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outer axle grenade!!!

A

al

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Location
portland oregon
73' jimmy, dana 44 up front with a power trax locker. While wheeling this past weekend the passenger side outer axle grenaded the yoke clear off. The axles where just replaced 1500 street driven miles ago. 1541 alloy. The truck had to remain in the three feet of snow for a couple days..... Bad deal. Is this a common fail point? If so... Without 3/4 ton, What are the options?
 
1/2 ton and 3/4 ton front axles are the same except for 2 more lug nuts.

You could put Cromo's and CTM's in there.
I have seen my fair share of 1/2 ton breakage.
missing_ujoint_found_fs.jpg


missing_ujoint_fs.jpg
 
Readymix... The second of your photo's looks very similar, Exept my entire yoke is gone. Are the Cromo's the 4130 chromoly? or whatever stinkin number. I hate to replace brand new axle's with BRAND NEW AXLES, But I hate being broke down even more.
 
al said:
Readymix... The second of your photo's looks very similar, Exept my entire yoke is gone. Are the Cromo's the 4130 chromoly? or whatever stinkin number. I hate to replace brand new axle's with BRAND NEW AXLES, But I hate being broke down even more.
Click to expand...

They are 4340 Chrome Moly, but yes it does suck to replace new with new. Having said that you have already proven what you are running is not strong enough.

What is the warranty like on the shafts you are currently running? If you can get a new stub for free then put what you got back in.

I would also pull the other axles and check to make sure no splines are twisted or starting to twist.

Dik
 
That is a fairly common break on the 1/2 ton axles. If you keep the axles, carry a complete set of spare front shafts and the right tools to replace them. If you had the front end apart recently and used never-seize (parts aren't rusted up) it's pretty easy to replace shafts on the trail...some practice and hand tools you should be able to do it in under an hour taking your time.

Getting slightly off subject, but always go wheeling with a group and you won't have to leave the truck on the trail. Even on easy trails the guys in our club like at least 3-4 vehicles along "just in case", and using that philosphy we have never left a vehicle on the trail overnight. There have been several bad breaks throughout the years, worse was probably a Jeep with a dead engine and broken steering that we had to pull 3-4 miles on a rough trail, at night, in a bad snow storm, to get to a gravel road (this same section of trail typically takes at least a couple of hours to run with a small group of well built rigs).
 
Also be aware that broken shafts often take mechanical lockers with them, you should check to make sure the locker still works before you go wheelin' again.
 
Forgot to mention...make sure you check the spindle bearing (small roller bearing inside the spindle that the shaft rides on). If it's bad it can cause some binding on the shaft and contribute to the breakage, also it's not uncommon for a broken stub to trash this bearing.
 
not on my 10 bolts....took out 1/2 ton 10b replaced w/3/4 10b....on 3/4...i noticed my outer bearing is about the size of the 1/2 10b inner bearing...the 3/4 10b inner is about the size of a coffee can....deff. bigger bearings in my 3/4 10b than the 1/2 10b??? i'm in need of repacking my bearings, so when i do, i'll take some side by side pics...3/4 ton outter is pretty close to 1/2 ton inner...both being 10b!


edit: my bad....the 1/2 ton was a d44...:doah: its inner bearing was about the size of the 10b outter...my bad!
 
Last edited:
blazin_blazer said:
not on my 10 bolts....took out 1/2 ton 10b replaced w/3/4 10b....on 3/4...i noticed my outer bearing is about the size of the 1/2 10b inner bearing...the 3/4 10b inner is about the size of a coffee can....deff. bigger bearings in my 3/4 10b than the 1/2 10b??? i'm in need of repacking my bearings, so when i do, i'll take some side by side pics...3/4 ton outter is pretty close to 1/2 ton inner...both being 10b!


edit: my bad....the 1/2 ton was a d44...:doah: its inner bearing was about the size of the 10b outter...my bad!
Click to expand...


Yep that is the small bearing 44. The large bearing 44 is identical to a 10 bolt (bearing wise and spindle).

Dik
 
ok i have a buddy w/d44 w/eternal hubs, can we swap my rotor/internal hub lock outs or would we have to change the stub shaft also?
 
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