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Which axles would you use?

jonb8

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Elizabeth WV
I have a 98 xj D30/8.25, 456 gears and a spartan in the rear. My wife uses it as a DD and we pull are teardrop camper with it. I recently drove it from WV to California and ran the Rubicon in it, now I need to upgrade everything because I want to go to Easter Jeep in the spring. I have a set of JK Rubicon D44's with 8 thousand miles on them, but I'm on the fence between using them or selling them and putting a OX locker and RCV's in the D30.....Anyone have any experience with the 44's under a xj?

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Here's a few pics of the Rubicon trip,

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You should talk to Nimrod about an Ox locker in the front. I think he will tell you that you need to actuate it with something other than a cable. I know he has invested more time and effort than initially planned.

(Not that this answers your question about the axles...still seems relevant.)
 
D30's on rocks with 33's are marginal at best. When you lock it, it gets worse. I got to the point where I could change out a drivers side shaft in less than 15 minutes. Even with the D44 upgrade from a 88 Ford Truck, I still have replace a couple of shafts and I drive very conservatively.

Like your teardrop. Where did you get it? I designed and built a very similar one from scratch.
 
Dana 30 on 35's can and will survive if it is respected and driven as such. There are many Jeeps that have done most every JV Hammer trail dozens of times both directions, with such. Currently theres a TJ on 35's that has out performed a few purpose built buggys on 39-40" tires, in Johnson valley on more occasions then they would care to admit. He has ran the same 30spline inner and outer 4340 shafts and E-Locker for a few years now, and never broke a shaft or a locker. Its how you drive. And that doesnt mean you have to back down when you get to a larger obstacle, it means you have to actually drive it, not just point and shoot.

I would highly suggest against a OX, but thats just from the past experience while installing and customer adjustments of cables. If you are going to convert to Air, just get an air locker.
 
D30's on rocks with 33's are marginal at best. When you lock it, it gets worse. I got to the point where I could change out a drivers side shaft in less than 15 minutes. Even with the D44 upgrade from a 88 Ford Truck, I still have replace a couple of shafts and I drive very conservatively.

Like your teardrop. Where did you get it? I designed and built a very similar one from scratch.

Well.... I have 35's and when I had time to wheel it, I was hard on it.... very hard. The main issue I encountered was the tube getting kinked in the pumpkin because a spot weld gave. 4.88's, detroit, alloy shafts, CTM ujoints and the long tube welded to the pumpkin and I wave done everything I wanted :D

Having said that - if you have a Rubi D44 front the issue with that is that the shafts and ujoints are same as D30. You do get upgraded R&P and locker but seeing for how much those axles go, I would consider trussing the D30, putting in a selectable locker, getting alloy shafts and really good ujoints (CTM or the like).

Rear, no brainer - D44. I would get an XJ 44 though as parts are simpler and cheaper from what I recall. The Rubi D44 is nice but you'd have to do perches and everything. So the $ that you could get for the front & rear D44 you'd be able to reinvest back into getting good stuff for the axles.

Anyways, alloys all the way around, front and rear axles trussed, selectable lockers and you're golden. Oh yeah, disk brake conversion for the XJ D44 is easy! All you need is a crown vic for a donor :D
 
my .02

Unless you are going to sink money into the JK44s and build them (lockers, alloys, etc.) the fabrication involved in putting them under an XJ properly isn't worth it.

Sell the 44s.

in the Front:
D30
30spline ARB
Revolution Gear and Axle 5.13s
Revolution Gear and Axle 30 spline Alloy shafts (upgrades the shaft size and ujoint)

In the rear
D44/8.8
ARB
Revolution Gear and Axle 5.13
Alloy shafts.

that Combo will reliably run 35"s all day long.

for future upgrades:
Hydro Assist
Big Brake Kit
 
Well.... I have 35's and when I had time to wheel it, I was hard on it.... very hard. The main issue I encountered was the tube getting kinked in the pumpkin because a spot weld gave. 4.88's, detroit, alloy shafts, CTM ujoints and the long tube welded to the pumpkin and I wave done everything I wanted :D

Having said that - if you have a Rubi D44 front the issue with that is that the shafts and ujoints are same as D30. You do get upgraded R&P and locker but seeing for how much those axles go, I would consider trussing the D30, putting in a selectable locker, getting alloy shafts and really good ujoints (CTM or the like).

Rear, no brainer - D44. I would get an XJ 44 though as parts are simpler and cheaper from what I recall. The Rubi D44 is nice but you'd have to do perches and everything. So the $ that you could get for the front & rear D44 you'd be able to reinvest back into getting good stuff for the axles.

Anyways, alloys all the way around, front and rear axles trussed, selectable lockers and you're golden. Oh yeah, disk brake conversion for the XJ D44 is easy! All you need is a crown vic for a donor :D

he has JK 44s

which are wider and the wrong bolt pattern.

to swap those into an XJ you are cutting off every bracket, spending a few hundred in new brackets
new steering, completely custom
new wheels.


and then you still have to spend money on upgrading them so they can be wheeled.
the JK44 front housing is weak, and the inner Cs are even worse.
at the very least it should get a truss and inner-C gussets.


oh and they are for whatever reason worth considerably more money than TJ/XJ axles.
 
Hence I suggested selling them. They're more expensive btw because they're somewhat rare..... I know.... I got a JK and the parts for the rubi axles for jk are more expensive.

Anyways I agree with you on all but 5.13s..... I'd do 4.88s and invest into 4:1down the road.
 
You should talk to Nimrod about an Ox locker in the front. I think he will tell you that you need to actuate it with something other than a cable. I know he has invested more time and effort than initially planned.

Absolutely right. The steel cable is just too rigid for the tight turns required to route it on a front axle, in my opinion, and it's real vulnerable to damage from rubbing and from heat. If you go Ox, go air!

For what it's worth, I run 33's on a D30, protected by an Artec truss. I haven't busted a shaft yet, nor have I bent a tube. I carry spare shafts on the trail, but hope to go to chromoly one of these days, when my business picks up.
 
JK 44s are a completely different animal. they are more than just a bigger ring and pinion like the TJ 44s.

JK 44s get a bad rap for being weak that really isnt justified. keep in mind that the people breaking them have 37s on a 6k pound rig. a simple truss and C gussets go a long way, which you will want for your 30 if you keep it as well.
 
JK 44s are a completely different animal. they are more than just a bigger ring and pinion like the TJ 44s.

JK 44s get a bad rap for being weak that really isnt justified. keep in mind that the people breaking them have 37s on a 6k pound rig. a simple truss and C gussets go a long way, which you will want for your 30 if you keep it as well.

A friend of mine built one for his TJ.

sleeved the long side tube.
C gussets
Reid knuckles.
alloy shafts
CTMs
ARB.

yes he runs 37"s. but he's broken enough parts to turn me off from ever building one. considering how few parts I've broken on a built 30 on 35"s (almost none)

I simply don't think the cost of building one is worth it.
 
No matter what you do some day you will probably need to change bolt pattern. The 8.25 won't hold up I blew a pinion bearing pulling a YJ up Cadillac Hill and then roasted the R&P on the way home. The JK axles will be a good fit or you can run a Dana 44 Waggy up front and Ford 9" rear.
 
I'd build the jk rubi 44's. Bigger shafts, ujoints, gears, and comes with an air locker. Some brackets, new gears, and a truss. That will be more reliable than the xj 30. You will need to address the bolt pattern though.
 
I'd build the jk rubi 44's. Bigger shafts, ujoints, gears, and comes with an air locker. Some brackets, new gears, and a truss. That will be more reliable than the xj 30. You will need to address the bolt pattern though.

JK rubi are electric based lockers.
JK rubi are metric carrier bearing size, so only lockers you can ever use are stock (weak), ARB 35 spline ($$ and new shafts are needed) or maybe a problematic OX ( I think they have something).
JK rubi front housing and inner C are very weak.
JK axles are 4.5ish" wider
JK are 5x5" wheel pattern.
JK axles do have a better brake setup.
JK do have larger gear sets and bearings than all other TJ/XJ OE D44 axles.

just some facts..
 
I know this is going to start a dumpster fire but why not sell your JK axles buy someone's built 1 ton axles. You are located in WV so you know that you can't crawl everything. I guess you can develop skills not breaking stock jeep axles or picking lines you won't drag diffs on.

That's my thought and your options will be much greater with 8 lugs and only become vulnerable on tires over 40":dunno:
 
Been out of town at coaching classes... Thanks for all the input, WV has state inspection so tons are out of the question, way to wide. JK axles on stock offset wheels and 35 12.50's are 1/4 in narrower then stock xj axles on 4in offset wheels and 35 12.50's. It'll work but I have to stay on stock offset JK wheels...I don't like that. I'm not going over a 35 in tire, if I need to wheel hard I'll take the truggy but I'm trying to get out of the truck and trailer life and go back to driving to the trail...
 
Been out of town at coaching classes... Thanks for all the input, WV has state inspection so tons are out of the question, way to wide. JK axles on stock offset wheels and 35 12.50's are 1/4 in narrower then stock xj axles on 4in offset wheels and 35 12.50's. It'll work but I have to stay on stock offset JK wheels...I don't like that. I'm not going over a 35 in tire, if I need to wheel hard I'll take the truggy but I'm trying to get out of the truck and trailer life and go back to driving to the trail...



In that case just put ARBs and chromo axle shafts in the axles you have now. Maybe bump up to 4.88s. It sounds like you'll make the right decision.

Warning two people from our club in NC came home from Moab with broken spartan lockers on 35s.


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My opinion would be stay on 33's and stockish axles (no rcv's, full case locker and cheap alloys at best), jk d44's if going to 35's or 37's with a conservative pedal, or go tons if you are ok with not driving the thing on the street very often and dont care if you roll it.
If i had to choose, i'd stay on 33's with stock axles, which is what i went back to after 37's and tons.
IMO, wheeling is only fun if you have a challenge and you make it off the trail without destroying your rig. The bigger you get, the harder it is to be challenged without the high probability of severe body damage. If you want the challenge of the gnarliest trails, build a buggy and buy a tow rig. If you want to drive across the country, wheel, and drive home, stay where you're at and drive accordingly.
 
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