Houdini your truck is bada$$ and for the stuff you run and the body damage you've earned I would expect nothing less than tons with 4 D's
I doubt you would advise running 4 D's on 1/2 ton axles and still hitting 10' waterfalls. out here that is a recipe for lots fo stuff to break & a real long day on the trail. Your truck is in a different league than what most Nissan guys build. When are you gonna link that bad boy???
Not saying a 60 can't be busted - i've seen it plenty. For a trail rig that might see a 4.5 rated trail on occasion and some good street use - 1 tons are overkill, just my .02.
Thank you for the compliments! I liked your description above and it seemed to describe my rig very well so I felt compelled to respond. J
Additionally, I am in complete agreement with you.
No way I’d recommend anything larger than a 36 or maybe a 37 with ½ ton running gear. Even then I’d recommend some chromo shafts to keep things together but you can run stock gear with larger tires if you are careful and don’t push it too hard. It really all just boils down to what you want to do in your truck and your driving style.
For DD use and trail riding on moderate trails and the occasional advanced trail I’d definitely recommend something along the lines of a D44. (I personally think full width is the way to go, but its not necessary either) ½ ton axles are easily modified with some readily available parts and you can have an extremely capable dual purpose vehicle. Additionally, depending on the type of trails you run and the amount of traction you can get on those trails you might be better suited with a D44 than a 60 or larger axle.
Ton’s are big. They are wide and heavy and just plain large. If you’re running tons you better run at least a 37 and still you are going to drag those massive axles over everything. They are anchors and you don’t gain any clearance going to 1 ton gear on a smaller tire. They are just bigger and stonger…..that’s it. I do not recommend tons and 40s for everyone. Its just too much and not DD friendly.
Only reason I went tons was because I found a killer deal on the axles and I knew I was going to go to a large tire and was going to push the truck very hard. I didn’t want to spend my evenings in camp fixing parts and replacing shafts (although I have on quite a few occasions). I’d prefer to know its still solid after a hard day of wheeling and just sit back and enjoy a beer and look for new dents.
A lot of the trails I’ve gotten accustom to running are steep, mixed terrain, limited traction (especially when wet) and littered with trees, rocks, and holes that swallow tires and put lots of stress on the running gear. There is a lot of WOT stuff where tires lift and sit down constantly loading and unloading massive amounts of torque. Without the tons I would NOT be on many of the trails I run. Smaller tires and axles simply just would not get the job done on a 6k lb rig. It would just be too much stress and not enough clearance.
So….to summarize…I do not recommend tons and 40s for most and I can’t support that set up for most dual purpose rigs. If you are inclined to go big, do it right the first time or you’ll be stuck with a rig that’s very hard to drive on the street and it’ll beat you to death on the trails. I do think most peoples goals for wheeling and enjoying trails are well met with ½ ton gear and a slightly smaller tire. It’s just personal preference and depends on what you want to do on your adventures.
To answer your question….I’m extremely anxious to begin linking my rig. Probably 4 link the rear to start. However, right now finding time to undertake such a project is an issue for me and my trusted builder/fabricator. Hopefully in the near future I’ll have something to show. We’ll see.
BTW…I have followed your build thread rather closely and I am a fan! I really like your X and want that new front bumper of yours. Really nice work! I hope you are enjoying the new setup!
Later,
Brian
Author