A full float ProRock 60 (8 lug) is definitely a very, very strong axle. If you are sticking with the stock power plant it will be more than sufficient, even if you are wheeling in rough terrain with a heavy, loaded rig. My ProRock 60 (5 lug, 8 was not yet produced when I purchased) has held up surprisingly well considering the abuse I have put it through. 4+ years of jumping sand dunes, high speed pre-running through the desert for races, bombing through washes and canyons on the Hammer Trails, it has seen a hard life. Has anyone broken a FF 60? Hell yes, in fact my axle tubes are starting to show their bends from all the abuse. Many have broken ring gears from spinning tires and then sudden lock up in rocks, wheel studs on the older 5 on 5 1/2 bolt patterns eventually twist and break, axle shafts twist over time. Any thing is breakable....even the PR80.
With all that said, if the ProRock 80 had been available I would have purchased that instead since it would have allowed me even more peace of mind due to my driving style.....and I don't trailer my rig, I drive it to the event and proudly drive it home. This has always been part of my ethos behind any of my vehicles and for me the ProRock 80 would assure this could happen even more so than a 60. Is the PR 80 overkill? I think for most people it definitely is, especially if they don't have daily access to the kind of terrain we wheel here out west, don't do it very often, don't run a V8, or do not seek the opportunity to challenge themselves as a driver or their rigs capability by seeking out the really hard lines. Look at how many years the ProRock 60 has held up for most of the guys who have run one. They tend to upgrade to the 80 for that peace of mind, horsepower upgrades, or their ability as a driver has grown allowing them to access the hardest terrain out there, or all of the above.
I think if you are seriously asking the question of 60 vs 80, you probably don't need a PR80. Look at Wayoflife and his rig Moby, after the V8 upgrade I think he new it was time for the 80. If having a PR80 is something you want because no one else around you has one and you want to set yourself apart from the herd, well spend that coin and have the best of the best
