Axle Upgrade And Locker Advice

OX seems like the biggest risk. What if the cable breaks in line someplace? does it have a plan B?
if you are worried about lack of function due to an electrical or mechanical connection ( air line ) than it might be best to go the Detriot or Grizzly route.

Full locker = Good

no locker probably means lots of lightbars ? lol

all joking aside to much snake oil going on about detriots. they work.

not trying to create friction here just an observation .
 
  • Face Palm
Reactions: Vasq
i bought an OX for my front diff (44). the cover is larger but not much more of a profile off the pumpkin and it's 3x as thick.

cable is the basic actuator, it's simple and works , but routing and adjusting can be more tedious from what i read.
from there they also offer an air or an E actuator.
the air unit feeds with a single line from your pump and connects to a fitting on the diff cover. i used a small 90* fitting, up over and along my upper link.
the E unit is what i would consider a risky package on the diff cover..........my small 90 is more than i want in a risk zone, but the E actuator is bigger and i felt it was in a spot it could get sheared right off.


any locker that relies on external power to actuate is vulnerable to that power failing, air or electric, .the drive away lock is a handy tool to have. but the OX air can also be used with a small tank, a paintball tank is more than enough to finish your day if your pump gave out.
 
Last edited:
Why are the 1541 shafts better than the chromoly shafts?
Because they have the additional surface hardening that the type of outer bearings in a Dana 35 require. The Dana 35's outer bearings ride directly on the shaft, there is no outer bearing race.

This shows what happened to a 4340 shaft in Dana 35, you can see where the outer bearings wore down through the surface of the 4340 shaft. This doesn't happen with a 1541H shaft which has the proper type of surface hardening.

Dana 35 bearing worn shaft.png


In other types of axles like a Dana 44, the outer bearings have outer races so the bearings themselves don't ride directly on the axle shaft's surface.
 
Because they have the additional surface hardening that the type of outer bearings in a Dana 35 require. The Dana 35's outer bearings ride directly on the shaft, there is no outer bearing race.

This shows what happened to a 4340 shaft in Dana 35, you can see where the outer bearings wore down through the surface of the 4340 shaft. This doesn't happen with a 1541H shaft which has the proper type of surface hardening.

View attachment 273619

In other types of axles like a Dana 44, the outer bearings have outer races so the bearings themselves don't ride directly on the axle shaft's surface.
Thank you. I finally saw your post on another thread with this. Awesome info, I've asked a ton of questions on here and appreciate all y'alls knowledge and experience. I've about settled on S35 and now looking at the 1541 shafts. I'll just hammer it till it breaks and go from there lol.
 
I'll just hammer it till it breaks and go from there lol.
The problem with that is that type of breakage is catastrophic on the trail and you're not driving it until you get a replacement shaft. There are ways to get a Jeep off the trail, like back to camp for repairs, but you can't drive home with a broken axle shaft. Either buy a left and right rear Dana 35 axle shaft and carry them as spares (they are different lengths) or upgrade the Dana 35 with a Super 35 kit before it breaks.

This is what happened to a friend of mine while we were wheeling a couple years ago. I always thought she had a Dana 44 in the rear or I would have had her drive my Jeep instead of hers on the trail we were on. We weren't able to fix it until the next day, after a 150 mile round trip to get her a replacement shaft.

The first photo shows how you have to hold the wheel in once the shaft breaks, otherwise the wheel will slide out of the axle housing as shown in the last photo. The second shows her the next day after we finished getting her Jeep drivable again. She wasn't smiling much before then.

20180323_143225_resized.jpg.jpg
Marianne640x480.jpg
Dana 35 broken.gif
 
The problem with that is that type of breakage is catastrophic on the trail and you're not driving it until you get a replacement shaft. There are ways to get a Jeep off the trail, like back to camp for repairs, but you can't drive home with a broken axle shaft. Either buy a left and right rear Dana 35 axle shaft and carry them as spares (they are different lengths) or upgrade the Dana 35 with a Super 35 kit before it breaks.

This is what happened to a friend of mine while we were wheeling a couple years ago. I always thought she had a Dana 44 in the rear or I would have had her drive my Jeep instead of hers on the trail we were on. We weren't able to fix it until the next day, after a 150 mile round trip to get her a replacement shaft.

The first photo shows how you have to hold the wheel in once the shaft breaks, otherwise the wheel will slide out of the axle housing as shown in the last photo. The second shows her the next day after we finished getting her Jeep drivable again. She wasn't smiling much before then.

View attachment 273620View attachment 273621View attachment 273622
oh I was referring to the S35 1541 kit when I said hammer on it lol. I'm upgrading one way or the other when I put a locker it!
 
  • Love
Reactions: Jerry Bransford
Because they have the additional surface hardening that the type of outer bearings in a Dana 35 require. The Dana 35's outer bearings ride directly on the shaft, there is no outer bearing race.

This shows what happened to a 4340 shaft in Dana 35, you can see where the outer bearings wore down through the surface of the 4340 shaft. This doesn't happen with a 1541H shaft which has the proper type of surface hardening.

View attachment 273619

In other types of axles like a Dana 44, the outer bearings have outer races so the bearings themselves don't ride directly on the axle shaft's surface.
Is this a consideration for the front Dana 30?
 
if you are worried about lack of function due to an electrical or mechanical connection ( air line ) than it might be best to go the Detriot or Grizzly route.

Full locker = Good

no locker probably means lots of lightbars ? lol

all joking aside to much snake oil going on about detriots. they work.

not trying to create friction here just an observation .
Huh? I'm not worried about air or electrical.
Also don't have anything against Detroit lockers.