bone

I have a 2008 2 door X model with the Dana 30 front axle. I have wheeled my rig moderately heavy over the past couple of years. It has a 4.5" SkyJacker lift and 36x12.50x15 Swamper TSL Radials. I installed an Aussie Locker in the front a couple of months ago. Since installing the Aussie, I've went through two driver's side u-joints on the D30. Is the Aussie putting that much stress on the joint?
Also, I took my Jeep in for a front end alignment a few weeks back. My wife picked it up and she said they told her "something was bent"......in her words. She couldn't tell me what, and when I called the shop they acted ignorant. I'm sure it's my C's since I run a pretty big/heavy tire without gussets. My question: if the C is bent enough, could it possibly be causing the u-joint / hub / tire to sit at a bad enough angle to cause premature u-joint failure? Let me clarify, the joint itself is not failing. I'm simply losing caps. Once that happens, the Jeep gets a trailer ride home.
One more thing......I figure a set of lockout hubs would help by taking some of the daily driving stress off the front end. I plan on running some RCV shafts when I get the funds to buy them. Anybody have any experiece with these shafts? Can you run a locking hub with these? Any reason to do so? Anybody installed locking hubs on their JK? I haven't had much luck finding any made for the JK. Do the rotors have to be machined to fit the locking hub?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

opdsgt

I built my Dana 30 rather than investing in a replacement axle. I've been very happy with my setup which includes EVO gussets, inner sleeves and mini-skids; JKS track bar brace; RCVs; Pro Steers and a solid RC tie rod.

Clearly, you're destroying your factory yokes with your 36s and trail work. I think it's virtually impossible for you to hurt RCVs without bigger tires than either of us run and absent a high torque, high horsepower V8.

I believe a hub conversion is unnecessary (and expensive!) for our application. Other guys might have a different view.

I'm about to install an Aussie in my front end as well. Then I'm done with it. Popular opinion is, the R&P then becomes the (costly) weak link in a setup like mine, but the "Next Gen" Dana 30 is a superior axle to the older variants and is, I think, plenty strong unless you get stupid and subject it to shock loading by spinning the tires and touching them down on a high traction surface.

I wheel my JK on the hardest trails I dare, but I like to think of myself as a careful, deliberate driver. My Jeep's a DD, gotta be able to come back home and get to work the next day.

bone

I want to pull the trigger on the RCV's, but I don't have an extra $1000 laying around anywhere. I hope to get them before the end of the year. I still am interested in running a lockout hub with the RCV axles. I do appreciate all the info you provided. Any other ideas?

opdsgt

If you think RCVs are costly, hang onto your a$$ when you price Spyntec's lockout conversion for the JK . . . about double the RCV pricetag.

mediocre69

Since the JK uses a unit bearing all in one system you can't add lockout hubs since it doesn't have hubs in that sense. As mentioned a company does make a conversion kit to replace the unit bearings will the old style wheel bearings with hubs that accept standard lockouts like Warn makes. As noted the cost is expensive as it also requires new rotors. The rotors are in the older Jeep bolt pattern since it takes more space for the lockouts so you will also have to include new rims in the price as well as re-drilled rotors for the rear so the bolt patterns match. It adds up pretty quick. One of the off road magazines has a write up on the install. Just do a yahoo search for "jeep jk lockout hub conversion" and you will find it.

nthinuf

You may as well just look into a new pr44. Rcv's and hub kit (and new 5on5.5 wheels?) and gussets and skids...the price adds up quick...

opdsgt

Building a stout D30 is nowhere near the cost of a new Pro Rock 44 assuming you don't buy the prohibitively expensive lockout conversion being discussed.

Look, I besmirch no one who has the cash and inclination to do the Spyntec kit, but it's unnecessary for my application, chiefly because of my RCVs.

There is virtually no way I'll break an RCV shaft with a V6 and 35s, and a busted shaft on the trail is the lockout conversion's main selling point; snap a shaft, unlock the affected side hub, drive out in 3WD.

FWIW

backwoodjk

Tack weld your caps, or you might try something like Iron Rock Off Road's almost alloy kit.

nthinuf

I agree. But the fact is that he did ask about rcv's and the spyntec conversion. He says his c's are bent, so at the very least he needs to get gussets. If they are far enough off, he's looking at offset bj's. If he's doing all of that, makes sense to go ahead and add sleeves when it's all apart?

To me, makes more sense to look at a 44 than to dump all that money into a 30...

bone

Is there any trick to tack welding the caps? I know that if you get the cap too hot, the grease will all pop out like a nasty pimple.