fresh...did you install one?

 

Yes, I can think of Pros and Cons either way.

Pro for D44 swap: Stronger than a stock D30 and has a built in Elocker as a bonus. If you go the D44 route you may be able to sell the D30 and come out ahead cost wise, although I have not found many who actually did sell a D30. D44 could eventually be upgraded to near a D60 in strength if you want to go bigger than 35s at some point; although it would probably make more sense to go directly from a D30 to a D60 rather than swap a D44 and then build it up. I could do the D44 axle swap myself and save on install cost. If you have an X then you can wire it up factory style should you so choose. I understand a Sahara can't be wired up factory style.

Con for D44 swap: First is the problem if your rear axle is not already geared 4.10. If the rear axle is not already 4.10 you have to regear and that adds some serious extra expense into the equation. You will have to hire a professional to regear either the front or the rear so they match. If your rear is already geared 4.10 this option is a no brainier ($1,400 for a D44 Axle + Installation). If your rear axle is geared 3.73 or 3.21 then the cost benefit equation changes as regearing is not cheap. ($1,400 for a D44 Axle + $300 for Gears = $1,700 + Installation). Also, I am nervous about the reliability and strength of the factory Elocker. Granted, I have heard more reports on the rear Elocker not engaging than the front. I have heard the D44 adds extra weight and decreased clearance; although I am really not sure how much more less clearance and more weight there actually is; if anyone has insight here it would be appreciated.

Pro for built D30: A built up D30 (swap for stronger aftermarket axle shafts & add an aftermarket locker.) is virtually as strong if not stronger than a stock D44. An ARB locker is way cooler and stronger than the factory Elocker. You will not have to regear as your front and rear axle gears already match. You get onboard air as a bonus and that's pretty cool when it is time to air back up. Anyone know how good these onboard air units are at re-inflating tires? Is it quick and easy or slow and painful? ($700 of Axle shafts + $800 for a locker + $200 for onboard air = $1,700 + Installation)

Con for a built D30: Not as cool as a D44 as mentioned by freshjk. I could not do the install myself adding more cost.

Of course there is always the economy option Teej is always suggesting of simply putting an Aussie in the D30 yourself for only $250 and see if it ever breaks. My wallet really likes that idea, and I think this idea just might be underrated as well as the D30. You just need to be a little more careful when driving 4WD in snow and off camber situations. For the money saved I could afford a nice long arm lift instead of a cheaper lift.

Too many options and not enough $. :(

 

I think you gotta ask yourself if you're REALLY gonna wheel hard enough to break the D30 to begin with. If you're honest, I bet that answer is no. I'm not sayin everybody whose ever broken a D30 has brain damage, but my experience as a mechanic tells me most of the time, it's people doin stupid stuff that gets things broken. Everybody loves overkill. But why not try wheeling it like it is? It may surprise you. Are you wantin to jump ditches with the thing?

 

No..I agree with you about the 30's strength. I have wheeled it pretty hard and it has not shown any sign of weakness. I would love to leave it as is and put an aussie in it. Its just the foul weather thing that is holding me back.

 

I did the swap for a couple of reasons. 1. I found a smokin deal on a Mopar JK D44 for just over 1K (uninstalled - guy bought to install on a TJ and gave up - too many mods). 2. I liked the idea of an easy axle swap to a stronger axle, U joints and higher spline count. 3. I feel I needed the locker as out west in the boulders, I was getting stuck with a slipping wheel. 4. I got $300 back on the D30. 5. Piece of mind. I wheel just hard enough on 35s that its always in the back of your mind.

The install was about 4 hours with a buddy. Truly an afternoon project. The hard part was figuring out how to wire the locker. I spent an hour at the junkyard clipping 2 prong connectors. Brought 10 or so home and one worked, though slightly modified the housing. The upper connector for the locker was hard to find, the lower connector to sense the locker state (locked or unlocked) was easy to find.

I drive often enough in the snow that I didn't want to go auto locker. workin great so far.

 

Thanks guys, reading this discussion helped me solidify my decision to get an Aussie locker for my front D30. Here in Houston, there isn't much cause to worry about ice and snow and as far as I can tell that is the only draw back to the Aussie locker.

I did have one question / comment though. Since the Aussie locker acts as an open differential when no power is being given to it through the drive shaft, wouldn't an effective workaround be to simply not use 4WD when driving on ice and snow? Maybe just throw a sand bag or two in the back to put some weight on the rear wheels and leave it in 2WD for the winter? It couldn't handle any worse than your typical rear wheel drive pickup, unless I'm missing something?



Of course, if you go wheelin' in the winter then that is a completely different story.

 

Just use 2WD in the snow? Heck that’s a great observation that has got me thinkin. Do I really need 4WD in the snow?

Actually I ran 2WD all last winter and we got a lot of snow. I was very impressed how well it did in 2WD. I never found a situation I needed 4WD to get somewhere in the snow, at least on road. Off road in the snow is a whole different matter. I think that more people, like my wife, tend to engage 4WD in the snow for emotional reasons than practical ones.

Does it make sense to spend a lot of cash for selectable locker so you can be less careful off-road and in the snow? The answer for some is yes. They want the added safety and versatility of a selectable. The veterans on this forum, and I am not one of them, say that a full time locker is fine if you are careful in situations you should be carful in anyway.

If the snow is deep enough to require 4WD, you probably should not be going that fast. With a little self control on the throttle crabbing at the start can be minimized, and any pushing in turns can be minimized by simply slowing down; something you should be doing anyway.

Before I sound like a cheerleader for Aussie Lockers the real concern for me is not snow it's off camber situations. I had a real scary off camber situation last spring with an open diff climbing a hill of slick mud. I can see where an Aussie might get an inexperienced driver like me in a lot of trouble real quick.

Also consider that many of us newbie’s want lockers for emotional reasons rather than practical ones. All the JKs have Brake Lock Differentials (BLD) that act like software lockers applying brake to any slipping wheel and transferring some portion of the lost torque to the non-slipping wheel. Nobody really has open diffs with BLDs. I have been impressed with my BLDs, however, BLDs are not a substitute for lockers, and I personally don't like the feeling of having a wheel slip before the BLDs begins to react; but I have to admit that BLDs have gotten me everywhere I wanted to go. Lockers would have made it easier at times, and I may have been able to pick more aggressive lines if I had lockers, but heck the BLDs got me there eventually.

Do I need 4WD in the snow? Nope. Do I need lockers? I have to admit I probably want lockers way more than I need lockers. I want a D44 more than I need a D44. I want a long arm lift and larger tires more than I need a long arm lift and larger tires. A stock JK will get you a lot of places. A stock JK with a lift and good tires will get you even farther. Lockers get you even further still. How far do you really want or need to go. For me, I want it all, I just can’t afford it all and I probably don’t even really need half of what I want.

Have fun out there!

 

Porters, you got a family? The Aussies don't exactly work like an open diff in 2X. I probably wouldn't bother replying to this, but a lunch box in the front where you live is simply a bad idea. Sometimes allowing your wallet to make a decision is a lot like letting your penis have a vote in the matter. Go selectable or leave well enough alone when you're living in the snow belt.

 

Yeah, I installed mine about 2 weeks ago!! Was able to pick up some rear 4.10's for $20.00 of the forum. The reason for me not wanting to trust the Dana 30 is because I have been through 2 of them already. The first one had the passenger side axle bent and then now I have bent C's!! I also added the Offroad Evo gussets to the rubi 44!! Great setup and the gussets really make it stand out!!

 

I've always been under the impression that lockers work alright in the snow. It's on the ice that can get you killed. I've driven a Chevy truck with a detroit locker in the front in the snow and it was fine. The principle of the detroit and the aussie and others is the same. I know I'm in Georgia, too. We don't get much snow. I was being careful when I drove...so that couldda accounted for it too. Are the lockers really all that bad in the snow?