Exactly the road I am taking. Gonna get my mileage out of this D30 :cool:

Some folks on here don't really have a high opinion for the trusses designed for 'JK' axles, but there have been a couple threads in just the last few weeks talking about it.

Found two of them:

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...-truss-330764/

Starting around post #77 in this one.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/modi...-338618/page2/

I have a Barnes 4WD truss. My welder said it fit better than all of the Artec trusses he has ever installed. I am a big fan of JCR as a company, but have never seen their truss. They make quality stuff, so I don't see this being any different.

Hindsight being 20/20: The check would have gotten you most of the way to a Teraflex D30. The resale value of even a beefed up D30 won't be as much as what the insurance company paid for it bare.

You say you are budget strapped, don't waste a dime on a dana 30. From bending inner C's to broken tubes the axle is not as weak as it is made out to be on the forums. Over a million JK's sold and I have only seen maybe a dozen broken axles or ones with bend C's. That a pretty good failure rate for any product. If you don't have the funds to upgrade then don't abuse your jeep, just common sense. If the axle was as bad as people make it out to be there would be several lawsuits and a recall on the front axle. Put the money you would waste on upgrades into a emergency account and keep saving and recovering from the divorce.

Best answer so far and I TOTALLY AGREE^^^^^.

Coming from someone that currently has a dirty-30, I couldn't agree more. I've got c's, pound in sleeves, teraflex ball joints, and a rancho front skid. As much as I need a regear, I'm not spending another dime on this D30 but it will get through most as long as your not hard throttling the gas and axle-hopping your front axle.

This is my intentions exactly, but considering I spent the money a long time ago in the locker and gears, I am just trying to make best of the current situation. I don't go out and ride it hard, or abuse it, so the 30 should last me for a good while until things settle back down and I can invest into a stronger axle. This is the only reason I have decided to truss and gusset this axle and not go elsewhere with it. If I had not already own $1500 in gears, locker, and install kit then I would have put that money into a d44. I wasn't firmilar with this diff when buying those things or I would have saved it then. Believe me when I say I explored the many options before giving the go ahead on another d30. Wasn't exactly my first choice.

If you have been wheeling with 37's for a while now. You have probably already bent the tubes and Cs

I've not had a single problem until I hit a culvert at 30mph. Haven't seen the first indication that anything is out of line or bent. I've had 37's on it for over a year now. Guess it's about how you drive and treat your stuff. This thread has turned into "you need this axle because", instead of the select few that actually mentioned anything about actually trussing or adding gussets on my d30.

I ran heavy 35s and 37s on a Factory D30 with no C gussets or truss or sleeves since 2008 with no issues. In 2012 (160,000KLM) I had an accident, 30mph direct hit to the front wheel, that bent the control arms and axle brackets but did not bend the housing. That D30 resides under another Jeep now with likely over 200,000klm on it. The insurance replacement D30 (used) was replaced a year ago with a D44HD/J8. That D30 has also found a home under another Jeep. My rig now has 259,000KLM..

You don't NEED to truss or strengthen at all for what you plan on doing, but I would still suggest the heavy diff cover to protect the gears..
Not sure if it was mentioned already but you do need a 3-4" lift to accommodate a truss..