also not opposed to getting a ZUK job if this is the sort of thing best left to a pro. This truck is a daily driver, and I need to rely on it like I do my spanky tacoma. Any more feedback is appreciated!

 

I like the TT in the front, DL in the rear combo. Works well for mild to moderate off-roading. The TT doesn't affect the steering. Light brake application can make it act like it's a locker should you pick a wheel up.

I would like to confirm the DL's bad street manners when installed in the rear. They are not severe, but you do need to be aware of them. They engage with a clunk which can be annoying. Throttle changes sometimes cause the vehicle to tug to one side, especially on curves. It will break the rear end loose without much warning if you're not careful. It also chirps the tires on tight turns. I've also noticed that when coasting under certain conditions, the DL is noisy. I think it's from the DL trying to decide which wheel to drive.

 

These things are measured in the 0.001" ... In MY truck, if a new carrier goes in, I want the whole thing setup from scratch.

 

I'm not sure why though, the pinion depth remains the same. I checked with Zuk, and he said a carrier replacement only requires the backlash and preload to be set up. When I got my 4.56, I went over it carfully, and took it apart, installed an Aussie, then played around with the BL and a dial indicator. With used factory gears, I set the backlash at 0.008-9" (tightened from .011-15") and cranked the bearing preload as much as I could with the jig I made. There's probably 175 ft-lbs on there, you can't move the ring gear with one finger.

With a TT, or any carrier replacement, you must press on bearings, so I understand where you're coming from, but I pretty sure Zuk said it wasn't necessary.

I put the third back in the truck and the diff was hotter to the touch the first couple times I drove it, so I only did a couple miles at a time for the first week, but now, it runs as cool as ever and doesn't make any noise. I assume the heat was the new tighter pattern wearing in, though I could have been the ambiant temperatures at the time. It was quite warm when the diff was installed.

 

i think i will contact ZuK for an estimate. sounds like a little more than i am comfortable tackling under the shade tree...

 

if you don't think you can handle the job, then you probably cant.

i would at least give zuk a call, and check out his site.

 

i was looking at mine, and i cant match my markings up with any of the ones from zuk's site. what markings do the yukon/richmond gears have on them?