Semi Floater vs Full Floater Land Cruiser Rear Axle
What is the difference between a Land Cruiser Semi Floating Rear Axle
and a Full Floating Rear End?
A semi-floater means the axle is
carrying the weight of the
vehicle. You have a one piece rear axle shaft that has the hub
attached. The rear bearings are in the axle housing and wheel is
attached directly to the hub/axle assembly. The semi-floater
axle is directly attached to the differential and held in place with
C-clips. The easiest way to identify a semi-floater is to look at
the wheel and if it is flush with the brake drum, then it is a semi
floater. The down side to semi-floaters is less weight carrying
capability because the axle carries the full weight. The other
negative is the C-clip, if one breaks, the axle shaft will slide out
and you will be stranded without a wheel, tire or axle. All Land
Cruiser that were built for the United States came with semi-floating
rear axles until 1993.
A full floater uses a hub to
carry the weight much like the Land
Crusier front end. The full floater does not use C-clip and the
weight rides on two bearings in a hub assembly. The easiest way
to identify a full-floater is to look at the hub, it will stick out a
few inches (just like the front). Many Non-US markets got the
full-floater. The only downside to a full-floater is probably the
lack of easily available replacement parts in the US.
Axle & Driveshaft
