Spool or locker

I know a jeep(TJ) that trashed his Detroit with 33s in a D44- 30 splines- axle split inside the locker and egged out the case and that side bearing race. Needless to say it can and will happen with the correct bounce and application of the skinny pedal

 

30 spline 60, or 35?

Either way, Spring unders are much easier on an axle than TJ suspension.

I'm suprised your buddy wasn't running an SOA with 37s on it, kinda hard to fit without cutting a lot of body off.

Axleshafts don't usually break from a one time situation, it usually comes from multiple shocks to the shaft.

 

Hey, if you run a V8 in a CJ you're gonna break something. Too much available (unnecessary) torque. If you want to race, buy a Corvette. Just my .02

 

i would assume it was a 35 spline. this guy has more money then brains i think. yes spring over but with tractionbar. i will admit it probably was use that caused the break. he had the axle for 3 years by that point. but then again should axle shafts be something that is considered an item you replace at a regular interval? not to me.

yes he has too much motor but the thing is i have never heard him romp on it except when at the mud pit at big dogs ( only thing that has made it though that thing is a fullsize truck on 44s bigblock suckin on Nitros.

 

weld them up and forget about it, i have welded rears all day long and have wheeled with guys that weld the fronts and yes they do brake shafts and gears but just as much as the guys that have lunch box lockers and air locks. think about it whats an air locker but a spool thats shuts on and off, if you where in a extreme situation are you going to turn off your locker no, ( or at least i would'nt ) and if you said yes now you put all that force to get you out of that exterme spot on one shaft.

if you do weld the front you have to time the u-joints with each other or turning will be very hard.

i just dont like to see peaple with trail jeeps spend all that money and still drive all day with a air locker that is the same as a spool when turned on, just my 2cents jason.

 

I would love to just let this drop, (and I'm sure most of you wish I would to by now) but that statement needs some correction.

As much as I don't believe in selectable spools, I like welded diffs even less, and I'm running one right now, so I know the difference.

In any type of spool, you are loading the axles all the time, whether you need the traction or not. When you turn, you are making the inner and outer tire turn at the same speed, even though the outer tire is travelling a far greater distance than the inner one. Now in a high traction situation, such as on pavement, or slickrock, something has to give. Hopefully it is your tire, and it slips a little. If it does, that means that you are using your inner tire against your outer tire, making your tires fight each other instead of working to move your rig.

OK LWB, you say, but what about a Detroit or lunch box locker? Don't they do the exact same thing?

No. Because if you don't apply too much throttle, the outer axle will override the inner. Think of it this way- in an automatic, mechanical locker, one tire always will spin the same speed as the ring gear. The other tire can rotate faster, but never slower. That is why I prefer them to spools and selectable spools- they are easier on the axleshafts.

 

BTW- this is the reason Rubicon guys are breaking their front shafts so much, even with stock size tires.

 

Have to agree with LWB on this one. Detroit Lockers and Lock-Rites have a certain amount of slop built into them. This is so when driving down roads and your tires catch ruts, expansion seams, etc., They won't pull you all over the road. There is a certain amount of give in them before they have to unlock. A spool has NO give. I have one in the rear of my race Jeep and it's a bear to even push in a straight line as even tire pressure will affect the bind that takes place from one side to the other. If you feel you need a locker, and want to drive it on the street, and an ARB or Ox locker is out of the budget, then purchase one of the myriad automatic lockers that are available. By the way, I have lock-rites front and rear in the CJ-5 and love them. And yes, it gets driven on the pavement. Once you get used to them, it's no big deal. Nickmil.

 

I recently found some axles for sale. 44 rear with detroit soft locker and a dana 30 front with a lockrite. I was a newbie to axle stuff. But my buddy told me that the rears were full floaters with one piece axles. I was mainly in it for the lower gears but man does it make a difference climbing! ON the street it barks a little when on the gas going around a corner but thats kinda fun at times. (makes the family laugh).
Anyways, go locker and be done with it.

 

smiggley: Your's BARKS ! Mine just CHRIPS! R)