Best for Plowing, Rubicon or Saharah?
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 429
Likes: 0
From: USA
If your Jeep year choices are 2011-13 then i would advise to drop the 2011 and make it between the 2012-13 for the added HP of the new engine(less need to regear), new transmission with added gear, and increased resale for those reasons as well.
There is NO....i repeat absolutely NO added strength in the housing or tubes of a D44 vs D30. The ONLY strength gained is in the Ring and Pinion. And this will only ever be an issue if u regear.
With a locker, u are never pushing around a dead weight tire. They both are always spinning at the same rate. This is true, for the stock e-locker and aftermarket ARB, except in a limited slip which allows variable tire speeds that most find undesirable.
With a locker, u are never pushing around a dead weight tire. They both are always spinning at the same rate. This is true, for the stock e-locker and aftermarket ARB, except in a limited slip which allows variable tire speeds that most find undesirable.
JK Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: gaithersburg, Maryland
Plowing stresses the front axle - you want the biggest R&P you can find- it won't be the housing it will be the shafts, u-joints, and R&P . Dana 44 and upgrade the shafts if/when they break. You are driving on pavement in 4wd most of the time and it takes a toll on the front end mechanicals.
The rubicon running gear from the trans back is basically a heavy duty half ton pickup- 241 trans case will give you no problems - found in GM 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Dana 44s have been in half ton and LD 3/4 ton trucks for years again shouldnt be a big problem. No advantage to the rubi case here- the gearing is too low. The standard 2.7 low is hrdly used by most when they plow.
The auto trans I have no Idea - dont and wont plow with a manual so wouldnt even consider it. the newer autos have a decent low gear so it should keep the engine happy, and you have the ability to keep it in gear on the newer trans so should be Ok. An additional cooler is always a good idea.
With the proper axle and trans gears the engine almost doesnt matter - as long as it has some torque- plowing is mostly slow speed anyway. The engine cooling is a concern. Hadnt heard that about the cooling, with the newer JKs, but with build ups of ice and snow covering the radiator overheating is a huge concern. Usually not much to do but keep it fom building up around the radiator.
The frame is a question for me, strength. Its just as light as they could make it for what the Jks purpose is. - it isnt a truck frame., though the running gear is truck like. - the wheel base of the unlimited is decent - short wheelbase plowing takes more attention. If you have been plowing with crusiers I think you will find plowing with a longer wheel base more forgiving- power application, braking, etc. Some sort of ballast in/on the rear would be a good idea- 600-800 lbs would be a guess.
The rubicons rear locker is a limited slip when unlocked I believe - my view , you do NOT want a locked rear (or front) until you are stuck, the ability to lock that front axle and drive off of a pile will save some out of truck time for sure . Having a dead weight tire with the LS in the rear will keep you tracking straighter on long heavy pushes. You have to remember that you are driving in near zero traction conditions most of the time and having both wheels turning on an axle can be a detriment to forward progress. The Gm locker in my truck you can feel shifting back and forth - with a detroit locked rear the whole rear wants to come around with a heavy push if both wheels loose traction at the same time, and you have power on. Momentum can carry you across the slick spot to continue and in a long wheel base vehicle its usually not a big deal, but on a SWB vehicle the rear will go down hill and the pile stops moving. You will have to work a whole lot harder with a locked rear pushing snow than with a LS. having run both I prefer the LS- particularly the LS in the GM trucks.
I dont think you want a plow narrower than 7' on an unlimited - Im guessing that the rear wheels will start to track on the inside of sharp curves and it should handle a lightweight 7 or even 7.5 plow. I know there are some 6-6 and 6-8s but to me they seem a little small. If you get big snow, big snowballs rolling off of the pile and getting between the sid eof the truck and the windrow will do some damage to the vehicles side pretty quickly. The wider the path the better. HD spings or a spacer are a must.
the alternator is big on these vehicles like every new vehicle with multiple computers. In general newer vehciles with puter controlled everything are more sensitive to voltage and battery problems. A dual battery set up with the plow run off of the secondary might be a good idea
After all that- the rubi is probably the best choice - basically for the front axle. You could buy a sport and find a D44 front and likely save a few $K. I just picked up a 13 JKU, so Ive put a little thought into a plow for it. Someday it may plow but for now it is 3/4 ton trucks.
Good Luck
The rubicon running gear from the trans back is basically a heavy duty half ton pickup- 241 trans case will give you no problems - found in GM 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Dana 44s have been in half ton and LD 3/4 ton trucks for years again shouldnt be a big problem. No advantage to the rubi case here- the gearing is too low. The standard 2.7 low is hrdly used by most when they plow.
The auto trans I have no Idea - dont and wont plow with a manual so wouldnt even consider it. the newer autos have a decent low gear so it should keep the engine happy, and you have the ability to keep it in gear on the newer trans so should be Ok. An additional cooler is always a good idea.
With the proper axle and trans gears the engine almost doesnt matter - as long as it has some torque- plowing is mostly slow speed anyway. The engine cooling is a concern. Hadnt heard that about the cooling, with the newer JKs, but with build ups of ice and snow covering the radiator overheating is a huge concern. Usually not much to do but keep it fom building up around the radiator.
The frame is a question for me, strength. Its just as light as they could make it for what the Jks purpose is. - it isnt a truck frame., though the running gear is truck like. - the wheel base of the unlimited is decent - short wheelbase plowing takes more attention. If you have been plowing with crusiers I think you will find plowing with a longer wheel base more forgiving- power application, braking, etc. Some sort of ballast in/on the rear would be a good idea- 600-800 lbs would be a guess.
The rubicons rear locker is a limited slip when unlocked I believe - my view , you do NOT want a locked rear (or front) until you are stuck, the ability to lock that front axle and drive off of a pile will save some out of truck time for sure . Having a dead weight tire with the LS in the rear will keep you tracking straighter on long heavy pushes. You have to remember that you are driving in near zero traction conditions most of the time and having both wheels turning on an axle can be a detriment to forward progress. The Gm locker in my truck you can feel shifting back and forth - with a detroit locked rear the whole rear wants to come around with a heavy push if both wheels loose traction at the same time, and you have power on. Momentum can carry you across the slick spot to continue and in a long wheel base vehicle its usually not a big deal, but on a SWB vehicle the rear will go down hill and the pile stops moving. You will have to work a whole lot harder with a locked rear pushing snow than with a LS. having run both I prefer the LS- particularly the LS in the GM trucks.
I dont think you want a plow narrower than 7' on an unlimited - Im guessing that the rear wheels will start to track on the inside of sharp curves and it should handle a lightweight 7 or even 7.5 plow. I know there are some 6-6 and 6-8s but to me they seem a little small. If you get big snow, big snowballs rolling off of the pile and getting between the sid eof the truck and the windrow will do some damage to the vehicles side pretty quickly. The wider the path the better. HD spings or a spacer are a must.
the alternator is big on these vehicles like every new vehicle with multiple computers. In general newer vehciles with puter controlled everything are more sensitive to voltage and battery problems. A dual battery set up with the plow run off of the secondary might be a good idea
After all that- the rubi is probably the best choice - basically for the front axle. You could buy a sport and find a D44 front and likely save a few $K. I just picked up a 13 JKU, so Ive put a little thought into a plow for it. Someday it may plow but for now it is 3/4 ton trucks.
Good Luck
JK Super Freak
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,389
Likes: 2
From: Cleveland, Ohio
The rubi tires would not be good for plowing. The rubi has mt tires. At tires like on the sport or Sahara perform much better in the snow. I recommend replacing the rubi tires if you decide to go that route.