J8 to be built in South Carolina ???

[Hilldweller]

What top is that?

It's just one of the optional J8 toppers, I'm assuming.
I've seen it a few times before.

Here's the brochure: http://www.jankel.com/media/images/J8Brochurev44email_444.pdf

 

[jeepdreamer]

It's just one of the optional J8 toppers, I'm assuming.
I've seen it a few times before.

Here's the brochure: http://www.jankel.com/media/images/J8Brochurev44email_444.pdf

I'll take 2 please!!! *drool!*

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[twiisted71]

I'm going to disagree. 60's are neat and all, but they have their weaknesses. The 1st thing I don't like with the J8 offering is the C-clip design. This not only makes axle retention more of an issue, it also makes the carrier weaker because of the cross pin design. SOME semi-float wheel ends can be ok with a decent amount of weight, specifically the ones that use the 'Set 80' style wheel bearing. I wouldn't trust the smaller Set 10 or Set 20 stuff with a lot of weight over time. The number one issue I see, coming more from the large tire and abuse side of things, is that eventually you will always bend the semi-float axle flange. I've bend and broken my fair share of 9" based stuff at the bearing retainer. Sucks.

As a note. JKUs are not lightweights. They are pushing 4300lbs+ stock without people or gear. I routinely see them pushing 6000-7000lbs when 'built', and loaded for a weekend, if not more. My 1992 Dodge 3/4 ton truck with the Cummins on 39s with the shell on is less than 7000lbs for comparison! Ouch.

I honestly wouldn't care if the full float shafts where good quality 30 spline flanged float, but I would want that full float axle end. The new Mopar crate Dana 60 axle is very nice and well engineered for the money. The rear axle is a D60 low pinion center with large tubes, full float, 35 spline alloys, etc. They are about 68-69" wide if I remember right.

I would rather be under-powered and over-axled than the opposite when using a vehicle off-highway....

My point was made about the J8, not a hardcore weekend thrasher that can be destroyed and then rebuilt during the offseason. The J8 is an expensive outlay of money. It is built for a specific purpose and that purpose is not to be an extreme machine for any application. They aren't intended for enduring a supercharged big block V8 rock bouncing on 42s. No one would expect a Toyota LandCruiser to hold up under those circumstances either, but the J8 is built along the same intention lines. Same as the 1 ton Ford E350 vans. They came with SF Dana 60s and are intended to actually carry LOADS of weight everyday. Oddly enough nearly every van in a junkyard you run across will still have its rear axle even with 300K+ miles on them.

Yes I'd like to have a full-floater, especially if its on the same axle. For me it has more to do with being able to pull the axles for flat towing if needs be. So long as I'm under 40"s though I'd have no problems running a 60 in the rear, but then again I don't beat on my stuff trying to break it. I've shredded my fair share of Ford 9"ers and I'm talking about the diffs. I blew 3 of them in my '76 Bronco and never even twisted the splines on the much maligned 28 spline axles. Personally I wouldn't swap one (9") into a vehicle unless I intended to upgrade with a full case locker.

I do fully agree with your last statement that I quoted and I think the J8 meets that in spades.

 

[Metcalf]

My point was made about the J8, not a hardcore weekend thrasher that can be destroyed and then rebuilt during the offseason. The J8 is an expensive outlay of money. It is built for a specific purpose and that purpose is not to be an extreme machine for any application. They aren't intended for enduring a supercharged big block V8 rock bouncing on 42s. No one would expect a Toyota LandCruiser to hold up under those circumstances either, but the J8 is built along the same intention lines. Same as the 1 ton Ford E350 vans. They came with SF Dana 60s and are intended to actually carry LOADS of weight everyday. Oddly enough nearly every van in a junkyard you run across will still have its rear axle even with 300K+ miles on them.

Yes I'd like to have a full-floater, especially if its on the same axle. For me it has more to do with being able to pull the axles for flat towing if needs be. So long as I'm under 40"s though I'd have no problems running a 60 in the rear, but then again I don't beat on my stuff trying to break it. I've shredded my fair share of Ford 9"ers and I'm talking about the diffs. I blew 3 of them in my '76 Bronco and never even twisted the splines on the much maligned 28 spline axles. Personally I wouldn't swap one (9") into a vehicle unless I intended to upgrade with a full case locker.

I do fully agree with your last statement that I quoted and I think the J8 meets that in spades.

While there have been vehicles like the E350 that can see pretty consistent loading and had a semi-float axle, even the E350 had a full float and even full float dual rear wheel option. It just depended on what GVW the vehicle had optioned I believed. Not all where semi-float.

I would have to dig a little, but I don't think the E350 semi-float was a c-clip axle either, I think they flat got that wrong on the J8. They had a lot of better options. I think they did a little bit of penny pinching with the J8 program. Funny as it sounds, I think they may have sourced the rear axle for the J8 from the SRT10 truck program. The brakes look the same, bolt pattern matches, diff type matches, etc. I'd love to be able to cross the part numbers and check it out. The SRT10 payload was pretty low if I remember right.

The new dana/mopar aftermarket 'ultimate 60' stuff is VERY well built stuff.....real wheel bearings, full float, big discs, big bolt pattern, etc. If I was going to try and replicate J8 type durability at higher than JKU factory GVWs, that is where I would start.

I'm not talking about rock bouncers, but I do tend to use my vehicles on more difficult trails than most. I also spent almost a decade running fire engines around the mountains for the BLM. If you want to see what happens to a vehicle that runs off highway at GVW most of its life, that is a good place to see it.

Short version. I don't trust semi-float rear axles. I even converted the D44 in my old Willys to a custom 5 on 5.5 disc brake 30-spline full-float system.

 

[kenaero]

Trailer

& pages and no one has mentioned they sell a trailer that will fit perfectly behind a JK, including total weight! The PDF said 3505lbs full, so does anyone know more about this trailer?:Wow1:

 

[twiisted71]

While there have been vehicles like the E350 that can see pretty consistent loading and had a semi-float axle, even the E350 had a full float and even full float dual rear wheel option. It just depended on what GVW the vehicle had optioned I believed. Not all where semi-float.

I would have to dig a little, but I don't think the E350 semi-float was a c-clip axle either, I think they flat got that wrong on the J8. They had a lot of better options. I think they did a little bit of penny pinching with the J8 program. Funny as it sounds, I think they may have sourced the rear axle for the J8 from the SRT10 truck program. The brakes look the same, bolt pattern matches, diff type matches, etc. I'd love to be able to cross the part numbers and check it out. The SRT10 payload was pretty low if I remember right.

The new dana/mopar aftermarket 'ultimate 60' stuff is VERY well built stuff.....real wheel bearings, full float, big discs, big bolt pattern, etc. If I was going to try and replicate J8 type durability at higher than JKU factory GVWs, that is where I would start.

I'm not talking about rock bouncers, but I do tend to use my vehicles on more difficult trails than most. I also spent almost a decade running fire engines around the mountains for the BLM. If you want to see what happens to a vehicle that runs off highway at GVW most of its life, that is a good place to see it.

Short version. I don't trust semi-float rear axles. I even converted the D44 in my old Willys to a custom 5 on 5.5 disc brake 30-spline full-float system.

You're right. I'm sure they are crap and should have just stuck with the 44s from the Rubicon as the SF 60 is a POS.

Anyway since Chrysler Fiat has gone full nutjob with the pricing on these Jeeps why didn't they stick their whizbang new portal axles in? Then it would have something that might be 'improved' enough to justify atleast part of the price hike, after taking away so many of the positive attributes from the standard JK, JMHO.
Thanks for the discourse. In the end this is why we all have our own money. Buy what you want and brag and defend your choice--or don't again its a free choice and why we have options.

 

[Metcalf]

You're right. I'm sure they are crap and should have just stuck with the 44s from the Rubicon as the SF 60 is a POS.

Anyway since Chrysler Fiat has gone full nutjob with the pricing on these Jeeps why didn't they stick their whizbang new portal axles in? Then it would have something that might be 'improved' enough to justify atleast part of the price hike, after taking away so many of the positive attributes from the standard JK, JMHO.
Thanks for the discourse. In the end this is why we all have our own money. Buy what you want and brag and defend your choice--or don't again its a free choice and why we have options.

They did basically keep the Rubicon D44 front other than a tube and brake upgrade.....minus the locker.

It would be interesting to actually have part numbers to compare the J8 SF D60 parts list to the Rubicon D44. I basically remember it being done for the tube upgrade also. From everything I can find, it is very similar to the SRT10 D60 rear axle.....