I know there are a lot of debates about the strength of axles out there however if you are never planning on going larger than 35x12.5 then going with a D60 certainly is not needed. So here's the thought going through my head: Is it just as good to build up a D30 with sleeves, shafts, diff cover, and gussets or to buy the new housing and then still have to do some upgrading?

Here are my two possible builds:
Factory D30 (paid for)
Nitro sleeves (install yourself)
Gussets
High strength diff cover (install yourself)
RCV/chromoly shafts
Reid knuckles
Trutrac/selectable diff
4.56/4.88 gears

Or
ProRock D44
*requires a new 1310 driveshaft
RCV/choromoly shafts
Reid knuckles
trutrac/selectable diff
4.56/4.88 gears

I'm asking because I'd like to build this up so that I can beat on it without fear of breaking it. And also so that if a killer 100 pound 35 inch tire comes out I can slap those babies on.

 

Pro rock 44 for sure. I would even take a D44 out of a Rubicon over a built 30

 

Of course the PR44 is going to be the better option. It will also cost thousands more... That's the REAL debate. There is no debate over which setup is better, but you have to decide for yourself if the extra cost is worth the extra benefit, based on your use of the vehicle. Personally, I'm reinforcing my D30 for the time being, while I perform other necessary mods, and will save up for a PR44 in the future.

 

X2 on what prime8 said. Add some gussets to the 30 and run it until it breaks. (it may last a lot longer than you think) I wouldn't poor tons of money into building a 30, but a couple preventative measures may be all you need. In the meantime put a few bucks aside for a 44.

 

As a wheeler, I hate to worry about breaking. No way around it, it just sucks. With lightweight parts you're always worrying about 'can I do this or will this break?'. While it's frequently axles, other products lead us to these same thoughts and worries. What few seem to realize are the potential ramifications of a failure. Some of the most expensive damage I've seen to rigs has been from getting them off the trail after a failure. Breaking a shaft might not be a big deal but what about getting out?

If you wheel in areas that are very small and you can easily get access to a road and/or trailer, getting out easily may never be a concern. Where I usually wheel, we can be miles away from a road or tow rig. I just spoke to a guy last week that had a u-joint/axle shaft failure on his rig and it took out his ball joints. He said they ended up lashing logs under the rig as a skid to drag it out. By the time he was done, he was really done. He had broken the ball joints on the other side. It was a real mess and he still hadn't determined what all was damaged.

The point is, we're all going to break something sometime. Knowing your weak spots and replacing them or modifying them is good insurance and reduces your chance of breakage.

 

Couldn't of said it better

 

I don't think anyone would disagree with you. The problem is that if I don't have $4-6k for a built PR44, then it doesn't matter to me how much POTENTIAL repairs to my rig might cost, because I don't have the money either way. For example, if the scenario you described costs that guy 6k to repair, whereas he could have avoided the whole thing for 4k with the PR44, it still doesn't make that 4k magically appear in his bank account. I think we would all love to wake up tomorrow and find that the Dynatrac Fairy installed a PR44 under our rig while sleeping, but for most of us its just not tangible. Which is why I spent $250 for the gussett, sleeve, and skid EVO kit for my D30. Is it anywhere near what I'd like to have, a built PR44? No. But it will have to do for now because those things are so damn expensive!

 

X2 on that brotha....exactly what im gonna do for now

 

I understand your point, but at the same time, this hobby/sport is expensive. My question to you is: This kind of damage could happen to you. How would you respond? What would you do if you wasted your entire front end? If this is a DD, do you just stop going to work, borrow a car or???

Wheeling today is much different than when I started. Back then, all Jeeps were 2nd or 3rd vehicles. I don't know of anyone that DD'd their jeep. We didn't have any money so if we broke, the Jeep just sat until the money was there to fix it. Today, it's bit different. DDing a well used JK is very common and that leads to problems when major damage occurs. Money is ALWAYS an issue. If you broke your 30 now would replace it with another 30? Many might have to due to budget concerns. And if you did it again? You could have thousands wrapped up to a front end and still have a 30.

IMO, it's a better bet to start saving some coin for the good stuff and limit your wheeling a while rather than risk a huge failure that could cause you to wipe out your funds and make you start over. I know, we all want to wheel NOW. I spent tons of cash on a front end I ended up selling for 10 cents on the dollar. Save up, do it right and do it ONCE.

 

Ten months into owning our JK, I realize there are two kinds of Jeeps: STOCK and EXPENSIVE!. I've already bent the D30; only enough to require a toe-in tweak and slight re-center. But, now I understand how weak it is, even with stock tires.

If you have 35" tires and the urge to wheel, run that D30 as carefully as you can while you save up for a stronger front axle. At least you didn't spend an extra 4 grand for a Rubicon that would still need a front axle upgrade (eventually) for serious wheeling on big tires.