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welding front and rear axles need opinions

BUCKYXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tulsa, OK
Welding the rear end and front give me some reasons not to. I know I will go through rear tires more but any other effects? This XJ is a Trail Rig that happens to take me to work everyday.
DIG IT!
 
You'll have a hard time turning unless you have a disconnect D30, but then you have the extra stress on the 260 U-joints when you are wheeling and have the axle engaged. Start with the rear and see what that gets you.
 
I wouldn't recommend welding the front. I know several people who have and most regret it. It just takes too much away from the steering. You'll tend to plow turns offroad and lose a lot of maneuverability.
Weld the rear first and see if you really need the front welded too. You can always go back and do the front later if you find you need it. Or just spring for lunchbox locker for the front.

For welding the rear I would recommend pulling the carrier to do it.
You can weld it in place but there is a lot higher risk of getting splatter inside the diff.

I usually only weld gears to gears and not to the case itself.
Weld in 8 places - spider to side, both sides, top and bottom.
I know several people weld to the case and it can be done but it's not an ideal weld.
 
I do have the Disco D30 and I carry spare shafts (Alloy with 297 joints). The way I understand it I will be able to tell no difference in the front axle on the street. I also have a cable to disco the axle so I can take it out for tight turns on the trails.
Thanks for the info and keep it comming.
 
Buddy of mine welded hisa front and rear in his Scout2, not all that bad on the road, but he also has locking hubs, sure is cheap though!
 
Sounds like you have it figured out for the trails... what about on-road 4wd use in snow & such? I've never been to OK, do you get weather there?
 
maybe a week or two of snow a year but it turns to ice in a night and nothing is good on ice. I figure all welded up I can drive out of the ditch easier.
Seriousely I use extreme caution in ice/snow/rain. I know I don't have a snow mobile and can't go 60 in the snow just because I have 4wd. like some other suv owners think.
 
There are many problems with welding, and they've been discussed countless times. The one that had one of my friends very vexed was that his front driveshaft began to spin on the road. He had a disco axle and really dug the fact that he had no front shaft vibes, unlike the non-disco guys.

Then he welded, and the shaft started buzzing.

Something to think about if you need to endure any highway time in your commute.

CRASH
 
I thought about that. I was not sure if the front DS was designed for high speeds. so I ran connected axle in the front for about three months now and no difference whatsoever.
Any other reasons?
Thanks
 
Anyone have any pics of a welded rear for visual reference???
 
my friend has a lockright in his D30 except it never unlocks, so it's the same as welded. It works very well for him, he just has the vaccum lines run inside the cab so he can disconnect it for tight turns and such.

go for it! what's the worst that could happen? you trash a D30, big whoopdy-do, I gave away one just a couple weeks ago.
 
Personnally I wouldn't weld the front. I had mine welded for a while...about 2 weeks before I couldn't handle it any longer. When the front is engaged your turning goes to nothing and you have to fight it to get that. I ended ripping my steering box clean off the frame running it welded and it also puts alot of additional stress on the trac-bar mount (broke one of those off as well). Ended up going with a selectable locker up front and love it. and it only gets used when absolutly necessary.
 
Well, the good thing about you welding the diffs is that you live too far away and I won't be running any trails with you. ;) :D

I know it's cheap, but so are lunchbox lockers. I've seen so many problems with welded diffs on stock axles that I recommend staying away from them. It will be a problem on the front in a number of ways, and you won't always be able to disconnect the front with your cable because it will have too much bind on the axle sometimes, especially in tight spots when you want to turn. Any automatic locker makes it harder to turn, but they do allow for some differentiation, meaning one tire can spin ahead of the other in a turn relieving some of the pressure.

You didn't say what rear end you're running. If it's a D35, that is nothing more than an accident waiting to happen, I've seen it many times. Besides, I still don't get what anyone gains by welding the rear end on a rig that will see street duty. Over a not very long time, the excess wear on the tires will amount to more expense than the cost of an inexpensive lunchbox locker, so saving money by welding the diff is not a reality.

Unlike a spool, an automatic locker does not increase tire wear because it allows for full differentiation in the turns, hooking up to only one axle at a time in a turn. This is what gives the auto locker it's handling characteristics.....powering only one axle in a corner. No quircks with a spool because instead of feeling it in the seat of your pants, the tire is just scuffing on the pavement.

Oh well, to each his own, but let me know what trails you'll be running, so I can............... ;)
 
I have had great success with welded in the rear, but the front is pretty difficult. Mine is disco, so it is OK on the road, but it takes a 40 acre field to turn around in 4lo, plus the fluid gets so hot it boils over and gets all over the engine compartment even with a rather large tranny cooler installed on it. Also my steering makes all kinds of unhappy noises. I plan to get a cable disco setup if I decide to keep it welded. I wouldn't ever recommend welded in the front for non-disco. Just my .02
 
I have never heard anyone happy that they welded the front. I wouldn't recommend it. Control is a real problem and stress on the front is pretty tough. Weld the rear first and maybe save a few bucks and go ARB up front for when you need the extra.

JMHO,
Curt
 
I forgot to say that I am doing a gear swap in the next few months just whenever I get around to it I already have all the gears and install kits and found a friend to install them for $100 each axle. I am going from 3.55 to 4.56 gears so I will need new carriers so trashing the 3.55 carriers is no big deal. So with that said I am going to weld the 3.55's in the rear probably this weekend. And see how I like them and then in a couple of weeks weld the front 3.55's. Then if something goes wrong or breaks or I just don't like it. I can just do the 4.56 gear swap and be done. But I will keep you guys updated on the outcome.
DIG IT!
 
I ran welded up front for one year.

Disco Dana 30 with 33" BFG MT's and 260 joints. I converted my acuator to manual operation and only flicked the switch if I really needed it...i.e. I wheeled in 3 wheel drive 95% of the time so my turning radius was virtually unaffected. I did know my driveshaft would spin all the time and I was prepared for the slight vibe caused by a trail beaten driveshaft. During that year I blew 2 u-joints and shafts.....260's can't handle 33's with a welded front and I doubt 32's either. I swapped the entire axle out because my pinion bearing was going bad....possibly due to driveshaft vibes?? and I was upgrading to 33" TSL's and I knew there was no way in hell the 260's would handle the heavier meats.

Some things I found..

1. If you want to weld the front only do it on a disco axle.
2. Make sure the disco of that axle can be actuated manually so you can switch it on and off.
3. 260 joints will HATE you.
4. If you are locked in the rear, welded in the front and in 4wd that front driver side tire will be connected to one of the rear tires AT ALL TIMES. This can cause some funny binding in high traction situations.
5. If you drive in snow don't do this...if you do not have the front axle disco connected the driver side tire will be connected to the drivetrain either pulling or pushing the vehicle when you accelerate or decelerate. If you have the axle disco connected you'll get ton of understeer in corners.
6. If you weld it the only way to remove the weld is by a torch (probably won't work well) or by installing a new carrier or axle.
A lunchbox locker for the front is easy to remove and install without even removing the carrier.


Keep in mind not all these problems relate to welding....most occur with any lunchbox locker...i.e. 3, 4, and even 5 to an extent depending on the conditions. Notice the majority of the issues have to do with street driving...i.e. vibes, winter driving, etc.

If this is vehicle that see's mostly trail and you have good shafts go for it....just remember to make that disco manually actuated somehow.
 
I was starter in a Mud pit for years. Watched a thousand drivetrains load and unload.
Spool or locked rear end, once it gets going a little sideways, recovery is unlikely. Loose dirt, snow, mud, fresh rain/oiled street, pretty much the same stuff. Inertia will bite you in the rear. Backing off of the gas, doesn´t help nearly as much, with a spool rear end, works like applying your parking brake on an icy road, your gonna swap ends (sooner or later).
Locked or spooled front, breakage of whatnot, at about a factor of 4X, having a front tire spinning, to help unload the torque, really helps save the drivetrain.
If you build up a decent amount of torque and have no way to relieve it (a spinnig tire), something is gonna give.
 
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