The Ranger axle may or may not be narrower than the Explorer axle, but it is definately only 28-spline.
Also, since the axles are smaller in diameter, the axle housing (tube) is a smaller diameter than the Explorer 31-spline unit. Theoretically, the smaller, lighter axle is not as strong (though I haven't bent mine - knock on wood!)
------------------
Scott
1993 Ranger, Modified
sjbosso@mindspring.com