Artec truss and gussets

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
HD axle shafts are definitely on my list of to do projects. Had asked earlier, is the stock rubicon air locker sufficient for now or should I think about ARB lockers? Running 35s right now, plan on upping it to 37's with beadlocks at some point but that should be as far as that goes...

Running 35's, I would say that your factory locker will do just fine. It's when you get into 37's that you'll really start to see it's short comings. The internal components will start to crack and swell under the load and that will prevent it from working properly. Still, I would wait until you actually need to replace it.

Plus there's not a lot of desert out here on the east coast. Mostly trail riding, some mud and snow but honestly nothing very hard core

Even the most hard core rock gardens won't bend an axle housing the way bombing through the desert will. I ran my two of my JK's with just gussets and without any sleeves and only really started to see bending of the axle after I got coil overs. I know that Moochie ran his JK for years with sleeves for years but only started bending his axle after installing coil overs. It's just so hard not to drive a lot faster with them on and we have a lot of wide open desert to put them to the test on.
 

Armydog

New member
Got it. I don't plan on doing a lot of wide open bashing through the woods. Coil Overs look real cool, but I don't think I would ever need them, but they do look cool!!! I appreciate the information. I want everything, but have to stick to the most important stuff first, budget constraints just like everyone else.

Gonna beef up the stock 44's. Researching gear ratio options and the like. HD shafts like I said and then I'll run it till it breaks. Save the serious money until I'm ready to upgrade to pro rock 60's. Half the fun us dreaming about what I might do to the truck. Again, thank you
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Gonna beef up the stock 44's. Researching gear ratio options and the like. HD shafts like I said and then I'll run it till it breaks. Save the serious money until I'm ready to upgrade to pro rock 60's. Half the fun us dreaming about what I might do to the truck. Again, thank you

Ain't that the truth, dreaming is FREE and a lot of fun :D
 

mrmet1983

New member
Ain't that the truth, dreaming is FREE and a lot of fun :D

hey eddie does this also go for the rear dana44 ? i have a pro rock 44 front and rubi d44 in the rear and just curious if an axle truss for the rear is as risky as doing one in the front on a d30 or will it be ok since the d44 is bigger ? trying to beef up the rear a little before i upgrade
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
hey eddie does this also go for the rear dana44 ? i have a pro rock 44 front and rubi d44 in the rear and just curious if an axle truss for the rear is as risky as doing one in the front on a d30 or will it be ok since the d44 is bigger ? trying to beef up the rear a little before i upgrade

Unlike the front 44 which is really a "44" in name only as the only thing that makes it one is the differential and axle shafts - the tubes, end forgings and everything else is a D30, the rear 44 is a true 44 with bigger tubes. For a vast majority of people, it'll hold up just fine and will not need to be trussed or reinforced. I would even argue that the factory shafts are plenty strong and, while they can bend a flange or even break under hard use, I haven't seen it to be any different than hat you'd see with chromoly shafts. While I have personally bent my rear 44 and have seen several others bend as well, ALL have been on rigs with coil overs, MOST with DTD's and all were on JK's that go bombing through the desert with me.
 

mrmet1983

New member
Unlike the front 44 which is really a "44" in name only as the only thing that makes it one is the differential and axle shafts - the tubes, end forgings and everything else is a D30, the rear 44 is a true 44 with bigger tubes. For a vast majority of people, it'll hold up just fine and will not need to be trussed or reinforced. I would even argue that the factory shafts are plenty strong and, while they can bend a flange or even break under hard use, I haven't seen it to be any different than hat you'd see with chromoly shafts. While I have personally bent my rear 44 and have seen several others bend as well, ALL have been on rigs with coil overs, MOST with DTD's and all were on JK's that go bombing through the desert with me.

Thanks Eddie I actually have 35 spline rear shafts and an ARB locker in my garage waiting to go in so I think I will be fine for now since I don't do any racing just rock crawling. If it bends then I guess it's pr60 time


I don't always wheel , but when I do I keep it tight......... Stay dirty my friends.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Eddie I actually have 35 spline rear shafts and an ARB locker in my garage waiting to go in so I think I will be fine for now since I don't do any racing just rock crawling. If it bends then I guess it's pr60 time

That's the way I've done it and more than once. Played with my first rear Rubicon 44 until it broke, bought a used Sahara 44 and built it up with ARB and 35 spline shafts and played with it until it broke and then finally upgraded to a semi-float PR60 - played with it till it broke a shaft and then upgraded it to a full-float. No more problems :D
 

piginajeep

The Original Smartass
That's the way I've done it and more than once. Played with my first rear Rubicon 44 until it broke, bought a used Sahara 44 and built it up with ARB and 35 spline shafts and played with it until it broke and then finally upgraded to a semi-float PR60 - played with it till it broke a shaft and then upgraded it to a full-float. No more problems :D

I'll learn from this and just go right to the trail 60 from Dynatrac. I'd rather not put effort or money into stock axles
 

mrmet1983

New member
That's the way I've done it and more than once. Played with my first rear Rubicon 44 until it broke, bought a used Sahara 44 and built it up with ARB and 35 spline shafts and played with it until it broke and then finally upgraded to a semi-float PR60 - played with it till it broke a shaft and then upgraded it to a full-float. No more problems :D

Well I guess I'll know how hard I really do wheel when goes as of now just locker and shafts so not that much into it. How long did your Sahara rear last you? I'll start the pr60 fund now hopefully it will last me a year.


I don't always wheel , but when I do I keep it tight......... Stay dirty my friends.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Well I guess I'll know how hard I really do wheel when goes as of now just locker and shafts so not that much into it. How long did your Sahara rear last you? I'll start the pr60 fund now hopefully it will last me a year.

About 2 months - 10 hard trips. In all fairness, I was trying to run 5.38's with 40's and had a good idea that it wasn't going to work - it didn't.
 

mrmet1983

New member
About 2 months - 10 hard trips. In all fairness, I was trying to run 5.38's with 40's and had a good idea that it wasn't going to work - it didn't.

Oh ok I'm running 513s think I can get a year out of it I wheel 2-3 times a month but only hard wheel it maybe once every month or two


I don't always wheel , but when I do I keep it tight......... Stay dirty my friends.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I'll learn from this and just go right to the trail 60 from Dynatrac. I'd rather not put effort or money into stock axles

Hindsight is always 20/20 and all that I ever recommend is done in an effort to help others from making the same mistakes that I have.
 

Armydog

New member
Eddie, I appreciate the advice. Your hindsight will keep me from chasing the wrong rabbit! Running 37s (planned next set of sneakers) on my 05 Rubicon 4.0 (6 banger) with a manual tranny. Some light trails, sand, mud, but mostly summer day trips to the beach for an Italian ice(I guess that makes me a poser!) - what would your axle and gear recommendations be?
 

mrmet1983

New member
Hindsight is always 20/20 and all that I ever recommend is done in an effort to help others from making the same mistakes that I have.

You've def never steered me wrong and I have no problem being humble and asking for advice from those who've done it already , always appreciate your two cents Eddie!!


I don't always wheel , but when I do I keep it tight......... Stay dirty my friends.
 

j3ph3ry_j33p

New member
Hindsight is always 20/20 and all that I ever recommend is done in an effort to help others from making the same mistakes that I have.

I completely concur; t is aknowledged that you are one of the most helpful guys to buikd a Jeep. I respect your opinions and know you have the experience of years of JK modification + forum management and great write-ups. You are a force in the Jeep community. With that all being said, would it not have been a little prudent to include this later statement about coil-overs in your very first reply that triggered this p1ss1ng contest/wasted thread space and tangent wandering? It seems awfully pertinent to your initial comment towards the OP....mere observation and wonered at it arriving way further down the post......

"...in all fairness, I've only been seeing the bending occur on Jeeps with coil overs..."

versus

"Good luck. I personally wouldn't have wasted my money on a truss especially being that I have seen more axle BENT because of them than not...."

thanks and again, only an objective look at this at 6am !

Jeep on, gang......
 

Sharkey

Word Ninja
I completely concur; t is aknowledged that you are one of the most helpful guys to buikd a Jeep. I respect your opinions and know you have the experience of years of JK modification + forum management and great write-ups. You are a force in the Jeep community. With that all being said, would it not have been a little prudent to include this later statement about coil-overs in your very first reply that triggered this p1ss1ng contest/wasted thread space and tangent wandering? It seems awfully pertinent to your initial comment towards the OP....mere observation and wonered at it arriving way further down the post......

"...in all fairness, I've only been seeing the bending occur on Jeeps with coil overs..."

versus

"Good luck. I personally wouldn't have wasted my money on a truss especially being that I have seen more axle BENT because of them than not...."

thanks and again, only an objective look at this at 6am !

Jeep on, gang......

You need to learn to read. The two comments are unrelated. You don't need coilovers to bend a d44, much less bend one trying to install trusses. Eddie's point is that the act of trying to install trusses will often bend the axle.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
I completely concur; t is aknowledged that you are one of the most helpful guys to buikd a Jeep. I respect your opinions and know you have the experience of years of JK modification + forum management and great write-ups. You are a force in the Jeep community. With that all being said, would it not have been a little prudent to include this later statement about coil-overs in your very first reply that triggered this p1ss1ng contest/wasted thread space and tangent wandering? It seems awfully pertinent to your initial comment towards the OP....mere observation and wonered at it arriving way further down the post......

"...in all fairness, I've only been seeing the bending occur on Jeeps with coil overs..."

versus

"Good luck. I personally wouldn't have wasted my money on a truss especially being that I have seen more axle BENT because of them than not...."

thanks and again, only an objective look at this at 6am !

Jeep on, gang......

You went digging in a thread that is more then 6 months old to comment that? Very useful information. :crazyeyes:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I completely concur; t is aknowledged that you are one of the most helpful guys to buikd a Jeep. I respect your opinions and know you have the experience of years of JK modification + forum management and great write-ups. You are a force in the Jeep community. With that all being said, would it not have been a little prudent to include this later statement about coil-overs in your very first reply that triggered this p1ss1ng contest/wasted thread space and tangent wandering? It seems awfully pertinent to your initial comment towards the OP....mere observation and wonered at it arriving way further down the post......

"...in all fairness, I've only been seeing the bending occur on Jeeps with coil overs..."

versus

"Good luck. I personally wouldn't have wasted my money on a truss especially being that I have seen more axle BENT because of them than not...."

thanks and again, only an objective look at this at 6am !

Jeep on, gang......

:yawn37: With that all being said, would it not have been a little prudent to ACTUALLY READ THIS 6 MONTH OLD THREAD that had died and you dug up and just self-righteously troll me? Seems it would have been awfully pertinent before choosing to comment to me. Just a mere observation and an objective look at this at 6am ! :rolleyes2:

You need to learn to read. The two comments are unrelated. You don't need coilovers to bend a d44, much less bend one trying to install trusses. Eddie's point is that the act of trying to install trusses will often bend the axle.

You really think this troll dug up this old and crusty thread to actually read it and maybe try to understand anything I've said? :cheesy:

You went digging in a thread that is more then 6 months old to comment that? Very useful information. :crazyeyes:

What do you mean? He was just trying to give it an "objective look" and make a "mere observation" about my "very first reply that triggered this p1ss1ng contest/wasted thread space and tangent wandering" :crazyeyes:
 
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