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Locking hubs?

B

Blkae McKinlay

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Colorado
I have a 2001 XJ. I am thinking of installing an aussie in my front Dana 30 to fix some broken spider gears.
I am pretty sure i have automatic locking hubs but not positive. how can I double check.
If I do, is it a bad idea to put an aussie up front since I might need to use my 4wd on the highway throughout the winter.
What can I do (cheap) so I can put an aussie up front and still not worry when in 4wd on highway? Anything?
Let me know Thanks all and sorry if I repeated any questions
 
There are no locking hubs from the factory for Cherokees. They use unit bearings so your front axle is always engaged (and with your 2001 there is no vacuum disconnect axle). This is not a bad thing but with an automatic locker you may notice it some when you're in four wheel drive especially in slippery situations.

One tip is to be anal about tire pressure, always maintain even pressure on both sides, if one tire is lower than the other that could magnify the effects of the locker.
 
There are no "locking hubs" on any XJ D30. You 4wd is controlled solely by your transfer case as the 'hubs' are unit bearings.

Few tips:
-If you need 4wd you shouldn't be traveling at freeway speeds.
-An aussie will make the front end alittle more unpredictable when in 4wd in the rain/snow/sleet.
-Upgrading to "locking hubs" on a D30 (there are a few kits) isn't worth the money.
 
RCman said:
-Upgrading to "locking hubs" on a D30 (there are a few kits) isn't worth the money.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
speak up with experiance. my jeep went through about 5 unitbearings, including both sides. of course oversize tires do NOT help. but with the warn conversion, all i do is re grease pack them every other oil change. AND when you need new bearings, you can go to napa and pay about 20$ a bearing, so thats 40 a side, not 140 for a complete unit. plus you save driveline wear, gas mileage, and 2wd is very smooth with the detroit up front.(obviously), and you can give your self factory castor with more lift, and not having to worry about pinion angle as much, as its only spinning at low 4wd speeds
 
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RyanM said:
:rolleyes:
speak up with experiance. my jeep went through about 5 unitbearings, including both sides. of course oversize tires do NOT help. but with the warn conversion, all i do is re grease pack them every other oil change. AND when you need new bearings, you can go to napa and pay about 20$ a bearing, so thats 40 a side, not 140 for a complete unit. plus you save driveline wear, gas mileage, and 2wd is very smooth with the detroit up front.(obviously), and you can give your self factory castor with more lift, and not having to worry about pinion angle as much, as its only spinning at low 4wd speeds
Click to expand...
Well it seems to have worked for you just fine, that was just my opinion (and you're right, I do have no personal experience with locking hubs kits on a D30). However, personally I just can't justify spending the $950-1000 (Warn kit price, correct?) on the kit for a D30.

Now don't get me wrong... there are worthwhile upgrades that can be done to the D30 to improve it. I myself just can't see spending money on it...

Ultimately it's his choice, if he's got the $$$ and the want to keep the D30, all the power to him and to you. If my rig didn't become a strictly off-road 'toy' then I'd have probably kept me D30 and added a few things to it (just would have kept the unit bearings).

Edit: My intent in my posts above was just to post my opinion... no war is needed on the benifits/disadvantages of upgrading a D30.
 
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I'd bet a lot of people are riding around on worn weak stock unitbearings and don't even know it. Ever seen a front wheel seperate from a front end? The only thing that will hold it on is the rotor/caliper and that won't be long.
 
RyanM said:
I'd bet a lot of people are riding around on worn weak stock unitbearings and don't even know it. Ever seen a front wheel seperate from a front end? The only thing that will hold it on is the rotor/caliper and that won't be long.
Click to expand...
Not in a four wheel drive Cherokee. The 36mm axle nut is ALL that holds your unit bearings together, that is why you must tighten that nut down to some 150 ft-lbs torque. Whether the bearing is new or old driving without at least a stub shaft bolted in your bearing will separate.

I'm a fan of unit bearings. The serviceability of true hubs is a plus on them but the low weight and total non complexity of unit bearings make them much more appealing to me. If I built another 30 for my rig I'd be going to 30 spline inners and outers (unit bearings and stub shafts), the budget just wasn't there when I built mine.

Sequoia

PS - You can rebuild unit bearings if you have a good strong press. Inside they're just filled up with Timkin bearings. I'd only suggest doing this to people who are very skilled though. I keep all my old unit bearings for trail spares and also so I can rebuild them once I get myself a good press.
 
GSequoia said:
Not in a four wheel drive Cherokee. The 36mm axle nut is ALL that holds your unit bearings together, that is why you must tighten that nut down to some 150 ft-lbs torque. Whether the bearing is new or old driving without at least a stub shaft bolted in your bearing will separate.
Click to expand...
I had a unit bearing completely go out on my when i was 15 stock 88. The brakes held it(wheel) there long enough for me to get to a safe spot to swap it
 
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Having taken a couple of unit bearings apart now..


There is *no way* for a unit bearing to come apart if the stub axle, retainer washer and nut are all installed correctly.

That said

yes, hubs are the way to go. :) Shop around, the warn kit goes new for about $750 for the 30 spline 5x5.5 kit, you can get it for a *lot* less if you watch the forums. I got mine for pennies on the dollar, with spare stub axles and spindles.
 
cal said:
Having taken a couple of unit bearings apart now..


There is *no way* for a unit bearing to come apart if the stub axle, retainer washer and nut are all installed correctly.
Click to expand...
wish i had a picture for the dana30 gods to see and as well for my memory The bearing ate it's self apart, the races were completely damaged, all the internals were metal on metal. Yes it was my fault for letting it get that bad, but i was just starting to get into the whole jeep thing

not trying to have a piss war either, bottom line, my warn hubs are A LOT better IMO, for all the reasons listed, and a re grease of the bearings is a 10 min job.
 
RyanM said:
wish i had a picture for the dana30 gods to see. The bearing ate it's self apart, the races were completely damaged, all the internals were metal on metal. Yes it was my fault for letting it get that bad, but i was just starting to get into the whole jeep thing
Click to expand...


I didn't say there is no way for it to fail, just not for it to come apart..
 
RyanM said:
not trying to have a piss war either, bottom line, my warn hubs are A LOT better IMO, for all the reasons listed, and a re grease of the bearings is a 10 min job.
Click to expand...

I totally agree there, and thats why I have the warn hub kit sitting in my garage. It would be on the jeep, but other things have to happen first (I'm waiting on a set of 5x5.5 beadlocks to get free'd up, and doing a rear disc conversion at the same time i convert it to 5x5.5).

Currently I'm running 30 spline unit bearings (alloy usa setup) and while I will comfortably FLOG it on 35's, I do carry a spare unit bearing. ;)
 
cal said:
I didn't say there is no way for it to fail, just not for it to come apart..
Click to expand...
im still unclear. so your saying someone with a bad set of unitbearings, with a lot of "12 and 6" play, in my case, 6in. to a foot of play at the top and bottom. can just ride it out, wheels flopping around for months AND the bearing will stay in tact??
 
RyanM said:
im still unclear. so your saying someone with a bad set of unitbearings, with a lot of "12 and 6" play, in my case, 6in. to a foot of play at the top and bottom. can just ride it out, wheels flopping around for months AND the bearing will stay in tact??
Click to expand...

First of all, anyone who drives even out of the driveway with a *foot of play* in their wheel is an idiot, and doesn't get to voice a respected technical opinion.

That said, you would have to break something for it to come apart. The retaining nut, the stub axle, etc.. which is likely if something is that abused and not taken care of.
 
:laugh: thanks for helping me understand ;)
now for your regular scheduled programming
 
Awesome tech, I'm taking notes.
 
just get an ox, elocker, or arb solves the problem right there
 
RyanM said:
im still unclear. so your saying someone with a bad set of unitbearings, with a lot of "12 and 6" play, in my case, 6in. to a foot of play at the top and bottom. can just ride it out, wheels flopping around for months AND the bearing will stay in tact??
Click to expand...
my exwife did it on my 86 while i was away working. drove it like that for the whole two months i was gone. never even mentioned the wobbly nature and the scary steering/braking. My little brother picked me up at the airport, so I didn't find out till the next morning when i went to go the grocery store, with my eldest boy. didn't even get out of the driveway. went back inside and asked how long it had been like that. when she said the week after i left, i set down the rule that my children aren't allowed to ride in a car unless me, my little brother, or her father check it out every week. ten years later(four of them divorced) she still follows this rule.

the only thing holding the wheel in at that point was the ears on the outer axleshaft being to wide to pull through the outer race of the unit bearing. i keep the whole assembly hanging on the wall of the garage to remind me.
 
cumorglas said:
the only thing holding the wheel in at that point was the ears on the outer axleshaft being to wide to pull through the outer race of the unit bearing.
Click to expand...

And that is *EXACTLY* my point. If the axle, washer and nut hold, it can't come apart.
 
feel better?:D I'm not sorry my unit bearing knowledge isn't up to par. I was usually f'n pissed when i was always swapping them.They suck. I'd rather have real hubs and drive flanges if i wanted my frontend always 'engaged'
 
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