Ring and pinion brand opinions needed

[jessemthompson]

72C10 with GM truck 12 bolt. 3:73 gears with an Eaton posi. Yesterday I broke my pinion gear. I need to get this replaced ASAP. It’s seems opinions on brands vary greatly. I’ve heard good and bad about Yukon. Amazon sells them much cheaper than jegs or summit, but are they actually Yukon. I’ve heard Richmond is good, but they are noisy. I’ve heard good things about Randy’s world (driveline specialist) and they sell USA standard and Yukon. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

TIA, Jesse

[Joyridin]

I bought a set of Spicer/Dana. They are a bit more expensive, but they came with the correct bearings etc.

I have heard many stories about most of the gear blanks coming from a facility in China and they get cut in the USA. I know Dana/Spicer makes their own.

[Sicklajoie]

IMO the quality of metals and materials have declined since COVID. I would avoid anything made in the past 3-4 years.
Just as an example, the race team I work on, we run a quick change rear. One week we decided to pull a few more RPMs so we changed gears at the track. We put in a set of 20 something year old gears that we ran for a few weeks with no issues. But to "be safe" we bought a new set of the same ratio. That brand new set last all of 3 weeks before shearing a bunch of teeth. Back to 20 year old set to finish out the year.

[OregonNed]

My Richmond gears have been great, and were the fix the rearend rebuild from hell I endured. I'd recommend, and follow there break in instructions to a T

[jessemthompson]

I ended up going with a set of Yukons. At this point it feels like a crap shoot. So many different opinions. I just rolled the dice. I’ll do my best to set it up correctly and let it roll again.

[Mike C]

Only 3 or 4 companies manufacture ring and pinions for all of the brands best I can tell. Consensus is the lapping of the gears is where they are made or broken (pun intended… !) I have set up probably a dozen Yukon gear sets with good luck. Motive Gear seems to have the best reputation at the moment. I was super happy with a set of Elite gears I recently did in a truck 12 bolt. Most likely your Yukons will work just fine.

[MikeB]

I bought a Yukon R+P set for a 7.5" car diff from Randy's many years ago. Gears were quiet and tech support was great. Funny, but years later when I decided to go to a wider 8.5" diff, I actually tried to break the little 7.5, but even the 26-spline axles lived!

I've heard that Motive gears are just fine, as are SVL, which is part of Dana Corp. I wouldn't be concerned about noisy Richmond gears, unless your truck is very quiet.

I think the best pair I've ever worked with is the GM 12-bolt truck set under my 69 C10. I installed a posi carrier when the truck was around 35 years old, and the gear teeth still looked like new.

[72SB]

My understanding is Richmond ad Motive gears are made in Italy but at different foundries. I have used both without issue

[jessemthompson]

Just to update and close this out. I installed Yukon ring and pinion that I purchased from Amazon. I don’t have any noise from my rear. Ran the 500 mile break in period and then Changed the fluid. All is well with the Yukon gears.

[MikeB]

Jesse: I'm glad to hear all is working well.

Admins: We really do need a "Like" or "Thumbs Up" icon at the bottom of each post, similar to the existing Quote, Multi-quote, and Quick Reply icons. Check out any thread at hotrodders.com to see what I mean.

[HalfBrit]

MikeB, always thought it was curious the forum doesn't have that "like" option.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by HalfBrit

MikeB, always thought it was curious the forum doesn't have that "like" option.

I think it's a function of the forum software used. Maybe an admin will read this and respond. I just sent them $25 to do my part! Wow, I see they already have me listed as a Premium Member!

[jocko]

fwiw, when it comes to gears made outside the U.S. - my local driveline shop highly recommended Motive Gear (Italy) over Yukon (China), citing quality decrease in Yukon in recent years. I'd prefer U.S. manufacture and would gladly pay a more for it - but to be honest, one really has to do one's homework to figure out where anything is actually made these days (which I find a little frustrating). It's getting so convoluted - I've noted some items are being described as 'made in china, assembled in USA' - I guess that's supposed to make me feel better.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by jocko

fwiw, when it comes to gears made outside the U.S. - my local driveline shop highly recommended Motive Gear (Italy) over Yukon (China), citing quality decrease in Yukon in recent years.

Yukon used to be forged, cast, or whatever in India and finished in their Everett, WA factory. I just read on an off-road forum that they are also made in Korea. Heck, they may have a Chinese plant, too.

But they are very big into off-road and off-road racing, where gearsets and other driveline components take huge beatings. I just can't see Yukon selling crappy products, even if, in fact, some start off in China.

Funny, but I just ran across a website that said Yukon gears are made in China from aluminum! But it was on the Internet so it must be true.

[jessemthompson]

There’s a lot of info online and I read quite a bit before I purchased. All the manufacturers had up and down reviews. There was a lot to weed through. I almost felt like I was throwing darts at the wall.

[Bob B.]

I use either AAM or Spicer. FWIW, I bought a regular steel Dana 60 cover from Yukon once and it was a real Dana-Spicer part in a Yukon box.

[CAMAROBOY68SS]

I have Yukon's in my 68 and its been good since I had the rear end rebuilt. I've also got Richmond's in another 12 bolt and they have been bulletproof. Otherwise I stick with original GM gears.

[Accelo]

Two cut vs. five cut gears.

https://www.differentials.com/two-cu...ive-cut-gears/

Interesting if nothing else.

My unqualified opinion is the quality/type of gears may have changed but many issues may be traceable to the quality of the installation.

[GASoline71]

I've used the ol' "Double Diamond" Richmond Gear in everything from drag cars to stock trucks with zero issues in over 40 years.

Have used a few sets of Yukon gears in the last 10 years or so with no issues as well.

Gary

[halfstep]

US Gear