4340s from different brands?

[obijuank5]

Anyone got any solid information on dana 60 shafts comparing the different brands?
Im thinking of switching to yukon from G2.
Rhodes diffs guy put up a very fair deal and im really considering the switch but I cant find any real data on heat treat, twisting, fitting, ear size, or really anything side by side.

I have broken a short side twice now on spl55 and ryan broke a g2 stub with a super joint that is still good.

 

[Bent77]

Interesting, and I’d love to see data. @Tnsejed and I were discussing this last week in terms of FF axles

 

[Tnsejed]

I wrote a big thing about HT and material control but decided not to post it as it went off topic too much. Really the hardest thing is process and material control. Looking at the 2010 axle breakage test done by someone on another forum wouldn't even be relevant today. That's the kicker. It may not even be relevant from batch to batch. This is the crux of the argument.

I think the best thing we can do as consumers today is try to find out the supply chain. I.E. does manufacturer A keep more of the process in house verse manufacturer B. Now that doesn't mean that product A will be better than product B, no. It just means they are trying to control the manufacturing of the part as much as possible. This then should mean they care about the HT process as its something that is costly to QC correctly (analysis vs just a hardness test), and one of the first QC items that is done sparingly.

Same can be said for raw materials. Certified material from a supplier you trust, and you've checked its not a Baoti situation, etc....

 

[GWeakland620]

Travis from Rhodes Diffs is a buddy of mine. If you go that route, tell him I said to hook you up lol.

 

[obijuank5]

How about you tell him lol!
I dont know how hes making any money. It already seems pretty fair with superjoints included.

I can see how it would be difficult to control the groups to accurately pull the data from.
I know very little about how they are made but what youre saying makes sense.

 

[Ned Kelly]

IIRC wasn't Yukon at one time made in India? Not sure of current origin. I do remember fluctuating quality control issues batch to batch.
Foote axle does most everything in house...USA made. I think they still have a good reputation for consistent quality.
RCV...well those seem like the ultimate! Need a good budget though!...but very reasonable for Samurai's and Toyota fronts!

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Yukon shafts are still made in India.

They were pretty rough and hit/miss way back when, say early 2000's. They switched manufacturers, fixed stuff, and have been really good for a very long time.

 

[CyberSniper]

As someone that has largely been out of wheeling for 13 years, are RCV (back then I think they were still Longfields) still the best? They used to be $2k/axle, what are they now? CTMs were like $2k/axle. I need for a Ford 77.5-79 HP60 and a GM D60.

The last things I needed to do when I quit wheeling was to spend more money on shafts and build a hood.

 

[fourwheelerjeff]

As someone that has largely been out of wheeling for 13 years, are RCV (back then I think they were still Longfields) still the best?

Longfields were named for Bobby Long that passed away. He originally had an agreement with RCV to produce the axles for him and he sold them. When he passed Trail Gear acquired the rights to the name from his widow and slapped it on their "dirty 30's". that's when RCV started selling the Toyota axle shafts themselves.

at least from my understanding

 

[obijuank5]

Im leaning on foote being the g2 manufacturer from all the other shafts I've sold or installed over the years. Honestly g2 has been good to me and Ryan. Probably keep those and run the spicer brand extreme joints.
The warranty has been pretty easy but its not lifetime like yukon. 10 year or something.

 

[Stephen]

G2 is probably not foote, they're pretty much guaranteed to be import.

 

[obijuank5]

Yeah that has to be true. I have seene foote in castings and we mostly install g2. Im probably just mixed up.

Heres the broken g2