8-5/8 Inch Ring Gear (Rear Axle)

The 8 5/8 inch ring gear axle uses a conventional ring and pinion gear set to transmit the driving force of the engine to the rear wheels. This gear set transfers the driving force at a 90° angle from the propeller shaft to the axle shafts.

This axle is semi-floating. The axle shafts are supported at the wheel end of the shaft by a roller bearing pressed into the housing. The shafts are retained in the housing by retaining clips within the differential. The pinion gear is supported by two tapered roller bearings.

The pinion depth is set by a shim pack located between the gear end of the pinion and roller bearing that is pressed onto the pinion. The pinion bearing preload is set by crushing a collapsible spacer between the bearings in the axle housing.

The ring gear is bolted onto the differential case with left-hand thread bolts.

The differential case is supported in the axle housing by two tapered roller bearings. The differential and ring gears are located in relationship to the pinion by using selective shims between the bearing and axle housing. To move the ring gear, shims are removed from one side and an equal amount added to the other side. These shims are also used to preload the bearings pressed into the differential case. Two bearing caps are used to hold the differential in the axle housing.

The differential allows the wheels to turn at different rates of speed while the axle continues to transmit the driving force. This prevents tire scuffing during turns and premature wear on internal axle parts.

The axles is sealed at each axle shaft end, at the differential pinion, and at the differential case cover.

All corporate axles are identified by the alphabetic broadcast code on the right axle tube near the carrier. The carrier cover does not have a drain plug.