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Best Brand of Gears

BrianJr

NAXJA Forum User
Is there really any difference between the various brands of gears? I need to have my front axle regeared and I have no idea why I would choose one brand over another, other than by price. Is there anything that makes any of these brands substantially better/worse then the others? How can I compare them on whatever this difference is?

Thanks,
-Brian
 
When I did my gears, I got factory OEM Dana/Spicer gears. To me it only made sense to put Dana/Spicer gears in a Dana axle. But that's just me though.
I've never heard where they get their gear sets from, but I've heard that some of the other companies that sell gear sets sell stuff that was made overseas under less stringent quality assurances. :dunno: HTH.
Thanks,
Dan.
 
can't go wrong with superior.
 
I have Yukon gears in my TJ and they work great. I would recommend going with Dana spicer, Yukon, or superior. stay away from the other cheap gears you dont want them breaking on the trail.
 
Yukon were one of the less expensive gear brands... does that mean they were one of the 'cheap' gears?

Does anyone know of something specific that I can look for that indicates the quality or strength of the gears?

-Brian

LOOKSURF said:
I have Yukon gears in my TJ and they work great. I would recommend going with Dana spicer, Yukon, or superior. stay away from the other cheap gears you dont want them breaking on the trail.
 
BrianJr said:
Yukon were one of the less expensive gear brands... does that mean they were one of the 'cheap' gears?

Does anyone know of something specific that I can look for that indicates the quality or strength of the gears?

-Brian

Yukon's are competively priced, and I read thet they are made in India.

I have looked at both the Superior's and Yukon's side by side and the Yukon's got my nod.
 
From what I asked when I ordered my Yukon gear set from Randy's is that he bought the Spicer/Dana casting to make the Yukon brand. They do have two sets, quality and value. I have the quality in my Dana 30 & 35. they are quit, haven't given me any problems. Juice
 
I went with Torq-Line from U.S. Gear ...... Made in the U.S. of A. Several people have had problems with Chryco. 8.25 rears being noisey but mine is nice & quiet (maybe I just don't here it :dunno: ) They did cost much more than others but I throughly trust the guy that did the gear swap & these are the only gears he trust. I would think Dana/Spicer would also be a good choice.
Good Luck !!
Curt (aka Xtreme XJ)
 
All I can contribute, based on my experience, is NOT to go with Precision Gears. I had bad problems setting them up, and ultimately failing on me. This was for the Corp 8.25 rear axle....

Ivan
 
Dana Spicer axles - Dana Spicer gears :D
 
XJoachim said:
Dana Spicer axles - Dana Spicer gears :D

Right on!

Only way to go.
 
How do you know you got the brand name gears you ordered? By this I mean do Dana/Spicer mark their gears sets in a way that you can idetify them from an identical pair? The reason I ask is because I recently ordered a front and rear pair of 4.88's. I specifically asked for U.S. made gears, not cheap stuff. I got the front set made by Yukon (RR D30) and the rear (D44)was made by Dana/Spicer. The Dana box had been previously opened and the box that it came in said "Made in Mexico." Neither the Yukons or the Dana/Spicer's had any kind of markings on them to tell that they were made by that particular company. Do I have the real deal?

Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but I thought this kinda fit the topic. I've used Genuine Gear in the past, but have since tried to steer clear of anything heavily endorsed by 4WPW.
 
juicexj24 said:
From what I asked when I ordered my Yukon gear set from Randy's is that he bought the Spicer/Dana casting to make the Yukon brand. They do have two sets, quality and value. I have the quality in my Dana 30 & 35. they are quit, haven't given me any problems. Juice

When I spoke to Randy's the tech said some of the Yukon gears were actually made by Dana/Spicer. :dunno:
 
from the gears i have messed with, seen, and gotten opinions on from a good friend who has set up well over 150 gear sets here is what i can tell you:

dana spicer-most preferable as far as quality goes

yukon gears-i bought these for my d44, they were dana/spicer gears inyukon packages when i opened them up. yukon bearings/seals were timken bearings in yukon packaging when i got mine

superior-i have heard and seen the horror stories of burs and nicks on both ring gears and pinion gear right out of the factory boxes

genuine-heard nothing but bad things, like the holes in the ring gear all being stripped and such right out of the factory boxes

precisioin-havent heard anything bad about them

Hunter
 
Capt. Nemo said:
I've used Genuine Gear in the past, but have since tried to steer clear of anything heavily endorsed by 4WPW.

Can I get an amen on that one?!? I only go there when I need a good laugh. I can't belive the jokers that they hire!
 
I just got a quote on re-gearing my D30 & Chryco 8.25 from a local shop (Overbey Trans & Diff, La Habra, CA) that was also recommended by Currie---$350ea + parts.

Chuck Overbey retired a few years ago ... sold the business. Scott, the new owner retained the talent. His gear man (John) is one of the best in this area ... claims he gets a better "pattern" with Precision Gear.

Whatever that's worth ... I guess I would trust his judgement since John has been doing gears for 25-plus years.

From my perspective, I would be more concerned about who installs them, rather than where the gear is actually made---as long as it meets or exceeds manufacturing specs.

BTW, Precision Gear is ISO 9000 Certified. For those of you not in manufacturing ... that means they have a quality policy and dedicate resources to managing quality processes and controls---it's not an easy task to achieve and maintain certification.

I'm sure Dana/Spicer also falls into the same category ... ISO 9000 Certification would be a major factor in making my decision.


Good luck.
 
As far as any ISO certification is concerned, the program is only as good as the registrar that enforces it and the manager behind it. Remember, companies pay for their ISO audits and registrations. While it is a quality (or environmental) management system that receives third party audits, that third party is also on the payroll.

There are several factors that go into making gears, from the quality of steel that goes into the rough, to the PM schedule that's maintained on the machining center where it is cut, to the quality of the tool that is cutting it, to the experience of the operator running the machine, to the type of heat treat process the piece receives.

Go with a reputable distributor with many years in the profession, and take their advice. Remember, you get what you pay for, but the most expensive isn't always the best.
 
"As far as any ISO certification is concerned, the program is only as good as the registrar that enforces it and the manager behind it. Remember, companies pay for their ISO audits and registrations. While it is a quality (or environmental) management system that receives third party audits, that third party is also on the payroll."

Good point ... the selected registrar is an important factor. If the company is serious about producing quality products, their internal quality audit and improvement process will reflect that commitment. I guess I take it for granted a company would invest in the required resources to implement a quality management system for the right reasons, other than a marketing ploy.

Coming from a global manufacturer the sells In-Vitro Diagnostic products in the EU ... it was a requirement to continue doing business in those countries---though the primary motive was to maintain market share ... it's probably the best form of discipline I've been through aside from being governed by the FDA, or similar regulatory agencies.

I guess a distributer can also bring with them a certain amount of bias to the equation.

I would like to believe the mainstream gear manufacturers have robust engineering, modern machining centers, etc., to be competitive ... or outsourced to those that have.
 
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