Quote:
...Glad to hear the Libby pulls it well. Having suffered a pinion gear replacement, I would recommend the WDH...
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Sorry to hear about the
axle problem, Bob, but a WDH is not the fix. The WDH will remove
vertical load from the rear
axle (and put it on the front and trailer axles), but the
driving is still being done by the ring and pinion gears. Even if the Jeep is in full-time four wheel drive, the way the drive torque is split between the front and rear axles has nothing to do with the vertical load, unless you are spinning
tires... which I hope isn't a normal trailer-towing state.
For vertical load on the
axle to affect the drive gears, the axle housing would have to be bent, indicating a load well beyond the axle rating. Even then, it should be the differential gears, not the ring and pinion, which suffer.
Jeep has had problems with weak axles in some models, particularly the rear of the Grand Cherokee (where I guess they forgot they were putting in a big V8...), but I had not heard of issues with the Liberty. Maybe you just got a bad one, Bob.
The rear axle load is a factor to consider, and the only reason which I would consider using a WD system, such as Roger has suggested. It doesn't look low in the back to me, and if it needs to go up an inch air bags would handle that, but what is more important is the axle load, compared to the gross axle
weight rating.
If there's too much load on the rear axle, a WD system is needed.
I suppose the
Burro is empty now (even of water), and axle load will be more of an issue with the water,
propane, and cargo added. You will [b]weigh the axles and the tongue, right Gina?