3/21/24, 9:13 PM Full-Floating Vs.

Semi-Floating - Axle Tech

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Full-Floating Vs. Semi-Floating - Axle Tech

Full-Floating Vs. Semi-Floating And Other Axle Queries
Jay Kopycinski - Writer | Dec 01, 2010

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3/21/24, 9:13 PM Full-Floating Vs. Semi-Floating - Axle Tech

There are several basic axle varieties used in 4WDs, and each has some
specific design pros and cons. There are front steering axles and rear
fixed axles. Axle designs can vary in load handling, bearing and flange
type, and gear set configuration. In this article, we'll take a look at the
various axles and discuss the benefits of the designs.

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Semi-Floating vs. Full-Floating

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There are two types of rear axles found on light-duty 4WDs: Semi-
floating and full-floating. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

A semi-floating axle is very common on the rear of most 4WDs. It

consists of an axle shaft on each side that is splined on the inner end
where it mates to the differential and has a wheel flange where the
wheel studs mount at the other end. This assembly typically mates to
the end of the axle housing using some type of bolted flange
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arrangement. The axle shaft also rides on a large roller or ball bearing
out at the end of the axle housing.

For a full-floating system, the axle shaft only serves to transmit the
rotational torque from the differential out to the wheel. It does not carry
the weight of the vehicle as a semi-floater does. On a full floater, a
spindle is attached to the outer end of the axle housing. The wheel hub is
mounted on this spindle and rides on tapered roller bearings. It is
this assembly that carries the vehicle weight. As such, a full-floating
axle system is considerably stronger than an equivalently sized semi-
floating system.

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For those of you who carry heavy loads, this means your axle load
capacity is greatly increased with a full-floater. Load ratings for similar
vehicles with the two different axles are usually significantly different. If
you do hardcore wheeling on big tires, a full-floater means that your axle
shafts can also handle much more loading than a similar semi-floater
because it now must only handle torque loading.

Further advantages of a full-floater include being able to remove a

broken axle shaft while keeping a functional rolling tire on that corner of
the vehicle. This can be done since the wheel actually bolts to the wheel
hub that rides on the spindle attached to the axle housing. If the axle has
been fitted with manual locking hubs, it may be possible to unlock the
rear hubs for towing a disabled vehicle on the trail or for flat towing over
the road.

It is also possible to convert some semi-floating rear axles to full-

floating configuration using aftermarket kits. These kits allow an owner
to easily upgrade the axle shaft strength of his axle. However, such
a kit does not upgrade the differential assembly so axles having this
portion as a weak link to begin with would not benefit much from such
a conversion.

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Cast Center Housing Vs. Third Member

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There are two types of differential assemblies used in axle housings.

The first is the type where the center portion of the axle housing is a
cast unit and holds the bearing caps for the differential carrier. This is
common on many domestic axles. With this type, a cover is removed to
reveal the differential assembly in the housing. All gear setup must be
performed at the axle housing, which means it is typically performed
under the vehicle.
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A second method of mounting the differential carrier is in what is called

a drop-out center section, or third member. This type of axle is common
on many imports and on the venerable Ford 9-Inch housing (shown here).
In this case, the carrier is mounted in a cast steel housing that bolts up
to a flanged hole in the axle housing.

One disadvantage to a third member axle is that there is typically no

cover that can be easily removed to inspect the gear set as in the axle
type discussed above. The entire third member must be removed to view
or setup the gears, and this requires removal of the axle shaft ends from
the differential. However, once removed the third member can be carried
over to a workbench where all gear work can be performed. Gear setup
is often more convenient with this method.

One other advantage of a third member setup is that it is possible

to trail swap them if necessary because there is no precision work
involved in swapping third members as there is in setting up a carrier in
the assembly.

High Pinion Vs. Low Pinion

When we look at differentials, there is another design factor to consider.

There are the most common low-pinion axles, or third members, and

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there are the less common high-pinion versions. This simply refers to the
fact of whether the pinion gear mates with the ring gear below (low) or
above (high) the centerline of the ring gear and axle housing.

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C-Clip vs. Pressed Bearing

When it comes to holding the axle shafts in a semi-floating axle housing,

there are two methods used by designers. One uses a C-clip inside the

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differential assembly, and the other uses a pressed bearing out at the
wheel end of the axle shaft. We'll look at each in a little more detail here.

There are advantages and disadvantage to disassembly of each type of

axle. The C-clip variety requires access to the differential area, but the
press bearing variety requires brake line work and brake bleeding.
Another difference is that when an axle shaft on a C-clip assembly
breaks, there is nothing left holding the axle shaft in the housing so the
tire and wheel assembly will readily separate from the vehicle. On a
pressed bearing-type axle, the wheel and tire will usually remain intact
with the bearing pressed to the axle shaft holding the assembly
together. For light side loads, such a vehicle may be able to limp along
for a ways without the axle shaft separating from the housing.

For some axles that are factory equipped with C-clips, there are kits
designed to eliminate the C-clips and convert the setup to a captive
bearing setup. These eliminator kits solve the problems associated with
standard C-clips. The stock roller bearings are removed and replaced
with ball bearings. A pressed collar and shaft flange are added to the
axle shaft and the assembly is bolted to the housing flange through the
newly added shaft flange and the holes on the brake backing plate.

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