axle reinforcement

desertrunner

desertrunner

Hooked
I am starting to look into some axle reinforcement especially after being in Moab for the EJS and wishing i could have run my rig a bit harder with more confidence in getting on the gas peddle to get up some of those large ledges in Moab and still being able to drive it the 450 miles back home being that my rig is my DD.
Right now i have the stock Rear Rubicon D44 and my front D44 with EVO sleeves and C gussets and a front coast 1310 drive shaft, i am currently running 37s and dont plan on going bigger anytime soon
Would getting front and rear chromoly shafts (or RCV shafts), a new rear drive shaft, stronger gears, and maybe a truss for both be a solid set up or is it really worth the money to save up for that PR44 or 60 and sell my D44s?
 
Running a 1350 rear shaft would be a good idea but there really is no need to upgrade your rear shafts or, at least not until you bend a flange. I've rarely seen a rear shaft break and chromo shafts won't do much if anything to strengthen your flanges. Up front, upgrading to a basic set of chromo shafts with full circle clips is a good idea. RCV's are nice but totally unnecessary. The $400 you'll save can be used for something you really need like new ball joints. Here, I would highly recommend Dynatrac Pro Steers. Throwing anymore money at your axles than that would better be spent getting a PR44.
 
who makes a good 1350 rear drive shaft? and for $600 what am i really gaining with the dynatrac ball joints? and what makes the dynatrac ball joints that much better than others for $2-300
 
desertrunner said:
who makes a good 1350 rear drive shaft?
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I personally prefer a JE Reel 1350 and because they use made in the USA Neapco u-joints standard. Other popular brands use cheap Chinese u-joints with fancy names unless you pay to upgrade them to something better.

and for $600 what am i really gaining with the dynatrac ball joints? and what makes the dynatrac ball joints that much better than others for $2-300
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Great question! One of the biggest differences is in the ability to rebuild Dynatrac ball joints. That said, to date, I've not seen or heard of a single case where someone's needed to rebuild theirs due to wear.

Another difference is that the ProSteer ball joints have a different method of operation. OE and other popular cheaper joints have a bottom joint that pivots and a top joint that allows up and down motion but does not pivot. The Dynatrac ball joints have a bottom joint that allows pivoting movement and a top joint that goes up and down AND pivots. This helps keep the ball joints aligned with each other without binding. Bent end forgings (axle C's) are all too common on JK's and, this additional function of the Dynatrac top joint is a critical part of ball joint longevity.

Last but not least, Dynatrac ProSteer's are made right here in the US and while this may make their cost higher, you are sure to get a product with much higher quality control.
 
USA steel is the only way to go for sure :thumb:

thank you for all the great info this definitely helps a lot! still two more questions being that i already have the EVO C gussets is it still worth that few hundred for the dynatrac ball joints? and are the stock gears pretty strong since i dont really want to re-gear at the time if i dont have to?
 
I found out the hard way, beefing up rubi D44's is all good, but there is always a weak link. Alloy shafts in the rear are fine, a 1350 Drive shaft is great, but it makes the weak link become your pinion.... My :twocents: save up goto a Dana 60....

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xflstl said:
I found out the hard way, beefing up rubi D44's is all good, but there is always a weak link. Alloy shafts in the rear are fine, a 1350 Drive shaft is great, but it makes the weak link become your pinion.... My :twocents: save up goto a Dana 60....

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Youre also runnin a 42" tire though. Thsts a lot of rubber to get movin..lol


If you can't walk my beat unarmed, maybe you should consider becoming a police officer.
 
desertrunner said:
:cheesy: hahaha

ok with that being said how much extra strength would i be getting out of the 1350 is it substantial over the 1310?
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If it helps to put things into perspective, a 1310 is technically a bit weaker than a factory shaft. A 1350 is stronger than both and it's what I would recommend you run with 37's or larger.
 
Philip *AZ* said:
Youre also runnin a 42" tire though. Thsts a lot of rubber to get movin..lol


If you can't walk my beat unarmed, maybe you should consider becoming a police officer.
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This happened when running 37's, no tire spin, no bounce nothing.. Just a nice solid PING and there went the pinion. I am sure this isn't a common thing, but just wanted to say that no matter what you beef up there is always a weak link. I had shattered a 1310 DS several days earlier, and had my spare (Stock) DS on when this happened.
 
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So are the 1310 drive shafts still OK to run eddie? I mean, I just bought front and rear 1310's figuring they would be good
sent from my talkitty box
 
I have a Coast front DS and the stock rear DS. I believe the Coast is 1310. Ive run some of the hardest trails in Moab the past two years with this set up with no problem so far. :thumb:
 
I too run Coast 1310. No complaints here. I run front and rear.


If you can't walk my beat unarmed, maybe you should consider becoming a police officer.
 
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