Upgrading the jeeps rear dif

[BIGdaddy]

I agree and I'd take it a step further. Remove the front track-bar as well. You said it's not a road going Jeep so it won't matter much anyway. Not to mention you risk damaging the mounts or cracking the axle tube if you try to flex with the track bars on. Disconnects on the front won't help much with the front track bar in place either. You will also want to either get longer brake lines or relocate your lines under the frame to gain about 4-6" of additional length. Although your shocks will now me the limiting factor so you might also consider changing those as well. For the rear, you could extend the hardline down or better yet, replace the line with a longer one. Having more flex then tearing a brakeline while out in some remote area isn't fun.

The Dana 35C is really hit & miss. Some guy's seem to do OK with them while others seem to break if you just look at them funny. Vehicle weight and how you drive play a bit part in it though. The axle shaft is only 1.13" thick as it tapers down to the splines. This is where 90% of the breaks happen. Although if you don't use too much throttle and don't get the wheel hopping, I think it would be OK. Most of the breaks I've seen are because the driver get a wheel up in the air then when it drops back down, it hooks up and the shock load on the axle is what breaks it. or else tweaks the shaft enough that it doesn't break until late with a much lighter load.

I think JPK's recommendation for 15psi is a good call as well. If you're on stock tires of even 235.75R15's or 31x10.5R15's 25psi isn't going to allow the tire to conform to the terrain much. 15psi is a good number since it's enough pressure that you shouldn't have to worry about breaking the bead but still low enough to allow the tire to do it's thing. The only downside is that now you'll need to be able to air up after the trail.

I also like the pull-pal idea. If you're problem is not having an anchor point then you don't really have the right equipment. There are several ways to winch when there are no solid object to tie to. Anchoring stakes or burring a deadman, like a tire have been used for many years. Some people have even used boat anchors back in the day. This is what the Pull-Pal replaces. If you are mainly doing trails in the desert then I would highly recommend the Pull-pal since you winch is otherwise useless with just the hook.

thumbs up from this part of the peanut gallery...:sombrero:

 

[goin camping]

Thanks for the further thoughts.

I have anchor stakes that I kept when I sold my duece for hooking the winch too.

I have played many rounds of "Let's get unstuck" in my younger years but now I'd rather avoid the fun of digging and winching if possible. :sombrero:

It seems the rear locker would work with my driving style but has it's downsides too. Since I intend to put this jeep back on the road it may be simpler to replace the rear axle with something a bit more durable and a higher end locker.

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

I'd search around on breaking D35 axles. It's pretty common with a locker unless you have upgraded shafts (e.g. Super 35) or Superior C-Clip eliminators. When you do break a D35c axle there's nothing holding the axle in and it starts sliding out of the housing.

Not saying it can't be done if you drive easy, but just get fully informed before making your decisions. If you're trying to stay in that price range I'd consider a winch, or a locker up front in the D30 instead.

 

[jeffy]

If you want cheap then go with the pull-pal or maybe sand ladders.

Going with a locker is a pretty big step as you will have to upgrade the whole rear if you want it to be reliable. Otherwise, get a lunch-box locker and some spare shafts and learn out to swap shafts on the trail.

If you're wanting to get it on the roads then you'll want to spend the money for a manual locker if you don't want to have to relearn how to drive. Another option might be to put a lunchbox locker in the Dana 30 though. The Dana 30 isn't stronger then the 35 but since it's in a front application, it sees less stress. This would also allow you to drive onroad without any negative effects of having a rear locker. The only downside I can see is that even when disconnected (2WD) the front driveshaft will turn. On YJ's they weren't designed to turn all the time so you might run into balance issues with the front driveshaft. Installing a lunchbox locker in the front isn't a quick though. You'll might have to pull the carrier and remove the ring gear to fit it. I remember hearing something about not being able to get the center pin in and out without having the grind the ring gear a bit.

It doesn't sound like you're getting stuck though. Lockers are nice except when they're not. I've heard of some guys who do Round the world trips who purposely leave them open.

I'd probably work on freeing up the suspension and playing around with the tire pressure before spending money on lockers. I know when I had my sway-bars and track-bars, it was easy to get stuck on the simplest trails just because the tires weren't able to move a few more inches. Lockers help when you can't keep all of your tires on the ground but unless you're purposely driving into ditches and over rocks, you're probably not going to be that stuck. Worst case would be mud or sand.

What size tires are you running? Maybe go with 31x10.5R15 MT's for additional traction if the AT's aren't cutting it.

 

[JPK]

Just a word about a deadman, we've used them all too frequently in Africa where running dry rivers is an important way to get around.

They definitely work, but in soft sand it's a lot of work to burry the tire sufficiently to hold. Sometimes easier to just dig the vehicle out. And that was with a crew of three of four sharing the work.

In the past I've thought about using a boat anchor, wondered if anyone had ever done it. Boat anchors are cheap compared to a Pull Pal, but storage is a pita. Still the price of a second hand anchor...

{Edit: thought I'd add one lesson about deadmen learned the hard way - when you burry your tire do it far enough in front of the Jeep that you can use it again without re-digging and repositioning in case you imeadiately get bogged down again. The length of the winchline if it makes sense and is possible - minus required turns on the drum.}

 

[BigAl]

Thanks for the further thoughts.

It seems the rear locker would work with my driving style but has it's downsides too. Since I intend to put this jeep back on the road it may be simpler to replace the rear axle with something a bit more durable and a higher end locker.

When I posted about the lunch box locker, I kinda new the dana 35 would get lambasted. I have personnally run a dana 35 welded with 33" boggar tires and beat the snot out of it. I actually tried to break it one day b/c I had a new set off 44s waiting to go in but I broke the driveshaft instead. I think for every broken 35 you read about on the internet, there are 100 rednecks, who never read a forum, that run them with no problem. It's good that you are aware of the issue, but it would not stop me from running a lunchbox with 32" tires.