Quote Originally Posted by Outlaw1 View Post
I have limited experience with Scubbys, but I know they don't have a traditional T-case. They have longitudinally mounted engine/trans and a center diff that transmits the power to the rear. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

Having the drivetrain in a bind with mismatched tires and a locked center differential will affect the whole drivetrain, from one end to the other. IMO, when someone says they 'smoked' the fluid, or 'melted' the bushings, it doesn't mean it got hot enough for the fluid to catch on fire, or actually completely melt away the soft rubber bushings. They might have just been deformed a little and the fluid just smelled. Regardless, you wouldn't know until you drained it. Also, the mounts for the rear diff are on the rear cover, so if the ring and pinion got hot it transferred it right into the mounts.

Heat + drivetrain in a bind = tweaked bushings.
Here is my guess this is based on big trucks so i may be completely off. there are 4 driven wheel ends and normally power is provided to a front wheel end and than the opposite wheel end on the rear. Like a criss cross pattern. there are spiders that allow the axles on the same diff to turn at different speeds when going around corners etc. when you put the smaller tire on the front it made the spiders in the rear diff work really hard trying to provide equal power to the rear to compensate. which made it get hot and start melting stuff and burning fluid.

when i dyno a semi i have to lock in the power divider so both axles get equal power. if i do not BAD things happen