How far could you drive in 4wd with the rear shaft out

Shawn at Tom Wood's said:
This is an important point. If you don't have an SYE this discussion is a whole different animal than if you do have an SYE.

As others have said, its fine to remove the rear shaft entirely, maybe remove whatever gears are still going to grind in the rear diff, put the Jeep in 2 high and then drive on the front. It basically turns your Jeep into front wheel drive, which means it could handle a little differently. Take a good look at your front shaft first though, give it a firm shake and make sure there aren't any loose parts, maybe grease things if there are grease fittings. The front shaft in a TJ spins all the time just not under load, which means it is wearing out whether out are in 2wd or 4wd. The stock front shafts in these Jeeps are kind of cheap as they are meant to be a sort of back up shaft, that you use only when you switch over into 4WD. Pulling the rear shaft means the front shaft is now your main shaft and is 100% responsible to get you down the road. If it it is in poor condition putting the full burden of moving your Jeep down the highway on the front shaft could be the thing that pushes it over the edge. Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure that the front shaft is up to the task. If it's a newer aftermarket shaft it's probably fine though.
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It’s stock but I just rebuilt it new u-joints and centering ball
 
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I’ve driven several hundred miles like that, while pulling an old military trailer full of camping gear. No problems. Was awkward having a Detroit locker in the front axle, but nothing crazy.
 
I put a few weeks of miles on my YJ in 4-hi without the rear driveshaft.
But I didn't have any possible diff issues, I was just waiting for my driveshaft and JBC SS SYE

If you know the rear end isn't going to eat it's own shorts & transfer case isn't puking out, then you could drive without a rear driveshaft indefinitely.
 
I know a guy that grenaded a rear drive shaft in Moab. Removed the rear drive shaft and drove it home to Oregon pulling a ~1,500 lb trailer. Biggest advice would be to go easy on the skinny pedal when accelerating. The Dana 30 is not designed to pull 3,500 lbs of Jeep all on its own. Good luck.
 
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