[ZeroOne]

Quick question about axles... and can't seem to find a straight answer. I'm in the middle of a 6 month fiasco on a gear swap and am trying to get to the bottom of why it can't be set up properly or not go through bearings in 4k miles.

It seems that when regearing a 10.5" axle, most companies use the ring and pinion from a 10.25 unless you go OEM. What about bearings? Do you also use a master install kit from a 10.25?

I got a Yukon 4.56 ring and pinion (from Randy's Ring & Pinon) that went into an F350, as they suggested (model F10.25-456). They also said to use the install/bearing kit from a 10.25 (model YK F10.25).

Can anyone tell me if this is the correct procedure?? Or should the bearings match the HOUSING because of the races (10.5) and not the gear set (10.25)?

It's been a pain since day one. Original installers had a hell of a time with fitment issues on the pinion. Got it to work, pinion worked loose somehow, took it to a second shop (because the first was 500mi away at the time) and they reset everything. 4k miles later, its failing again. This time it sounds like carrier bearings. Still in, and no call yet... so the verdict is still out.