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Questions about Dana 30 and Dana 44 differences

Milford Cubicle II

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Out there.
Ok first off I'll give you my plan for my rig so we're clear on what I expect out of it. It's an expedition style rig, 33x10.5's, a decent amount of extra weight, no hardcore wheeling, my number 1 priority is reliability/durability and performance.

My original plan was to replace my LP D30 with an HP D30 with:
-Full case locker
-Rcv's
-CJ inners to accept D44 outers in order to get...
-Lock outs and hubs, high(er) crossover steering with upgraded tre's/tie rods/drag link

Pros of the HP D30/44 hybrid:
-High clearance
-Flexier(?)
-A little less weight
-No axle shaft/u-joint strength issues due to the rcv's
-Same steering/tre's as a D44
-D44 ball joints
Cons: Weaker ring and pinion and housing.

However, I really like the idea of using an axle designed to support a much heavier "half-ton" pickup. Is there good logic in that?

But my question is, what would be the difference between the hybrid 30/44 I described above and a D44 besides the ring/pinion and housing strength? Would the potential differences be worth getting a D44 for a vehicle with my expectations/purposes on 33's?
 
Depends how you drive. Buddy of mine wheels rock-armored Wranglers on 35"s(three so far, probably about 4K lb.) Only thing he ever broke on a LP-30 was a drop-in locker.

Depending on the weight of your rig, it might be worth while to get the bigger housing tubes.

Either way, you're going to spend a lot of money on the axle. I'd say price it out both ways when you're ready to build the axle, and go with whichever one is cheaper at the time.
 
for only running 33x10.5 and not using it for hard rock crawling you should be fine on the dana 30. The RCV's move the weak point to the ring and pinion tho, I would just run the stock shafts ground out for full circle clips and 760s and keep a set of stock spare axle shafts with hubs already attached. In the event of a failure on the trail, replacing a broken axle shaft with a new one thats already assembled with the hub attached is a lot easier then getting off the trail with a torn up ring and pinion. If you start breaking shafts then just get chromos, RCV's are great for an axle that have a big center section or one thats very built up. I'd rather have my weak point a cheap easy to replace part, still think you will be fine on 33s though.

I've been wheeling my 30 aussie locked on 4.88s with 33s running blue and black trails so I'd say you will be fine too for an expedition rig.
 
I'd run stock shafts with 760's and just carry a spare shaft or 2, you start spending money on upgraded shafts then you make your R&P your weak point.
 
I understand the line you guys are taking with staying with stock axles to be a "fuse" in the system. But to expect something to fail kinda defeats my purposes of reliability. I know how naive this is going to sound, but I don't want anything to fail, hence, reliability. Having to swap axle shafts kinda takes the fun out of overlanding, not to mention adds to the amount of cargo I'd have to carry. From RCV's track record, I'm not at all worried about breaking a shaft on 33's. And even if I did, I could pull the shafts and still be mobile in 2wd. Redundancy :cheers:

I understand though that a lot of you guys' off road style is much different than mine. You guys do things in rocks, etc. that lead you to almost expect to break something so putting a "fuse" in the system is smart. But for what I'm doing I don't think it's as desirable.

I have a lot of faith in my turdy. In the past, I've taken some not so easy lines and never broken so much as a joint/ear. Whereas I broke my 8.25 leaving a stoplight... go figure. I must have a light wheeling foot.

The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking the 30/44 hybrid would be better suited for my rig. More ground clearance and articulation, less weight, but with the benefits of 44 bj's/knuckles, steering, and hubs.

In other words, I don't think that the beefier housing and r&p of the 44 are necessary or even beneficial in my case. But if I change my mind down the road, I'll be able to reuse everything outside of the inner c's anyways.

Am I on the right track?
 
Yea, I forgot to include that. A stronger diff cover will definitely be used. And I'm fooling around with the idea of a truss. How hard is it to truss a 30 with a 3-link w/panhard and only about 3" of lift?
 
Depending on how hardcore the truss is, should be fairily simple. And, actually may be beneficial as you would be able to beef up your axle side CA mount/s
 
This is my plan also. I have collected a HP30 housing and flat top chevy knuckles. I need to get the CJ 30 housing for the inner knuckles. I am going to cut the tubes off of the CJ axle and weld them to the HP tubes at stock HP length so that I can use stock axles. Part of the "strengthening" will be using internal tubes inside the axle tubes to help connect them. 456s and Detroit Locker with lock out hubs and bigger brakes!! sounds like a good thing to me, and still w/ D30 ground clearance and weight. Go for it!
 
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