The time has come to replace the front axle on my 2 door sport. I have 35's that are getting worn down and would like to go with 37's. I do wheel, although its not as hard as some people, I bought the jeep for the purpose of wheeling, camping, trapping, hunting etc.
I plan to regear to 4.88 to accommodate for the weight of the armor on the jeep and bigger/heavier tires.
Heres the pros/cons as I see it
D30
Pros - scrap price
Cons - weak blah blah blah
D44 (Rubi)
Pros - heavier duty shafts and more material on gears
Cons - essentially same housing as D30
- weak C's and thin tubes
- only locker options are 1. Factory 2. OX 3. ARB
- stupidly priced compared to J8 (see below)
D44 J8 housing
Pros - heavier wall tubes vs regular D44
- only $860 for housing
Cons - still weak C's but priced low enough to gusset, sleeve, and truss
- only the 3 locker options
Aftermarket 44 (Dyna, TF, G2)
Pros - stronger than I will need
- availability of different lockers
Cons - $$$$$$
60's
Pros - way stronger than I will need
Cons - too much work and $
Now if someone sees wrong information feel free to help inform me. I do not care to see "just get Dynatrac 60/80 and call it done." I do not want, nor need that heavy duty of an axle, nor do I have the extra coin to pay for it.
I do not want to run an air compressor, air lines, wires etc, required for ARB. For the price, I would just rather go Eaton or Auburn and have a power, ground, and switch. Which mostly takes out the Spicer D44 because of limited options for strong enough lockers to support 37s.
I have made the D30 last almost two years with 35's. Yes I have skipped out on some wheeling trips in fear of breaking it. I have also babied it a lot just to keep from breaking.
After typing this I am seeing that an aftermarket front is the most justifiable option. Now, assembling it myself would be a task, and I have a very qualified jeep builder that has everything to build axles, but is it worth it? I could get the housing and some parts now, or just wait and get one that is assembled and all I need is to regear the rear to match.
If I were to buy a TF, Dyna, G2, where are the best places to look. I'm on the North Eastern part of US so I don't have the options like some West coast guys do.
What would you guys do?
I plan to regear to 4.88 to accommodate for the weight of the armor on the jeep and bigger/heavier tires.
Heres the pros/cons as I see it
D30
Pros - scrap price
Cons - weak blah blah blah
D44 (Rubi)
Pros - heavier duty shafts and more material on gears
Cons - essentially same housing as D30
- weak C's and thin tubes
- only locker options are 1. Factory 2. OX 3. ARB
- stupidly priced compared to J8 (see below)
D44 J8 housing
Pros - heavier wall tubes vs regular D44
- only $860 for housing
Cons - still weak C's but priced low enough to gusset, sleeve, and truss
- only the 3 locker options
Aftermarket 44 (Dyna, TF, G2)
Pros - stronger than I will need
- availability of different lockers
Cons - $$$$$$
60's
Pros - way stronger than I will need
Cons - too much work and $
Now if someone sees wrong information feel free to help inform me. I do not care to see "just get Dynatrac 60/80 and call it done." I do not want, nor need that heavy duty of an axle, nor do I have the extra coin to pay for it.
I do not want to run an air compressor, air lines, wires etc, required for ARB. For the price, I would just rather go Eaton or Auburn and have a power, ground, and switch. Which mostly takes out the Spicer D44 because of limited options for strong enough lockers to support 37s.
I have made the D30 last almost two years with 35's. Yes I have skipped out on some wheeling trips in fear of breaking it. I have also babied it a lot just to keep from breaking.
After typing this I am seeing that an aftermarket front is the most justifiable option. Now, assembling it myself would be a task, and I have a very qualified jeep builder that has everything to build axles, but is it worth it? I could get the housing and some parts now, or just wait and get one that is assembled and all I need is to regear the rear to match.
If I were to buy a TF, Dyna, G2, where are the best places to look. I'm on the North Eastern part of US so I don't have the options like some West coast guys do.
What would you guys do?