skratch
Well Oiled
Is there a way to determine the front and rear gear ratio w/o the tags ? I can't find any markings on the housings.
Rotate one axle and count the revolutions of the pinion yoke. 5.38 gears would be 5 1/3 pinion rotations, etc. Or, take off diff cover and divide pinion teeth into ring gear teeth.
They aren't that much oversized. It's 30" tall. You are only playing with 72 hp there. I'm not familiar with your N. M. soil but it must be pretty loose. Just stay in 1st gear low range. What tread are your tires? mud and snow type treads don't work too well in sand. Where I am we have Cape Cod sand, and believe me it is as loose as sand can get.
diggerG
This brings up a question I have and I hope you don't mind me asking it here. I have a wagon as a parts vehicle and using the axles out of it for my truck. And the ratios are different than the truck axles. I want to use the axles that give me higher
Road speeds with lower engine rpm. Did the wagons have higher road speeds than trucks? Or the other way? Also with a 5.38 mean five revolutions of the drive shaft mean the axle or tire turns .38 of a revolution? BCD.
Regarding sand, I would drive my MB onto sand bars in the Mississippi river. After sinking in 6-8 inches into the sand the little Go Devil just would not Go. I would have to back out the track in. This is with stock 4.88 diffs (is that right, I always forget the MB gear ratio but its higher than most later jeeps) and 6.00x16 NDTs. There was a balance between low and high tire pressure. Low pressur helped keep the tires from sinking in but seemed to strain the engine more. High TP would sink in faster but I could keep up my speed and sometimes get thru a soft spot.
Get a farm Jack and some traction mats, they can get you out of most situations. Or, I have used a pointed dig in type boat anchor to get just enough grab to pull out with a winch.
I haven't driven on Cape Cod sand, but I've driven thousands of miles in the last 40 years from Wauwinet to Great Point and Coatue (NANTUCKET).
Your 2 issues are tread pattern and tire pressure. I run 8-12 PSI depending on which Jeep I'm driving (46 2A or 53 3B).
Both run 31x10.50 R15's, but a closed tread pattern with ribby style works better. I'm sure I'll get some disagreement, but my 8" wide wheels are better than my 9" wide.
There was a guy our there with a CJ7 with 33" BFG's that sank like a rock within 100 feet of the gatehouse. After the third time pulling him out in the first mile he turned around and went home. Mud tires are bad in sand...
Your problem is not gearing.
6 cyl wagons are usually 4.27 and 6 cyl trucks usually 4.88. That's about a 13% difference.
diggerG
6 cyl wagons are usually 4.27 and 6 cyl trucks usually 4.88. That's about a 13% difference.
diggerG
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So if I understand this right, 1 turn of the drive shaft turns the "ring gear" 4.88 revolutions, therefore a truck would have a higher road speed than a wagon at the same engine rpms?
BCD. Sorry for the dumb questions just trying to under stand the ratios and their outcome rpm. ]