Is it worth regearing my tow rig?
I recently bought a new travel trailer and a used truck to use as the tow vehicle. When I bought the truck I was told it had a 3.73 rear diff... anyhow after some investigation it has the 3.42. That...
Forum Discussion
blt2ski wrote:
Not to be a buster on this idea.......Depending upon the gear ring size, going lower than a 4.10 to 4.56 or even a 4.88, may put the teeth too small. So yes, you get use of OD towing. BUT, if you stomp on the go pedal in 1st gear, you may break the R&P teeth! If you have an 8.5" or smaller setup. I would not go smaller than a 4.10. If you have at least a 9.5, then a 4.56 may be the largest you want to go. I really doubt you have one of the 10.5 or larger ring gear setups with a 1500, those, into the 5.xx would be doable.
Also going lower, you may need to change out the axel shaft itself, as the current setup may not handle lower gear sets too! A new 9.5 or larger RP from a 2500 may be in order. Now you have to change out the 8 lug to a 6......any way, I'm going to quit typing, as some of this may be an issue, or it may not!
Just throwing another monkey wrench or 2 or 3 into the thought pattern here!
Marty
The truck has the GM 8.6" 10 bolt diff which I guess makes this a bit of a weak point.
This is very similar to what the shop told me when I called them this morning. They strongly recommended against it due to durability and heat. He mentioned that the 4L60e shouldn't tow in OD even with a very low ratio as the clutches are weak in OD.
They would do the work, but the owner told me he wouldn't do it if it were his truck. He also tows frequently and his advice was just to leave it alone for now, and if I run out of towing capacity in the future it would make more sense to upgrade the truck to a 3/4 ton over doing the diff.
Seems odd to turn away work so I guess he's being honest.
