Originally Posted by
Netweid1
I had to replace mine back in the fall. One other thing to consider is if your torsion arms are sagging. Mine had torsion sag and would let the tire rub the fender. If there are tire rub marks on the fender you may need a new axle as well.
One other note, talk to Ranger customer service , not parts, about getting some assistance with replacement. They let me have an axle at cost. It was cheaper than buying an aftermarket. Also came with Ranger road armor coating.
Thanks for the heads up! My tires don't show any signs of wear or rub, so I might be safe there. I emailed those pictures in the top post to Sam Wilson and I'm hoping to get the same treatment as adamsj13did back in February 2015 …
"If you do notice rust around the welds it would be best to pull the road armor back to confirm. Most likely if you see any rust marks there will be a crack. if you find any cracks, take pictures and call ranger and talk to Sam Wilson. I'm second owner of my 05 z20 and he still sent me an axle free of charge. It took me about 3 - 4 hrs to install. Good luck hope you dint find anything."
I left Sam a message and will hopefully talk to him real soon so I can get a new axle (with the new reinforced brackets pre-welded) ASAP. In the meantime, I have a few ironworker buddies who can custom make a driver's side bracket and reinforce the passenger side bracket. I'll update once I speak to him.