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D30...Powertrax...260-x...Lifespan?

T

Tommy_Harrell

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Olean, Mo
Thinking about adding a Powertrax to my D30, but I’m concerned with u-joint life. Currently running 34” LTBs with 260X joints, and I know that the 260X is the weak link, but how might they last? I have several spares (3 right, 2 left) but I really don’t want to swap shafts multiple times a day.


Thanks

Tommy
 
Depends entirely on terrain and driving style....I have the same setup in the Dawg.....it has never broken a joint or shaft....but I EXCLUSIVELY do MUD.
 
I run all rock with 33x13.50 LTBs on 260s with a lockright.

It is about how you drive it. Don't bounce it, no hard throttle runs unless it is on looser surfaces, ect...

I have broken 1 shaft in the past 1.5 years and that was when backing up hill with all the weight on the front drivers wheel.. pow.
 
I'm pretty easy on it and mostly it runs on the farm (like an oversized four-wheeler). It will go to Hannibal Rocks, Flat Nasty, Kansas Rocks and maybe even a Colorado wheeling trip this year. I was just concerned because a friend keeps snapping 297X joints with 32s, but he is very rough on his rig.

thanks

Tommy
 
i got a d30, 260 u-joints, and 35s. havn't been easy on it in any way..bounced it a couple times, and havn't broken anything (knock on wood) but i dont play on rocks, mostly hill climbs, mud, and trail stuff
 
stop fawking around

dont be broken on the trail

buy alloys and good joints or stay home with your locked up 30... :jester:
 
Tommy_Harrell said:
Thinking about adding a Powertrax to my D30, but I’m concerned with u-joint life. Currently running 34” LTBs with 260X joints, and I know that the 260X is the weak link, but how might they last? I have several spares (3 right, 2 left) but I really don’t want to swap shafts multiple times a day.


Thanks

Tommy
Click to expand...

Pure luck and driving style. You have spares, and thankfully it doesn't take long to change a shaft in a unit bearing D30.....can be done in 30-45 minutes with a couple people. Just be very careful backing up, and don't apply power when the wheels are turned. If (when) you do break a joint, stop immediately and fix it. Driving even a very short distance on a broken u-joint can cause the yokes to bind against each other and pop the knuckle off the ball joints.
 
Listen To Goatman. A few weeks ago I joined the ball joint swap on the trail club, not the most fun thing I have done for sure :).
 
For some reason no one's said it yet but go ahead and weld the caps on...

I have a buddy (hammerite_05) whos been running 260 shafts w/ welded caps for awhile now. Lockright up front on 33's w/ steel wheels. He doesnt drive it very easy but is cautions when really spinning the front tires. We also carry sets of full assemblies and generally can change a side it in around 25 mins or so.

BlueCuda, a broken shaft took out your ball joint...how did you do that, drive it after it exploded? Also were your caps welded on?
 
I can't believe nobody has said this.....

If you can afford a locker and several wheeling trips this year surely you can afford a set of TJ or late XJ shafts! I buy spare sets for under $100 all day long. Throw a set of 760X's in there tack the caps and have fun!

Or buy 3 or 4 sets of 260 joint shafts for spares? That makes no sense to me.
 
[FONT=&quot]I broke several sets of front shafts with 260 U-joints. But I was getting spares with unit bearings attached for $10 a side so it wasn't a huge deal. As said it only takes a little bit to swap shafts. I would have got them with the 297's but I had the vacuum disconnect front.

If you go with a lunchbox locker you might think about upgrading the cross shaft. I don't know how much better the "space age zytanium" or whatever it is called is but it couldn't hurt.

I sheared the cross shaft on my D30 with 33's witch was pretty much the last straw for that axle.[/FONT]
 
uncc civilengineer said:
BlueCuda, a broken shaft took out your ball joint...how did you do that, drive it after it exploded? Also were your caps welded on?
Click to expand...

Yeah it did, the ears stacked and pushed the knuckle down gutting the ball joints. It actually didn't spit the caps it broke at the trunion, I had a nasty hop earlier in the day and when it died i was doing nothing really? My mistake, driving to a good spot to fix it lol didn't make it.

It was a 260 shaft I put it as a spare. Got lazy, forgot about it and never changed it. So it came back to bite me in the ass. Got fresh 760Xs in there now with another set in the back :D.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
BlueCuda, a broken shaft took out your ball joint...how did you do that, drive it after it exploded? Also were your caps welded on?
Click to expand...

Just like this.

This is what happens when you run 260 joints on the trail. Alloys. CTMs. Do now. ;) It doesnt take long to change a shaft on the trail, its an ordeal to change balljoints though.

This is Kevin Hedstroms rig last year. He had just a hair of wheelspin going in some loose stuff, no more than 10 mph. Someone saw the cap go flying just a second before we heard the boom.

interferance.jpg


balljoint-seperation.jpg
 
Thats weak lol mine came all the way apart :D. Lucky though, didn't tear up the tie rod or brake line.
 
I've seen them come all the way apart too, but I think that picture does better to illustrate why strong u-joints are necessary..
 
I agree w/ 260's being weak... but if the caps were welded on would it have even happened... I seriously doubt it w/ 10mph or wheel spin w/ the steering wheel straight...

Also (hoping I dont have to find out the hard way) but is it not possible to get back off the trail w/a busted ball joint?


Also just curious.. but are you guys (that are running Alloy Shafts and CTM's or 297/760joints) still carrying spare shafts? I mean I could sell my spare set of 297 shafts and my current set of 297 shafts and buy alloys and not have much money in them (250.00 or so).. BUT, I wouldnt have spares any more.... What then, just carry u-joints and hope they dont break... Just wondering.
 
Last edited:
Not possible to get off of the trail in my case. The whole knuckle wheel brakes all came the hell off. 2 hours I would rather not relive.

I have had friends limp off of the trail with a broken joint before but they had an open diff. Even with my weeksauce tru-trac it was able to transfer enough force for this to happen. I was in 2wd when the ball joint debacle happened.

Welded caps would not have fixed this problem, the trunion broke the caps were still in the axles.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
I agree w/ 260's being weak... but if the caps were welded on would it have even happened... I seriously doubt it w/ 10mph or wheel spin w/ the steering wheel straight...

Also (hoping I dont have to find out the hard way) but is it not possible to get back off the trail w/a busted ball joint?


Also just curious.. but are you guys (that are running Alloy Shafts and CTM's or 297/760joints) still carrying spare shafts? I mean I could sell my spare set of 297 shafts and my current set of 297 shafts and buy alloys and not have much money in them (250.00 or so).. BUT, I wouldnt have spares any more.... What then, just carry u-joints and hope they dont break... Just wondering.
Click to expand...


I carry just outer axles. Granted, I'm running 30 spline inners and outers with ctm joints, but even with 27 spline alloy stuff I'd probably still leave the spares at camp. I tend to be really light throttled though, no wheelspin, no hopping, and i dont keep going when it binds up.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
I agree w/ 260's being weak... but if the caps were welded on would it have even happened... I seriously doubt it w/ 10mph or wheel spin w/ the steering wheel straight...

Also (hoping I dont have to find out the hard way) but is it not possible to get back off the trail w/a busted ball joint?


Also just curious.. but are you guys (that are running Alloy Shafts and CTM's or 297/760joints) still carrying spare shafts? I mean I could sell my spare set of 297 shafts and my current set of 297 shafts and buy alloys and not have much money in them (250.00 or so).. BUT, I wouldnt have spares any more.... What then, just carry u-joints and hope they dont break... Just wondering.
Click to expand...

All welding the caps does is keep the c-clip from popping off which allows the cap to walk out and then the joint breaks. It eliminates one weakness, but it doesn't actually make the joint, or the yokes, stronger.

On a broken ball joint, if the ball joint just pops off, meaning it comes apart, you can press the knuckle and ball joints back together and secure it with wire wrapped around the inner C and ball joint, and keep on driving it. However, if the inner C breaks around the ball joint, which happens most of the time, you're screwed, and the fix is to weld the broken piece and the ball joint all back onto the inner C........which then requires another inner C being put on the axle when you get home.

Carrying spares when running chomo shafts andn CTM's depends on if it's 27 or 30 spline and what tire size you're running. On the D44 I carried stub shafts, since the 19 spline D44 stubs were the weak link. If I had 30 spline stubs I wouldn't carry spares, and that's with 37" tires.
 
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