Toyota streetable spool set up

[justin3979]

so i have an idea for my 91 4runner. I think it might be a good idea to install locking hubs in the rear of my truck and have a full spool in the diff. this way i can run around on the street with one unlocked so it would be managable on the street. then when i go offroad i could lock the other rear hub and have a full-time locked rear end. has anyone else tried this? what do you all think?

 

[Bear T]

Personally, I think with the money you're going to spend in hubs and a spool, not to mention the labor, you would be better off just buying a Detroit or ARB. I can't list all the reasons its probably not the best method, but since you don't see it at all, I'm sure there are lots of reasons not to do it that way.

 

[lewis]

It won't make it any more streetable to have one unlocked. So say you unlock the right rear and the left is locked. When you go around a left hand turn the inside tire will be spinning less than the outside tire. So the inside tire will require slippage and since there is do differential it will come from that tire which will make your tire wear out fast. Also good luck in the snow with this set up. One wheel drive is the worst.

 

[Rot Box]

For starters I would rather weld the spiders than run any 8" spool. It is going to cost you time and money to convert to a full floater in the rear using Toyota hubs (custom axle shafts, hubs, disk brake conversion, brake lines, labor etc..). I would just spend another $100 bucks (over the cost of a spool alone) and buy an Aussie Locker. The stock Toyota axle shafts are very strong as long as they have never been heated to remove axle bearings, and if it is street legal chances are you won't be running tires large enough to break the Aussie--they are pretty stout.

Imagine rounding a tight icy corner in the canyon with one tire locked and the other free spinning I can only see bad things happening.

 

[justin3979]

as far as the functionality goes, there would be no problem on the street with one locked and one free, because going around the corner the free floater would spin freely faster or slower than the drive wheel, and the drive wheel would obviosly be fine because it would be pushing the vehicle around the corner at whateve speed it needed to. As far as cost goes, it Rot Box is right about it being an expensive mod, then i would go with a locker instead. If there is a cheap way to put hubs in the back however, i think that this would be the way to go

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Sounds like an answer in search of a problem.

A full-float kit + needed parts for a mini rear axle is going to set you back $1000-1500+, add the cost of the spool and you have built yourself an expensive rear axle using custom parts. You could have installed a brand new Air Locker (with compressor) or a couple of Toyota e-lockers for that price. Both of which would give you far more versatility without the hassles of locking/unlocking hubs all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of full-floats in general. But under lighter weight mini's combined with the non-clip 8", I just don't see what problem your trying to solve by spending that amount of money. If a FF was just a few hundred bucks I would change my song but at $700 for just the parts kit, then you basically need a mini axle for donor parts... too much for little gain imo. If you were breaking/bending rear shafts left and right, it would have more appeal.

I run a OEM Toyota full-float on my Land Cruiser, hubs are the last thing on my mind however. I just wanted to be able to drive back to the camp not if but when I broke a rear shaft. With that you get a bit more inherent strength, welcome but again not my primary goal.

broken c-clip semi-float

 

[I Lean]

One-wheel-drive on the street would make for a nice variable pull when you get on and off the throttle, too. A lot.

Selectable locker and don't look back. Actually, even a full-time locker (the aformentioned Aussie, Lock-Right, or a full Detroit) isn't terrible, and more streetable than a spool.

 

[waynehartwig]

Ditto... Lunch box, Detroit or Grizzly that sucker. Then spend the money you saved to do the same thing to the front

 

[justin3979]

cool, thanks guys. thats what i wanted to know really. if it would take that much to do it then it wouldn't be worth it then. it is an interesting concept though

 

[mbryson]

Sounds like an answer in search of a problem.

A full-float kit + needed parts for a mini rear axle is going to set you back
$1000-1500+, add the cost of the spool and you have built yourself an expensive rear axle using custom parts. You could have installed a brand new Air Locker (with compressor) or a couple of Toyota e-lockers for that price. Both of which would give you far more versatility without the hassles of locking/unlocking hubs all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of full-floats in general. But under lighter weight mini's combined with the non-clip 8", I just don't see what problem your trying to solve by spending that amount of money. If a FF was just a few hundred bucks I would change my song but at $700 for just the parts kit, then you basically need a mini axle for donor parts... too much for little gain imo. If you were breaking/bending rear shafts left and right, it would have more appeal.

I run a OEM Toyota full-float on my Land Cruiser, hubs are the last thing on my mind however. I just wanted to be able to drive back to the camp not if but when I broke a rear shaft. With that you get a bit more inherent strength, welcome but again not my primary goal.

broken c-clip semi-float

ah, I remember that day.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

ah, I remember that day.

It was a long day but we prevailed. Thanks again for all our help that day. If it were not for you trailer and Hickey's Flaming Hot Cheetos I would have been out there all night fixing it in the snow.

I've told that story to a few, the fact we were able to drive it out in 3WD with one wheel chained to the leaf spring. Were it not for the fresh snow I don't think it would have turned out the same

 

[BlackDog]

That is my friends suggestion for "bulletproof' winter driving, except a locker and front axle would be the app... same arguments?

His logic: Lock it, and then run one front hub in the other out, and you have mad winter traction on the road.

 

[justin3979]

at least someone kind of sees my logic. i figured that the single rear drive wheel in the rear would be great on the road because at the worst it would perform like an open dif where the wheel with the least traction spins. at best it would get more traction. it would just depend on the side that happened to be locked in at the time. and you could always lock and unlock different sides so you wouldnt wear out one side more than the other.
as for the variable pull suggested before, we dont get it with the single wheel drive of open difs, so why would we get it with the single wheel drive of this setup? Its not rhetorical, id like to know if im missing something.
anyhow, did you say your friend did this in the front? how does that work out for him?

 

[mbryson]

at least someone kind of sees my logic. i figured that the single rear drive wheel in the rear would be great on the road because at the worst it would perform like an open dif where the wheel with the least traction spins. at best it would get more traction. it would just depend on the side that happened to be locked in at the time. and you could always lock and unlock different sides so you wouldnt wear out one side more than the other.
as for the variable pull suggested before, we dont get it with the single wheel drive of open difs, so why would we get it with the single wheel drive of this setup? Its not rhetorical, id like to know if im missing something.
anyhow, did you say your friend did this in the front? how does that work out for him?

I've got an idea for you. I've got a spool in the rear of my "Jeep". It'd be pretty easy to pull my 14 bolt shaft and go for a spin. It'd save you a bunch of upfront cash for your Toyota thing.

 

[Rot Box]

did you say your friend did this in the front? how does that work out for him?

There was a huge Toyota front spool following several years back. In the long run it provides serious wear and tear on hub gears, hub studs, high steer studs, Birfields, shackle bushings, and you better have hydro assist and expect multiple point turn abouts. Not saying people don't run this setup successfully but the majority of people that have (with Toyota 8" axle anyway) quickly went away from it.

Fwiw I ran welded gears in the rear of my DD 86 pickup and it wasn't terrible granted it has much less rear weight than your 4runner. In the winter I would just keep the hubs locked in (around town not on highway) and run a lower pressure in my rear tires. If it became too slippery I would just lock it in 4hi. It sucked for the most part but it was worth it once I was off road

 

[cruiseroutfit]

at least someone kind of sees my logic.

We are faulting your logic not wholeheartedly based on the performance rather based on the cost and end means to get there. If you think it is 'logical' to spend twice as much to get half the end result (ie spending $1500+ on a full-float w/hubs to get a similar result as an air or electric locker) then yes your correct, I don't see your logic. All logic in your plan flies out the door when you consider costs involved. Imo its you that doesn't see the logic

If it were a couple hundred dollars to do the FF conversion I'd say go for it, worse case you leave the hubs locked and decide you want the manual locker.

i figured that the single rear drive wheel in the rear would be great on the road because at the worst it would perform like an open dif where the wheel with the least traction spins.

Your assuming that there is always one wheel with less traction (less resistance). This is not always the case hence the brilliant design of the differential which seamlessly can go from equal torque applied to both wheels to one or the other based on resistance (turning, ice, etc). This is fundamental in those situations where you go from a low traction to high traction surface, ie ice to pavement on just a single tire. You could/would get a 'pull' effect on high traction surfaces, while it may be minor and somewhat similar to the pull you get out of a LockRight for example, it would be there.

Would it work, sure. Would it be ideal based on performance and more importantly cost, absolutely not imo.

 

[I Lean]

at least someone kind of sees my logic. i figured that the single rear drive wheel in the rear would be great on the road because at the worst it would perform like an open dif where the wheel with the least traction spins. at best it would get more traction. it would just depend on the side that happened to be locked in at the time. and you could always lock and unlock different sides so you wouldnt wear out one side more than the other.
as for the variable pull suggested before, we dont get it with the single wheel drive of open difs, so why would we get it with the single wheel drive of this setup? Its not rhetorical, id like to know if im missing something.
anyhow, did you say your friend did this in the front? how does that work out for him?

An open diff doesn't give one-wheel-drive though, it evenly splits the torque between the wheels. If you have traction (dry roads...) then a true one-wheel-drive rear end would be craptastic to drive.

 

[justin3979]

got me wrong

We are faulting your logic not wholeheartedly based on the performance rather based on the cost and end means to get there.
.

i had already made the concession on that point, my logic was the performance aspect. i had no idea that it would cost so much to to the FF rear conversion. so, no i dont find THAT logical to spend so much for such little return. I also didnt fully understand the full mechanics of an open diff. i have a better understanding now thanks to my "craptastic" idea.
if i have another one all let everyone know

 

[N-Smooth]

i have a mini spool in my xj and i don't hate it on the road, its really not that bad. but then again i knew exactly what to expect because i had one in my old crawler. if i had $500 i would get a detroit, but even lunchbox lockers are too expensive for me as of late.

at the end of the day a minispool is not a bad way to spend $80 IMO

 

[rollover]

Sounds like driving a go-cart! Remember the squally rear end slides.

Getting pushed sideways all the time. Most noticeable when you jump on it to pass or merge lanes.

JM2C