Toyota 8" Axle

The Toyota 8" axle is one that is famous not for its strength, but for its easy fix capabilities. Do not get me wrong though they are not a weak axle, with some upgrades you can make the front just as strong as a Dana 44(Chevy/CM axle). The stock front is notorious for having one weak point due to the fact that the front uses birfields at the knuckles instead of u-joints. The purpose for both of these is so that the front tires can turn. If you had an axle that was completely solid and straight, the only way you could go would be straight; but with joints it can change angles at the knuckles. Even this can be fixed though by getting the birfields replaced with u-joints like most other trucks use. The great thing about these axles is that any 8" third member whether from the front or rear will bolt up to any 8" axle. A third member is in the part of the axle that looks like a pumpkin; hence, it is called the pumpkin. It contains the gears that distribute the power from the drive-shaft to the tires. If you destroy your gears it is a very simple fix. Take any third member, say a v6 one from a 94, and it will bolt up to any front or rear 8" axle. This makes it very easy to replace entire housings and not have to worry about troubleshooting.
One thing that gets to a lot of Toyota fans is the fact that they stopped producing the Toyota 8" front axle after 1985. All of the 1986 and later models were converted to independent front suspension for better highway ride quality. This makes it a little bit more difficult to find the 1985 and earlier axle. So there is an abundance of third members and a lack of axles. This would make one think that they would be a more expensive axle; well they aren’t. They cost about 200-300 depending on the shape of the parts. So if you ever get a hold of a Toyota 8" front axle, keep it, do not sell it, you could get more out of it later on.
Another great quality that the Toyota 8" axles have is there high gearing. Having higher, which is bigger, gearing, makes it so that your engine doesn’t have to work as hard per tire rotation. So you can climb steeper angles with less effort. For most stock axles you will find a gearing of around 3:54:1. For stock Toyota axles you will normally find 4:10:1, which is a lot better. The V6 models even sometimes have 4:88:1 stock which is exceptional for off-roading. So overall this axle is tough, simple, and very easily maintainable. It is the right strength for the size vehicles that get ran on it and is definitely affordable. Would I say that Toyota did a good job on this axle? Yes they did a great job, but there are always things that can be better.