Personally, I think it's a wash. I would prefer to roll the full rear axle out and then the new one in on wheels than man handle a dirty great 3rd while lying under your truck. Swapping the 3rds does give you the opportunity the replace axle shaft seals and repack the bearings. If you're not bothered about that I honestly don't think it's worth the trouble. Especially since you can replace the seals etc any time without removing the 3rd.

Also, don't forget the front has no 3rd so you will need to swap the whole diff.

Looks like you are busy Eli. If it were me I'd wait until after the 'big' trip. You don't want to find that you need to replace stuff half way through, run out of time and have a truck stuck on jack stands.

Up to you though ol'bean. Sounds like fun <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />