Say hello to the newset member of the family, Tessa. She is a ridiculously cute black and white Border Collie that is currently 8 weeks old, full of energy and all ours!
Click on the photo to see more pics of her. 
As stupid as this might sound, it never crossed my mind that I should be mindful of how much gear oil I should put in my front differential after installing my new RockCrusher Dana 30 cover. I mean, I was very much aware that the fill hole on this differential cover was considerably higher than stock, but I guess I just figured what harm could it do to add more gear oil?
Well, although more gear oil in the differential may not hurt anything on your Jeep, let me just say, it sure as hell can make a big mess. As you can see in this photo, what I failed realize was that the new and higher fill hole on the RockCrusher differential cover sits at about the same height as the vent tube. And, for the most part, I suppose this would be no big deal if all you ever did was drive on flat ground, but once you get going up an extended highway incline like the I-15’s Cajon Pass, you will quickly find out why this is a bad idea.
The first thing to clue me in that something wasn’t quite right was the stink of burning gear oil I started to smell. At first, I thought it was coming from a truck in front of me but after I passed him and the stick still stuck around, I knew it was time to pull over and give my Jeep a look. From what I can tell, the ring gear inside the diff did a fantastic job of pumping the gear oil up and out the vent tube and in significant quantities too. Pouring down from the top of the breather cap, the engine fan and/or wind speed sprayed the gear oil all over my engine leaving behind a big stinking mess.
Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is, if you buy yourself a RockCrusher differential cover, please do yourself a favor and learn from my mistake…. make sure not fill up your differential up to the fill hole.
Back in April of this year, I had ordered a RockCrusher differential cover for both my Dana 44 rear and Dana 30 front axles as part of a special Northridge4×4 was running at the time. While I received my Dana 44 cover within a few days of placing my order, I was informed that RockCrusher was running a little behind on the production on the Dana 30 covers and that it would be a while before I got it. What I didn’t realize was how long “a while” would actually be. Need I say, I had long since forgot that I had even placed an order for it when a few days ago, UPS surprised me by dropping it off on my doorstep.
So, was it worth the wait? You bet! Just like the Dana 44 model I’ve had on my TJ for some time now, the Dana 30 cover is just as beefy and looks just as good. Included with my RockCrusher differential cover was set of new mounting bolts, fill plug, tube of RTV gasket maker, warranty card and a cool bumper sticker. I should point out that all RockCrusher differential covers come as bare metal and the outside should be painted to the color of your choice before installing it on your Jeep. The differential cover will do a great job of protecting your differential from big nasty rocks but there’s nothing like a few coats of Rustolium that’ll do a better job of protect it from rust.
One of the perks of installing a RockCrusher differential cover on my Dana 30 that I wasn’t expecting was the fact that it’s done an amazing job of quieting down my Aussie Locker. Not that my Aussie Locker was ever noisy but the soft clicking I used to hear (only with the top off or with the windows down) when making turns is completely inaudible to me now. My best guess is that the super thick cover in conjunction to the greater amount of gear oil you can put into the differential has dampened the clicking to the point where you can no longer hear it from the cab of the Jeep. Anyway, I thought that bit of information was worth noting for those who might be interested.
All in all, I am extremely happy with my RockCrusher differential covers and I would highly recommend them to anyone interested in providing real protection for your differentials. And, for what ever it’s worth, it is my understanding that there’s no longer any lead time on the Dana 30 covers and you should be able to get yours in no time at all. Lucky you.
To see my complete installation write-up, click on the link below:
RockCrusher Dana 30 Differential Cover Write-Up
Well, it’s been about a year to the day since I bought my 33×12.50 TrXus M/T’s and seeing as how I get so many people asking me all the time about how I like them, I thought now would be a good a time as any to do an update on them. So, here’s the low down…
Over the past year, I have managed to rack up close to 20,000 miles on these tires and by the looks of the tread, I suspect that I may be able to get another 15,000 miles out of them. For the record, I run my TrXus M/T’s at 24 PSI and I make it a habbit to rotate my tires every 3,000 miles (rears to front and fronts criss-crossed to the back). I believe that doing this has allow these tires to wear very evenly and remain surprisingly quite on the highway.
As far as how TrXus M/T’s handle on the road goes, their siped lugs and soft rubber compound provide very exceptional traction for a mudder on wet and slippery roads. On the rocks, their super thick side walls offer superior resistance to tears or punctures and the tread design does a fantastic job of cleaning itself even in the thickest and stickiest mud.
In my opinion, the only areas where the TrXus M/T’s fall short is in their rapid tread wear and in their difficulty to be balanced properly. If I manage to get 35,000 miles of these tires, I will be more than happy about it but it certianly won’t be anywhere close to the 60,000 miles I’ve been used to getting with BFG M/T KM’s. However, the balancing issue can be a real PITA to deal with especially if you have steel wheels like me. I’m just glad that I bought a road hazard warranty that included lifetime balancing… well, that is so long as I can get these stupid tire jockys from over tightening my lug nuts anyway.
Over all, I can honestly say that I am very pleased with the TrXus M/T’s and at about $135 a piece (price I paid last year), I think they’re a real bang for the buck too. However, if your Jeep is a daily driver that sees a lot more highway miles than trail time, I’d probably recommend you get BFG M/T’s instead. I have run them on both my Jeeps for years and can tell you first hand that they’re a great tire too.