strange axle shaft mod question

[hd44blazer]

i hope this isn't too far outside the box but i was thinking of a method to help eliminate the weak part of my Dana 44 axle shafts(w/o going chromo or 1 ton for now), and came up with the idea of filling in the neckdown portion with a weld bead and then turning down the weld, keep in mind i have access to a competent welding and machine shop for free

 

[bogginboy]

im not so sure of what your talking about but i got a good picture of it in my head... i cannt see you pic as im not a member but if you do this then you going to be worry about ujoints... those are major weak points right now in a 44

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Do NOT do that.

The heat treat that was there will be destroyed and you will make the shaft weaker than it was when you started.

Trust me, you could weld and machine a perfect looking (larger) shaft but without the proper heat treat (which will have been destroyed by the welding process) the shaft will be weaker than when you started.

Even if you had the equipment to heat treat the shaft properly, there is a whole other can of worms to be opened on mettalurgy compatabilities.

 

[chevyin]

38377k5 is giving you really good advice! The heat treating on axle shafts are the key to their strength. I have worked with a company that makes the equipment that does the heat treating, and it is a very complicated process involving induction machines that cost millions of dollars. Why do you think axle shafts cost so much?

 

[Jimbo*]

Some really good advice here!
In order for this to work, you must first heat the shaft to remove the heat treat, then do the welding you want, then machine work, and lastly re-heat treat. Of course, before you begin, you must know the alloy composition of the axle so it can be welded and heat treated properly.
By the time all this is accomplished, D60 parts begin to look cheap.

Jimbo

 

[Hossbaby50]

Even if you do fix the weak problem there through your method you still have a major weak point @ the ears and the stubshaft that you can't fix. Right now you have a gamble on what will break.

I would personally rather break an axle at the splines where you are trying to fix it then at the ears. They are a bastard to get out sometimes if you rip the ears up. I had to cut all the mangled ears off one set of axleshafts last year in Parker, AZ so I could get the shaft out of the axle to replace it.

If I had snapped it at the neckdown I could have pulled it out and retrieved the spline section with a long magnet. I can do that complete R&R of an axle snapped at the splines in 30 minutes. Having to cut all the ears off and hammer it out took me at least 1 hour and i had to be able to use power tools on the trail which some people dont always have. Without a grinder it would have been impossible to replace the axle on the trail.

Harley

 

[6.2Blazer]

Like Hossbaby50 said, even if you could successfully eliminate that one weak spot you still have just as good of a chance of breaking the u-joint, ears, or stubshafts. From my experience on the trail I've actually seen the stubs and u-joints break more often than the inner shafts.