M1009 - upgrade to 1 ton needed for?

[tequilaiam]

Taking a quick poll....what is the general consensus on the stock M1009 axles?

Cruising the 4x4 side of the internets it seems that 1 ton running gear is a standard upgrade for anyone looking to get into massive tires or rock crawling.

I even found a few vids of people breaking their factory k5 running gear but that usually involved larger tires and 350 gasser engines.

Is it possible/likely to break the D44/10-bolt combo with a standard 6.2 with heavy use and slightly larger tires (say 35")? I figure the other CUCVs are spec'd that way for a reason and the OCD side of my brain is shouting to do a 1-ton swap.....but I also like being able to drive at highway speeds and get decent mileage.

I generally use my truck as a light work vehicle. Hauling lumber, dogs to the vet, etc. But as my kids get a little older we'll probably want to go do some wheeling/camping and I now have the workspace for a 1-ton swap if that's a good idea.

Thanks for any input.

Also, happy memorial day!

 

[86m1028]

Wheel it till you break it.
The 6.2 can break much at all .

 

[Recovry4x4]

There is a middle ground to travel. 3/4 ton stuff bolts in easily. Gets you a much heartier rear axle, full floating and bigger brakes. Don't have to move spring perches and cost about 1/3 the price of 1 tons. Not much gained in the front axle dept except bigger rotors but the price is right.

 

[Skinny]

10 bolts suck...period

The only gain is that parts are relatively cheap and you can score entire housings for **** near free. Anything but moderate wheeling with something under 33's would be ok and that is if you stay out of rocks, high horsepower, low gearing, and shocking the driveline. If you think of it, the stock 1/2 and 3/4 shafts neck down pretty low and have a 297x sized ujoint which is baby sized in a fullsize rig. That same ujoint is used in Jeep front axles.

Moving along, c-clip axles are dangerous in that when they break, the tire comes off. The stock carriers tend to explode so any locker upgrade should be a full replacement and not a lunch box. That is near $600 right out of the gate which is more money anyone should have invested in a 10 bolt.

If anything does go bad with a full floating rear axle (or any semi floating non c clip axle like a Toyota, Nissan, or Dana 44), the axle shaft/tire is retained and you can still limp home somehow. You really can't do that with a 10 bolt. Once a shaft is popped or you grenade a diff, you pretty much are removing differential pieces and hope that you keep it alive or strapping wheels on with ratchets and dragging it back.

So yes you can use 10 bolts and many have but they are probably the least desirable axle for those reasons. Use with caution!

 

[tequilaiam]

Low gearing like the granny gear in a SM465?
I put one of those in when my TH400 died and the low gear on that thing is insane compared to the original slushbox.

Bleh, maybe it would have been easier to just buy a M1008 and find a bed cap.