what was the first thing you broke on your hp30 besides axle shafts or u-joints?

krany said:
this was my first dana 30 break! tore out both ball joints, destroyed both inner and out shafts and of course the u-joint :)
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I've seen that a few times. Once on my XJ. Another on a TJ and I was surprised it didn't happen on another TJ I was with on the trail on Rocker Knocker. None of the ones I've seen firsthand were done with a lot of skinny pedal. Shit just broke
 
I've never broken a 30, but I sure did break the bejesus out of dana 44 parts. Almost always shafts/joints, and since they are basically the same as a 30, I would bring those for sure (as you already stated).

Otherwise, I've seen a handful of ball joint failures, but considering how many 30's are out there on the trail, I think they have a pretty good track record. Enough so that I think a dana 44 is a completely worthless "upgrade".
 
So I bought the IRO "C" gussets and "almost alloy" kit for $55 shipped and are scheduled to be here tomorrow. Seems that common u-joint failures are due to the retainer clips popping off allowing for the bearing caps to fall out, the "almost alloy kit" prevents the caps from coming off.

Cody, if I do upgrade to a 44 it will be an hp44 that is worth doing. I am amazed at the responses I get from some guys who are clueless to the fact that their "44" is merely a glorified d30.
 
black_ZJ said:
So I bought the IRO "C" gussets and "almost alloy" kit for $55 shipped and are scheduled to be here tomorrow. Seems that common u-joint failures are due to the retainer clips popping off allowing for the bearing caps to fall out, the "almost alloy kit" prevents the caps from coming off.

Cody, if I do upgrade to a 44 it will be an hp44 that is worth doing. I am amazed at the responses I get from some guys who are clueless to the fact that their "44" is merely a glorified d30.
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I wouldn't bother with the hp44, but that's just me. We used actual snap rings rather than the stock clips and were still breaking shafts or joints. I could have dropped some coin on alloys, but that is close to the price of a D60 by the time you buy upgraded joints and shafts.

I'd probably stop with the gussets if I ever have a D30 again. The biggest thing seemed to be rotating mass of 35" tires. I'd stick to 33" tires if I went back to a D30 or D44.
 
cuban b said:
real dana 44's with lock out hubs, high steer options, etc. are worth upgrading to. They are usually dirt cheap as well. Hardly a worthless upgrade.
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:D

I ran a Lockrite & later model 297 shafts on 33's for 3 years without any problems. I just kept breaking the side gears in the Detriot in my 35 rear! :-\

When I upgraded to a 9" the matching 44 was a natural selection, & getting the flat top knuckle for the high steer was a nice bonus!:D

Like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!:shawn:
 
black_ZJ said:
Krany, what was the situation where/how it occurred?
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i was doing a wedge out at mini moab, had my tire wedged pretty good into the wedge, this is how it went from there
spotter: give it some gas,
me.....gives a little gas
spotter: more gas
me....gives more gas....
spotter: bump it hard
me....bumps it pretty good
jeep: hop...bounce a little....bam cluck-a-lunka bam....
:)
 
krany said:
i was doing a wedge out at mini moab, had my tire wedged pretty good into the wedge, this is how it went from there
spotter: give it some gas,
me.....gives a little gas
spotter: more gas
me....gives more gas....
spotter: bump it hard
me....bumps it pretty good
jeep: hop...bounce a little....bam cluck-a-lunka bam....
:)
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Wow, did you kick him in the crotch after?! A good spotter will try to get you through things using as little throttle as possible in most cases, although there are some exceptions to this. I have met a few guys that I trust to help me get through anything, none of which said to use the skinny pedal to bump it hard.
 
only thing i've had problems with is the ujoint caps rotating and losing the clips so the caps are free to fall out. 2 or 3 tack welds on each cap solved that problem. i like this route more than the almost alloys because i could hit the the tacks with a chisel and change the joints on the trail if someone else was using my spare etc.
i also have a little twist on the splines of one of my inner shafts but it doesn't bother me. this is all from 3 yrs and a dozen moab trips. that's pretty good in my opinion
 
black_ZJ said:
Wow, did you kick him in the crotch after?! A good spotter will try to get you through things using as little throttle as possible in most cases, although there are some exceptions to this. I have met a few guys that I trust to help me get through anything, none of which said to use the skinny pedal to bump it hard.
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didnt get a chance too, he bailed when he saw it break....he is on this forum i think but wont name names....
 
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