Actually no, preheating will not have the same effect. Preheating will only allow the axle to bend more easily and evenly as it is welded. So if you are trying to achieve the banana look for an axle, preheating the tubes should help you accomplish this like a pro. However, placing an axle into a fixture, applying an ever so slight hydraulically positive bend into it before welding, will account for the natural drawing/shrinking of the tubes toward the truss they are being electrically glued to (see above 'banana' shaped axle for an example of axle tubes drawing toward the truss). The fixture and preload allows the housing and tubes to remain straight and true, but Wayoflife already pointed this out, so I guess I am piling on now :idontknow:
Well, this answer is kind of complicated, but here goes: In short, 'RACE TEAMS' tend to just go f'ing bat shit crazy when the green flag drops, emotions (and some other scientific medical shit) are involved and the instinct to win overrides the strength of most metals. So what is a 'RACE TEAM' to do in the epic constant battle of overall vehicle weight versus overall parts strength versus overall cost? 1) the team could build everything possible on the race car out of Inconel (see space shuttle, rocket surgery), but it would weigh 17 metric shit tonnes (I'm not british, but I don't know what type of weight standards Canadians use) and it would cost more than the USA's national debt to build. 2) you could be sensible and buy the best components your 'RACE TEAM' can afford, then you use things like a truss, which is going to add structure and rigidness to an already beefy race spec part, with little added weight (especially if you use a dimple die cutter to place high tech looking holes in the metal, which actually make the truss stronger too, all while saving weight)
For the average off roader, trusses are not so much a waste of money in my eyes, as they are little reward for the effort that it takes to install them on an already inferior component like stock axles......so I guess after reading this sentence a few times, I am really just saying they are a waste of money :thinking: If you are going to get all the labor of installing sleeves and trusses for free, than maybe it could be a temporary fix and a bargain at that. But in the end, did you make it stronger? Sure, but you have still not built a holistically strong axle, just fixed only one flaw (or two at best) in an inferior design of a stock part. Key word being- inferior...and design...and stock....and part. Keep this on the down low and all, but I happen to know a guy who owns a shop, he can install his mfg company's axle sleeves, C gussets and anyones truss you want, and make a boooaaattt load of cash on labor, or he can install any mfg.'s aftermarket axle for a lot less in labor on his part. Guess which solution he recommends; THE AXLES, every time! In fact he only recommends C gussets as an upgrade for strength on stock axles, as all the other stuff is a waste of money. Then again, the guy is one of the most honest and ethically sound business guys I have every met.
We can only hope that this thread answers the original poster's question and he can make an informed decision, and maybe learn from hundreds of guys who choose one direction, only to find that cheaper fix initially, was in the long run much more expensive. And in closing, please never, ever, EVER mention a CRJ and a Pro Rock 44 in the same thread again as though they are equals, as this is quite literally a slap in the face of anyone who is running a CRJ. Could you imagine if you owned a CRJ and someone continually made comments about how their PR44 was proudly assembled in the USA, made with metals only sourced from steel mills in the USA, offered more ground clearance than a stock Dana 44, was bolt-in compatible with a JK's electronics, was available with the correct amount of castor built in to it for most lift sizes, available with stock or after market wheel bolt patterns, dynaloc and stub hub kit, I could go on but it is just upsetting to CRJ owners. Just imagine how the CRJ owner would feel knowing all of that about the PR44? Doesn't feel too good does it......
Thank you for your time
GCM 2, Esquire
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