This one was a shocker.. Ive always thought I would break an axle or gears while offroad, or perhaps doing burnouts or launches with some serious horsepower. The Dana 44 (M220) rear axle in the Jeep Gladiators is a pretty stout unit, but this time around didn't have much success in the end. We have done a lot of axle upgrades on this jeep, 5.13 gears, RCV axle shafts, Barnes4wd truss and gussets, etc. Paired with 37" tires, this setup has worked flawlessly for the past 3 years and over 35K miles.
On the trip down to Texas, about 8 hours into the drive the rear axle started howling. The diff was hot, but still full with oil, and continued down the road to CC Ring and Pinon.
I do not know what caused this failure, but its an odd one knowing the gears were setup correctly and had no issues up until this.
Moving forward its time to order new gears and get the JT back on the road! This time around i am trying out a set of Revolution Gear and Axle 5.13s, ive heard nothing but great things about these.
A bolt in Dana 60 would be a wonderful upgrade without the full swap to one-ton axles (which requires another laundry list of parts). https://advanceddriveline.com/advanced-driveline-dana-60-hd-40-spline-axle-assembly-gladiator-jt-2020/
This axle is still on my list, but for now the funds need to go towards the Race Jeep!
While this whole JT thing is going down, Cassie finds a 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) for sale locally. Salvage title, runs great, no rust at all with the exception of the aftermarket step rails, hardtop, etc. The damage in the rear quarter is fairly intense, however it only affect the body and didnt even budge the frame. The rear Dana 44 rear axle was bent from impact, Mike now has it in his sea of junkyard axles to hopefully one day retube. Cassie had her old axle on its way here and soon enough the LJ is a driver, which much body repair in store.
Channel Discount Codes:
Barnes4WD: JKgear or Jeepgear, annual single use code.
HotHead Headliners: GG10
Clayton Offroad: JKGG
Garage Tools and Equipment:
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