Welded dana 30????

does welding the carrier in a dana 30 make any sense at all...i am currently just saving for a bigger carrier and gears to put in so i am onl looking for something to last for a little while, it will be for off road use only except for the ride to the trail...4 inches of lift with 2 inch spacer and block 33x12.50 tires, any feedback will be greatly appreciated

chilybil26 said:

does welding the carrier in a dana 30 make any sense at all...i am currently just saving for a bigger carrier and gears to put in so i am onl looking for something to last for a little while, it will be for off road use only except for the ride to the trail...4 inches of lift with 2 inch spacer and block 33x12.50 tires, any feedback will be greatly appreciated

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It's not a bad idea if steering isn't all that important to you.

It will work if you have a disco 30 or manual hubs, but even steering on the trail will be difficult when the axles are connected. If you have a nondisco 30, forget about it.

I've welded my disconnecting D30 and am very happy with it. I plan to ditch the D30 eventually, but I don't think turning that bad. I have to make three point turns sometimes, but that's not a big deal to me. If I really need to, I just throw it in two drive and make sharper turns.

You could also get a posi lock so you could just disconnect the axle for turns.Then you would have 2 wheel low range also.

Let me know when you are going to go on a trail run with the group, so I know not to show up. I won't run a trail with someone with a welded D30.......been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

It's a bad idea. If you can't afford a lunchbox locker then just do without until you can.

I won't recommend to weld a 30

but.... if you do, run the vacuum line for the disconnect into your cab so you can disconnect it at will

hey guys thanks for the info...like i said was just puttin out feelers from people with experience and have decided against it...thanx

U can do some really hard trails and stuff with just a rear locker and an open front. It's not worth the trauma U put on your axle, your steering, your fun level wheeling by fighting the steering, greatly increasing breakage on the trail to justify welding up the 30. If U do still weld it, then like Brett said if U have the disco 30 then get the kit the replaces the vacuum with the manual cable so U can lock and unlock from inside.
Troy

Goatman said:

Let me know when you are going to go on a trail run with the group, so I know not to show up. I won't run a trail with someone with a welded D30.......been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

It's a bad idea. If you can't afford a lunchbox locker then just do without until you can.

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I don't want to start a flame war...why is a lunchbox locker safer or easier on a D30 than welding it? I guess I'm lucky since I've run mine this way for over a year with 36s and I haven't broken anything. I know it's not the strongest setup and I drive accordingly. If a tire slips, I get off the gas.

Everyone stay away from me, my D30 has a disease What kinds of things have you run into with people that had welded diffs versus people with lockers in thier 30?

Take it from me, welding an axle is NEVER a good idea!
It is cheaper in the long run to just buy a lunch box locker and be done with it!

Eric@OA said:

I don't want to start a flame war...why is a lunchbox locker safer or easier on a D30 than welding it? I guess I'm lucky since I've run mine this way for over a year with 36s and I haven't broken anything. I know it's not the strongest setup and I drive accordingly. If a tire slips, I get off the gas.

Everyone stay away from me, my D30 has a disease What kinds of things have you run into with people that had welded diffs versus people with lockers in thier 30?

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Why is a lunchbox locker better? Because it allows differentiation. An automatic locker is called that because it's automatic, it allows one tire to rotate faster than the other tire in corners, but it locks the axle together if power is applied. An automatic locker does not continually stress the axles by forcing the tires to scrub like a spool or welded diff does.

Sorry, but you saying that you haven't broke it yet in a year isn't saying much. One year isn't very long in the life of a part that gets used hard. You could follow me and I'd have your welded D30 on 36's broke in a couple of hundred yards....if not a few feet.

This person has done major upgrades since this experience, so this isn't being critical, just critiquing. We had one trip where someone with a welded D30 with 35's broke 3 front axles, one time taking out the knuckle, one track bar, and two drag links. The 3 front axles where broken by halfway through the trail, so it was finished in 2wd with me towing him.

Save your pennies and get a locker.

No pissing contest here with who can follow who. I'm not going to lock my 30, I'm going to swap a 44 in the near future. I would consider myself lucky that I haven't broken my 30 yet. But everyone speaks about a 30 like it's some sort of doomsday device. There are people that can break D44s and I've seen broken 60 parts online. Anything can be broken and one's driving style makes a difference.

Eric@OA said:

No pissing contest here with who can follow who. I'm not going to lock my 30, I'm going to swap a 44 in the near future. I would consider myself lucky that I haven't broken my 30 yet. But everyone speaks about a 30 like it's some sort of doomsday device. There are people that can break D44s and I've seen broken 60 parts online. Anything can be broken and one's driving style makes a difference.

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You're right, everything can be broken and driving style makes a difference. A D30 is surprisingly durable, and can really last if it's built right, no shame in running one. It gets real questionable above 35" tires.

I agree he's right... a 30 isn't a doomsday device. It IS a light-duty axle that can offer up it's user some good fun and can be a value (?) to buy or build. (Ive built one and I've bought one, the self-built one cost a bit more) I wouldn't recommend one to someone who doesn't consider it disposable though.