John that's where I just got my axles and used those "not ox" u joints......

Free shipping with internet orders too.

What I'm going to do is pick up a couple sets of hub fuses. Easy 5 minute fix to replace if it pops and a whole lot cheaper at $35 a pair.

hmmmmmmmmm how do you do the hub fuses?

I'ver never used, or even seen a hub fuse in my life, but this is what I've read about them, so take it with a grain of salt or two.

They're setup to fail before the joint does. The joint is most likely to fail when the wheel is turned full lock. So the fuse is setup to fail before the joints weakest position. Now when the wheels are straight, it takes way more to make the joint fail, but the fuse fails at the same spot. Pretty much means something that you wouldn't even consider to be straining the axle with the wheel pointed forward, you're likely to pop a hub fuse.

I repeat again, I have no experience with these, just parrot'ing what I've read.

Always a bummer when you break, can’t finish but take this time to rebuild better.

In your case I doubt a fuse wouldn’t have helped. The fuses are ~ half as strong as a premium hub clutch and a bit less than stock u-joints. They generally only work when the wheels are pointed straight anyway for what I've seen.

Couple of guys used them in my bronco club and they broke too easy or did'nt help when turned and other stuff busted. Warn doesn't recommend/warrant them with certain lockers such as a Detroit, lockright, and a few others because the shock can destroy locker parts.

With a 44 the weakest links in my IMO are: Stock U-joints, hubs, and old axle shafts.

I dunno if I like the idea for putting anything in my driveline that's engineered to break must put a shock load on the rest of the stuff that could lead to more problems.

I've blown a few hubs including the Warn Premium and Mile markers now but never a shaft or u-joint since I upgraded to the Longfield super U’s in over 4+ years of wheelin’ D44’s with a Lock right, Aussie, and ARB front lockers on 2 different Nissans.

IMO I would invest in some HD U-joints with full circle clips like the Longs, carry a spare set of axles and then upgrade to some Alloys 4340’s shafts later if $ is tight.

Stone...the hub fuses replace the standard hub clutch part so its a easy fix to change/interchange them.

going off what x said, an idea would be to make the actual hubs the "weakest link." carry a spare hub or a drive slug, and the rare chance that something does break, its just 30 minutes to swap out the broken hub for the new one.

quote:

Originally posted by Xtoolbox:


I've blown a few hubs including the Warn Premium and Mile markers now

YOU BROKE MILE MARKERS NOW? I know you broke Super Winch and Warn, but MM too? What locker you running in front? It amazes me how often you have broken hubs, I mean yea, I broke one hub, but you go through them like I go through sausage links.

....and Terence can mow through sausage links like nobody's business!

Hot dogs too.

Okay..I think I'll just get a spare set of hubs. Easy to carry too.

Got the super u joint full clips and the 4340's in there now.....

Hey at least I didn't have to have a brat surgically removed from my throat like you did...oh wait, that was Robin, or was it Greg? They look like twin brothers to me, but I noticed we are all starting to resemble each other in the middle these days.

Ok.. I ordered a full set of axles and u joints as spares along with a spare inner to replace the broken one. So, I'll be set for spares for a while.

The long side inner, I got a 4130 chromoly shaft, as strangely it was the same price as the normal steel shaft.. the rest of the parts I got standard HD shafts, along with some new spicer U joints.

To get all chromoly shafts and the upgraded U joints would have run around $750. Got everything for around $400. When I break another, I'll just swap them out on the trail.

Also, finally got pics of the broken axle:

Look how clean the break was. You can see the hardened outer layer of the axle and how it just cleanly snapped. The inner portion twisted a bit before it broke.


It broke at the narrowest part of the axle:


I bet it actually cracked the heat treated portion on Payette Draw and then finally twisted the remaining bit on Rocker Panel Pass, which would be why it took hardly any force to break it.

That was a clean break.

dam that is clean, almost looks like it was cut