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dana 30 vs. waggy 44 (searched)

allthingsoffroad

allthingsoffroad

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Knoxville TN
1st how much wider is the waggy 44 then the dana 30?


here is my othere question is that i have a front dana 44 that i got for free basicly and out of a 82 waggy and i have a locked dana 30 (that i break every other trip with 35s) with a matching 8.8 is it worth puting spacers in the back on the 8.8 and swaping in the 44 or should i keep the dana 30? also i am about to move to 38s or should i try to find a matching dana 60 or 44?

thanks
 
What is it you keep breaking on your 30? The waggy 44 (and I am a fan as I am in the midst of swapping one myself) isn't significantly stronger in the r&p, and uses the same ujoints as your 30. That said, it is 30 spline, and you would get the benefit of bigger breaks and servicable bearings/hubs, although I think you will really be pushing its limits on 38's if you wheel in the rocks at all. The waggy axle is about 61.5 WMS to WMS, so 1.5 wider than the 30.

If I were running 38's in rocks, I'd at least get an HP44, and maybe a 60. IMHO.
 
lots wider huh... you could have a widetrack out of a cherokee cheif -- in that case I think it is about 63" wms to wms...
 
allthingsoffroad said:
its only 1.5 inches it looks a lot wider... and i keep breaking stafts and the ujoints in the shafts but it is worth the time and moeny to regear it and i will probly weld it idk know yet
Click to expand...
You're breaking shafts in the 30 so you're considering to weld the axle (30? 44?) to prevent that????? :confused:
Consider getting alloy shafts, full circle clips for ujoints, weld the ujoint caps to the shafts, better ujoints....
 
I just got done with my d44hp swap...I say do it. Bigger brakes, hubs,lug pattern choise's, better steering options,more after market stuff.
 
the point of swapping in d44 is for bigger brakes better bearigns and housing strength. the shafts are not going to be much stronger if any in stock form. but the real advantage to either axle is when you install alloy axles and compriable u-joints. then the 44 is a great foundation because it is not as suseptable to housing flex like the d30.
 
allthingsoffroad said:
well im just woundering if it is worth my time and money to swap dana 30 for the 44
Click to expand...
For the low pinion waggy? probably not really. If you're thinking D44 swap, why not do it the right way and do Ford HP?
If you're primarily busting shafts due to ujoint issues, upgrade the shafts and ujoints and be done with it.
 
I have a 44 front and rear in my CJ. I ran 36" TSLs forever on them and never had any serious trouble. I busted a few caps, but always caught it before tearing up the shafts. The front is out of a waggy. I have seen many people run 38's on Ford D44's but not the Waggy ones.
 
allthingsoffroad said:
so are waggy fronts low pinion and frod high or is there a high pioin one from the waggy and i think a-mecanic aka andy has a waggy 44 with 39.5s
Click to expand...

All Waggy 44's are low pinion, inherently weaker than an Ford HPD44. If all you run is southern mud, you might be fine. But if I were running 37's or larger in anything but mud under a vehicle as heavy as an XJ, I would definately upgrade to alloy shafts, if I stayed with a LP44 at all.
 
General consensus among the rock crawling world is that a HP 44 with alloys is usually only good up to about 38's, some say 37 is the max they would want to run.
Many people can keep 297x jointed d-30 shafts in-tact on 35's as well. In the 44 you have the SAME u joints as a 30 which seems to be your weak link.

You seem to be hard on axles so if you were going to do an axle swap in an effort to handle 38's it would probably be wisest to go with a dana 60 and get the bigger u joints and axles in it.

If the choices were only between a High pinion 30 or a low pinion 44 you might be best off just getting alloys and premium u joints for the 30 and possibly a truss to help with the housing flex.

Thats just my $.02.
 
allthingsoffroad said:
1st how much wider is the waggy 44 then the dana 30?


here is my othere question is that i have a front dana 44 that i got for free basicly and out of a 82 waggy and i have a locked dana 30 (that i break every other trip with 35s) with a matching 8.8 is it worth puting spacers in the back on the 8.8 and swaping in the 44 or should i keep the dana 30? also i am about to move to 38s or should i try to find a matching dana 60 or 44?

thanks
Click to expand...
Is your D30 polished(shafts/joints)? If you are breaking that much already, and you are going to 38's, don't waste your time with the D30. A fully polished D30 should be fine with 35's, you must be hard on your junk. As for the waggy D44, I say run it.

Greg
 
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