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To 30 spline, or not to 30 spline...

NorCalChris

NorCalChris

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Central Coast, Ca
That is the question.
This is the kit. I'd be paying a little over a grand for it. It is new.

I do understand that I'll have to buy custom shafts to have trail spares. I wonder if will I really need them though...

I do realize it is expensive, but you have to pay to play. I just need to know if this is a good way to play.

This was not my original plan. I planned on 27 spline ARB with RCV shafts. Stock shafts for spares.
 
Doesn't 30 spline shafts make the ring and pinion the weak point? Seems like I'd rather change an axle shaft over being completely dead on the trail. Spare shafts are cheap! Throw in those RCV's and your set man.


I'm getting ready to swap in an axle with 27 spline chromos and ARB. I think it will be a fantastic set up.
 
CaliXJ said:
Doesn't 30 spline shafts make the ring and pinion the weak point? Seems like I'd rather change an axle shaft over being completely dead on the trail.
Click to expand...
This, also that 1k is halfway towards a D44 or D60 swap, reg 27spline alloys with spicer 760's, myselfy would just run stock shafts with 760's, i like my weak point to be a easy swap on the trail, its not fun draggin a 2wd jeep off the trail
 
Depends what your gonna do with it. Tire size? Personally I went from a built 30 to a custom 44 that I built to handle the rocks and my 36" swampers. It gives me peace of mind. Personally I would not put that money into a 30.
 
you can build a d44 for not much more
i got just over 1500 into mine. that consists of:
ford hp d44 housing
grizzly locker
4.56's
wj knuckles
unit bearings
ball joints
misc brackets
wj brakes
chromoly shafts
install kit for gears

all parts were new except the brakes, knuckles, and housing.


if i had to do it over again i think i would have gone with a 60 for little to no money more.
 
ROBZ95Xj said:
This, also that 1k is halfway towards a D44 or D60 swap, reg 27spline alloys with spicer 760's, myselfy would just run stock shafts with 760's, i like my weak point to be a easy swap on the trail, its not fun draggin a 2wd jeep off the trail
Click to expand...

^ x2.

Stock shafts are cheap and easy to replace on the trail. Why spend that money just to make the R&P the weak point that is pricey and difficult to replace. :looney:

Set the money aside and start saving up for a full built Dana44 if strength is really a concern.
 
I bought my D30 with a 30 spline Ox and alloy shafts already installed for a good price.

I have a set of D44 Rubi shafts for spares. They will not fit as stock. I need to get a tiny bit of material removed from an inch or so of the shaft and it should be good.

I don't have an opinion one way or another on 30 vs. 27 spline. I only have 30 spline since I got a good deal.


But, you should be able to get spares by using stock Rubi shafts and an a hour at a machine shop.

I'll let you know how it turns out. Will be getting the shafts modified soon.
 
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I'm running the Superior Super 30 Kit w/ ARB which has 30 spline inners and 27 spline outers. I couldn't find much good about the 30 spline unit bearings so I skipped them. This was a couple years back so they may have improved the design, but there were reports of them forming cracks at the edge of the splined hole.

I'm hoping that the 27 spline outer stub shaft acts as my fuse rather than the R & P, but I'm confident in my set up with 33's so I don't really anticipate any breakage occuring. I did however buy a spare set of the cheapest 30/27 cro-mo's I could find just in case.
 
Those people who think you can build a 60 for not much more need to try it. That is the stupidest freaking bad info rolling around on Naxja.

Building a 44 for not much more is a farce too, unless you do a custom tubed axle and run dana 30 outers the way Vanimal is.. otherwise you have to re-do the rear end as well, and buy new wheels.

As far as spare shafts goes.. you're not going to need them? In the incredibly unlikely event you bust a 30 spline shaft, keep 1 27 spline stub available and run with just a stub shaft to get home.

As far as the ring gear being the next weak point ... sure. By that lock we should all be running dana 35's and stock shafts all the way around. Would you rather bust a shaft once or twice a year on a level '3' trail, or bust a ring gear once a decade on a level '5' trail? (arbitrary level numbers assigned to prove a point).

Yeah, ring gears sometimes break. When they do, its not the same kind of scenarios that bust a shaft, and the ring gear is going to break *anyways*.
 
I've got just over 2 grand in my 44 set up. Yes I narrowed it, I run small bearing spindles with 5-5.5 bolt pattern. Sure I had to by new wheels but big deal. The added strength in the 44 did it for me. 1/2" thick axle tubes are pretty sweet. Shafts are waggy width so upgraded shafts were no big deal. To each their own but it was a fun project doing everything myself...
 
cal said:
Those people who think you can build a 60 for not much more need to try it. That is the stupidest freaking bad info rolling around on Naxja.
Click to expand...

I've only got around $2k into a fully built/trussed/narrowed/chromo'ed HP60. Selling my semi-built HP30/8.25 paid for most of that too. I would never put the type of money the OP is talking about into a 30. If stock 30 shafts with full circle clips and 760's arent enough, upgrade to better axles. Around this area, I've seen numerous people blow 30 carriers/R&P's before upgraded stocker shafts let go.
 
foxwar71 said:
I've only got around $2k into a fully built/trussed/narrowed/chromo'ed HP60. Selling my semi-built HP30/8.25 paid for most of that too. I would never put the type of money the OP is talking about into a 30. If stock 30 shafts with full circle clips and 760's arent enough, upgrade to better axles. Around this area, I've seen numerous people blow 30 carriers/R&P's before upgraded stocker shafts let go.
Click to expand...


You stayed 8 lug I assume?
 
I follow the same line of though CaliXJ posted before.

That being said, if I were to go 30spl. I would seriously consider having the carrier and gears cryo treated.
 
I don't plan on building a Dana 60 anytime soon for this Jeep. I don't plan on building a Dana 44 for it soon either. If I go to either of those I have to change my rear and buy new wheels. I'm building this axle to be done by Sierrafest in August. I can't build a custom axle before then. Has anyone one here seen a ARB 30 spline kit fail? Where, when, what was going on when it broke? What broke? What size tires? I'm only running 315/75r16 MT/R and 4.88 gearing.
Thanks.
-----Chris
 
keep in mind that most chromoly shafts for the rear have dual bolt patterns so you can run a d44 in the front and use the same pattern.
i ended up keeping the 5x4.5 bolt pattern when i built my d44. was it the easiest way? no. but it's doable and on the cheap. you can also get super beefy forged inner c's to fit a 3" tube from dynatrac for 170/ea and then you can run your dana 30 outers (with 30 spline hubs and stubs if you wish). i wish i went that way, instead i sleeved the tubes so i could fit on d30 inner c's and butt welded it then gusseted them. it'll work, but it was the hard way.


with that said...
1k for that kit aint bad, you probably wont loose much money on it if you sell it all and build your d44 or d60 down the road.
 
There's also a lot of "You shouldnt do that!" from people who have never done it posted here.

Has anyone who's run 30 spline stuff posted up that they regret it? I've run it. It was rock solid. Flogged the living snot out of the jeep on 35's for several years without ever busting a shaft or ring gear.

But you know, us west coast kids don't wheel hard.
 
NorCalChris said:
Has anyone one here seen a ARB 30 spline kit fail? Where, when, what was going on when it broke? What broke? What size tires? I'm only running 315/75r16 MT/R and 4.88 gearing.
Thanks.
-----Chris
Click to expand...
Chris, talk to Tim (aka knucklehead 61). He runs the 30-spline with an ARB and he wheels the hell out of his green rig on 33's. He broke the ears off the short-side shaft at Hollister (on the logs in the obstacle course) last year. He also tore up his ring gear recently. Then he grenaded his ARB a few months ago - but it actually may have been a poor casting defect.
 
I agree you can't build a 60 for the same price, but a stock 60 IMHO is still way stronger than any built 30. I have $300 into my front hp44, warn premium hubs, 4.10's welded when I bought it for $150. $150 in to axle brackets and it's a done deal. I picked up my rear 60 for $100 and it bolted right in. Also 4.10. I welded it up to. Are there compromises with my set up? Of course. Did I need new wheels? Yes, but sold the old ones for the price of the new ones. For an extra $300 I could have gone with a spartan in the rear, alleviating the drawbacks of being welded on the street. I love the added width of running full width axles. The 4.10's should be deeper, welded diffs come with additional 3 point turns on the trail. Between selling my Dana 30 spartan and shafts and the rear axle, I managed to break even. And I have much more confidence in these axles.
 
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