Question about 2wd front axles

Saw a pic of a 2wd '90 XJ on Craigslist out here that had me puzzled.....

It's got a set of rockcrawler wheels that leave the center hub exposed.

Now, all of the 2wd front axles I've come across have all still used the unit bearing with a stub shaft keeping things together.

The pic of this particular XJ clearly shows a traditional bearing cap - suggesting that the front knuckle has a spindle and traditional cup/roller wheel bearings......

Ever heard of such an animal? :dunno:

early years had a spindle style 2wd from beam. Its not as strong as the unit bearing style.

I've got one sitting in my back yard (my 87 2wd xj). If you want any details on it, I can go dig them up.

My 91 2WD MJ has spindle style bearings.

Weird. I have a 2wd axle from under an '89 and it's the stub shaft/unit bearing design..... :dunno: