D30 Breaking Point

[JayKay]

There may be a thread on this somewhere, but I've searched. How far would you push your stock D30? I have a 2012 JKUS, manual, 3.5" lift with 35's. Should I be nervous about my front axle? I've done some minor wheeling and every time I do, I worry about breaking my front axle. This keeps me from tackling some obstacles I'd like to. Should I be worried?

 

[JKFlyer]

At a minimum, c gusset. Also potentially sleeve. Rcv shafts would be great too but reality is , axle can bend. Its like dressing up an ugly girl in a pretty dress. 37s would be too much and I almost did them....im in same boat..35s a bit safer.

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[crowrb29]

A lot of guys do it. I plan on doing it. I have heard of several guys running the rubicon and several other pretty extreme trails with that set up as well. I would at least reinforce, but don't go to crazy spending all sorts of $$ on something that pry will eventually break.

 

[JayKay]

A lot of guys do it. I plan on doing it. I have heard of several guys running the rubicon and several other pretty extreme trails with that set up as well. I would at least reinforce, but don't go to crazy spending all sorts of $$ on something that pry will eventually break.

Yeah, my buddy stuck a bunch of $$ in a 30 on an XJ, he sleeved it and it still bent at the diff. Of course, now he's running a 60. As cheap as the gussets and sleeves are, they're both worth the $$. That's most likely about as far as I'll go with the D30

 

[wayoflife]

There may be a thread on this somewhere, but I've searched. How far would you push your stock D30? I have a 2012 JKUS, manual, 3.5" lift with 35's. Should I be nervous about my front axle? I've done some minor wheeling and every time I do, I worry about breaking my front axle. This keeps me from tackling some obstacles I'd like to. Should I be worried?

Running 35's and with the front open, you'll be fine.

At a minimum, c gusset. Also potentially sleeve. Rcv shafts would be great too but reality is , axle can bend. Its like dressing up an ugly girl in a pretty dress. 37s would be too much and I almost did them....im in same boat..35s a bit safer.

LOL!! Now that's funny. Personally, I wouldn't even bother sleeving. Never did on my 2007, did on my old 2009 but didn't bother to on my 2012. I've run RCV's on my 2009 after getting a ProRock 44 but wouldn't bother now. Standard chomoly shafts with full circle clips are $400 cheaper and every bit as strong. Definitely would spend the money on shafts.

A lot of guys do it. I plan on doing it. I have heard of several guys running the rubicon and several other pretty extreme trails with that set up as well. I would at least reinforce, but don't go to crazy spending all sorts of $$ on something that pry will eventually break.

Well sure you can do it and even run a hard trail or two, nobody ever said that your axle would self destruct the minute you do. Time + quantity have a way of adding up.

 

[bl17z90]

I wheel my dana 30 with 35's and it has been alright so far.

4 trips over the summer after getting 35's and 2 trips before that with the stock 32's. the last 2 trips I backed down from nothing that we came up against. Except for one red rated trail which i now wish I had tried. :naw:

I actually don't even have gussets on yet......they're sitting in a box in my house, I just need to find the time to install them. :thinking:


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[JayKay]

Running 35's and with the front open, you'll be fine.



LOL!! Now that's funny. Personally, I wouldn't even bother sleeving. Never did on my 2007, did on my old 2009 but didn't bother to on my 2012. I've run RCV's on my 2009 after getting a ProRock 44 but wouldn't bother now. Standard chomoly shafts with full circle clips are $400 cheaper and every bit as strong. Definitely would spend the money on shafts.



Well sure you can do it and even run a hard trail or two, nobody ever said that your axle would self destruct the minute you do. Time + quantity have a way of adding up.

So gussets are the only real suggestion for a D30? Even for $150, sleeves wouldn't be worth it? I don't think I'd ever run RCVs, you could have a whole box of wheel joints and may never have to replace one, but if you do, they're cheap and easily replaceable. Eventually it'll get a ProRock 44, but it's a long way out. Gotta be happy with what I've got, hopefully I can get by without the constant worry of being stuck on the trail with a broken front axle .

 

[wayoflife]

So gussets are the only real suggestion for a D30? Even for $150, sleeves wouldn't be worth it?

So, without them, your axle will bend. So, even with them, your axle will bend. Trust me, I have seen it happen and right at the differential. Sleeves were a great idea and I even thought it was worth giving a try but, time has proven them to be pointless. Better to just play with what you have, spend a little money beefing up your shafts and then save the rest of your money until you can afford to upgrade to a ProRock 44. A bent axle housing won't leave you high and dry but a broken shaft or ring and pinion will.

I don't think I'd ever run RCVs, you could have a whole box of wheel joints and may never have to replace one, but if you do, they're cheap and easily replaceable. Eventually it'll get a ProRock 44, but it's a long way out. Gotta be happy with what I've got, hopefully I can get by without the constant worry of being stuck on the trail with a broken front axle .

Well, factory shafts do only have c-clips and they are prone to getting pried off. Once that happens, there's nothing left to hold the u-joint caps in place and that's the most common way a front shaft fails on the trail. Chromoly shafts with full circle clips will help prevent this from happening.

 

[JayKay]

So, without them, your axle will bend. So, even with them, your axle will bend. Trust me, I have seen it happen and right at the differential. Sleeves were a great idea and I even thought it was worth giving a try but, time has proven them to be pointless. Better to just play with what you have, spend a little money beefing up your shafts and then save the rest of your money until you can afford to upgrade to a ProRock 44. A bent axle housing won't leave you high and dry but a broken shaft or ring and pinion will.



Well, factory shafts do only have c-clips and they are prone to getting pried off. Once that happens, there's nothing left to hold the u-joint caps in place and that's the most common way a front shaft fails on the trail. Chromoly shafts with full circle clips will help prevent this from happening.

Gussets are in the near future. Working in an automotive shop as a service manager, I have had to break the bad news to a JK owner about their Cs being bent, then hearing "I never off road it, it's never left pavement". So obviously, if their story is true, they'll bend even driving as a daily driver. Bending at the diff seems like it would happen only if the axle is pushed to its limits, correct?

 

[wayoflife]

Gussets are in the near future. Working in an automotive shop as a service manager, I have had to break the bad news to a JK owner about their Cs being bent, then hearing "I never off road it, it's never left pavement". So obviously, if their story is true, they'll bend even driving as a daily driver. Bending at the diff seems like it would happen only if the axle is pushed to its limits, correct?

Oh yeah, bigger tires on wheels with less back spacing will create more leverage and cause c-gussets to bend, ball joints to go bad and unit bearings. C-gussets are the first to go regardless if you wheel or not and axle tubes bending is more of a speed thing while off roading. Most of the people I know with bending problems also run coil overs.

 

[munstie]

My 30 is sleeved gusseted, and trussed,running 5.13's once I have a replacement axle either a 44 or 60 I figure I'll take it out and push it till it breaks something. Hopefully get it on video as well,then a lot of people can rest a little easier or worry more after seeing some abuse. What ya think Eddie wanna do a torture test video. ..

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[wayoflife]

My 30 is sleeved gusseted, and trussed,running 5.13's once I have a replacement axle either a 44 or 60 I figure I'll take it out and push it till it breaks something. Hopefully get it on video as well,then a lot of people can rest a little easier or worry more after seeing some abuse. What ya think Eddie wanna do a torture test video. ..

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You're thinking about moving out this way. Make it happen and we'll do it.

 

[munstie]

You're thinking about moving out this way. Make it happen and we'll do it.

Once I'm out their and have the axle we'll do it might have to have Mel ship the axle to your place,as I figure this will take place on the Rubicon. .Unless you're in Az. of course.

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[1BAMFR]

I think your Dana 30 would explode into pieces if you tried a hard trail!

(Eddie will love this ^^^^^^)

 

[Army_Vet]

I wheel my dana 30 with 35's and it has been alright so far.

4 trips over the summer after getting 35's and 2 trips before that with the stock 32's. the last 2 trips I backed down from nothing that we came up against. Except for one red rated trail which i now wish I had tried. :naw:

I actually don't even have gussets on yet......they're sitting in a box in my house, I just need to find the time to install them. :thinking:


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true story!

 

[JayKay]

I wheel my dana 30 with 35's and it has been alright so far.

4 trips over the summer after getting 35's and 2 trips before that with the stock 32's. the last 2 trips I backed down from nothing that we came up against. Except for one red rated trail which i now wish I had tried. :naw:

I actually don't even have gussets on yet......they're sitting in a box in my house, I just need to find the time to install them. :thinking:


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This makes me feel a lot more confident. Appreciated!

 

[jkmadness]

The FEW,The PROUD,The 30's.
I'm in that boat still rocking.:crazyeyes:

 

[JayKay]

How much stuff is needed to be removed to weld on the gussets? Wasn't sure how much heat was created while welding them up. I'm sure it wouldn't be enough to cook the grease out of the ball joints, would it be?

 

[JKFlyer]

If not done right, yes. Go to project-jk and there is a write up Eddie did on gussetts. Need use lots of wet rags in process

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[JayKay]

If not done right, yes. Go to project-jk and there is a write up Eddie did on gussetts. Need use lots of wet rags in process

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Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that write-up. I'll have to go back and check it out again to refresh my memory. Thank you everyone for the info and peace of mind.