Whats the deal with Dana 30 Yukon shafts?

the_weirdo

the_weirdo

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Seattle, WA
I need some input about the Yukon Dana 30 shafts. I can get a smoking good deal on them to replace the current stock D30 shafts I have. I'm running an ARB up front with 4.56 gears with 33" tires. (I've got a D44 in the rear with Detroit locker...which I love). I'm not currently snapping shafts, just looking to overbuild/upgrade for 33" tires...maybe 35's at most, but probably stay with 33's. I am not heavy on the gas, I choose smart lines and I am not afraid to bypass if needed. This is my daily driver and I run it as such. Are the Yukon shafts good/bad? Should I pay the extra $175 for Ten Factory or Alloy USA front shafts?

Need info...please help.
 
There is no simple answer to your question. I will start by saying that I would save my money and buy the 10 factory axles, just based on their reputation and high level of customer service.

I own a set of Yukon alloys shafts, they are my spare set of shafts. I currently run a set of Alloy USA shafts. I haven't kept up with the Yukon building process as of late but what they used to do was take a 30 spline D44 shaft and cut it down to the proper length and then recut the splines down to 27. My driver side shaft is cut approx 1/4" too long and bottoms out in my ARB. I thought it was a production error with that particular shaft but after I had a broken shaft(BTW which broke easily at the re-cut splines) replaced I realized it was cut too long as well. My Alloy USA shafts are cut to the proper length. The last point I will make about the Yukon shafts is the poor casting near the U-joint ears. Comparing the Yukon u-joint ears to the Superior stub ears and the Alloy USA ears tells the true story of these shafts. The castings are so poorly done with uneven metal thickness around the U-joint cap that I am surprised they have lasted as long as they have. This is why they are my spare shafts and only run in case I break.

Again, save your money. Just keep in mind the old adage of "You get what you pay for."
 
Ten Factory is what I run and after the GREAT customer service it is all I would recomend anyone to buy!

Ten Factory is a ten year warenty!!!
 
Thanks guys. I'm doing Ten Factory in the rear D44. Will reconsider options in the front D30.
 
i just keep 10 factory shafts with me..

no seriously..i wheel hard on 35s locked up front and have only broken one front on 35s..i just bring spare 297s shafts with me.


thats just me...the way you wheel from what you said sounds like your fine on stock shafts..


as Bryan said..."you get what you pay for" when buying aftermarket why go half ass?
 
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whats wrong with carrying stock spare shafts? i run 35s too
 
blondejoncherokee said:
whats wrong with carrying stock spare shafts? i run 35s too
Click to expand...

If you are in the type of terrain where you can break an alloy shaft, how could you expect a stock shaft to get you through it once you are fixed?

Nothing wrong with carrying spare shafts, whether you have alloys in your axle or not. Granted, most of you guys have never run trails outside of Northern California where you can get away with this. I have broken 2 rear D44 alloy shafts, 2 short side alloy front axle shafts, and twisted the splines on a 3rd short side alloy. All of this damage happened in So-Cal at the Hammers, and while on Snake Bait while running 33's.

So this brings up a good point. Why buy alloy shafts at all? Alloys shafts aren't necessary unless you plan on getting into the harder more technical trails, or you are overbuilding you rig in anticipation of trouble. To me, running 35's and a locker with stock shafts is asking for trouble. One slip and boom, you are swapping out the broken shaft. Keep driving on the broken shaft and boom, there goes your ball joints and possibly your weekend. One thing for sure is that you will inconvenience your group while you are fixing your junk.
 
breakdowns happen... if they don't like it, go around!! lol...i personaly like workin on my junk with the smell of pine in the air lol. yes JV is a whole other ball game..my mom has a house in Ontario i grew up wheelin the desert(JV), miss it so much but i love the sierras more.

on that note...i still vote to stay with stock 297s and weld the caps.
 
Overbuild it. Harder trails and 35's are closer than you think. I prefer working on my junk in the driveway, not the trail.
 
playwithit said:
Overbuild it. Harder trails and 35's are closer than you think. I prefer working on my junk in the driveway, not the trail.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I am thinking. I'd like to go run thru JV and Moab in the next year or two and the extra strength wouldn't hurt anything.
 
the_weirdo said:
This is exactly what I am thinking. I'd like to go run thru JV and Moab in the next year or two and the extra strength wouldn't hurt anything.
Click to expand...

...Moab? JV? yes upgrade for sure if you have the money lol
 
i will admit i don't wheel the really hard shit. the nastiest i have done yet is the con. i do eventually wanna run alloys. i don't think its a yes or no question, they are a good idea. they are a great idea. i think if you have the budget then do it. its a no brainer-yes. if you dont have the budget , you can't do it . carry multiple sets of stock spares(they are cheap with 297 joints and unti bearings at pnp) on the harder trails until you can afford alloys, thats what i do. i definetly dont feel good about stock shafts and 35s and a locked 30, it can be scary when the front axle is bound up bad. my next two things are a cheapo homebrew snorkel and cage. then frame stiffeners. then longer rear shocks through the rear floor. then axle trusses front and rear. then rear alloys, then front alloys. then 37s and a better bumpstop situation.
 
wow those ten factory shafts are the way to go. where is the best place to buy them?
 
playwithit said:
I prefer working on my junk in the driveway, not the trail.
Click to expand...

That quote is sigworthy. Too bad more people don't think that way.

I understand the economics of wheeling very well. See, I want to run with the buggy guys, I want to hit these hardcore trails and run the nasty stuff. MY problem is I don't have enough money to run them. I have NO money for 40's, D60's, a tow rig, all that stuff.

So I run my rig on the trails I can handle. The ones my rig can't handle I stay away from, plain and simple. I also remember that even with alloys, I can still break.
 
since this thread ive been reading up on ten factory axles all over different forums. i can guarantee you that if i had an extra 500 id buy em right now. a ten year warranty? damn thats sexy.

the underlying concern in the back of my head is that when you go to chromo shafts and u better joints in the 30 without trussing it that you make the pinion in the 30 the weak point now, especially with 4.88s . you have 4.56s.
in the back of my head my justification for running stock shafts other than i cant afford the 4340s is that id rather break a stock shaft than take out my front pinion.
next is a truss for me.

i think the thing is that im trying not to kid myself, no matter what i do to the front, it is still a dana 30 . it has d44(297 or 760) sized u joints, we can get chromo shafts, and we can truss it, and convert it to wj knuckles and get dual caliper pistons and high steer. but we still have a 7.5" ring gear and a smaller housing.

it seems a truss and tacking the u joint caps should come before chromos if youre concerned with the pinion becoming the weak point bottle neck. if youre concerned with the axle shafts themselves breaking then chromos are a great idea. if youre concerned with u joints then why not throw some 760s in yours (if you have the 297 joints, ) and the truss will help eliminate deflection in the housing. i also think the ruffstuff covers work very well in solidifying the housings on the 30.

my fear is finally forking out the $500 for the shafts and then grenading my front end because i didnt truss it...
 
blondejoncherokee said:
since this thread ive been reading up on ten factory axles all over different forums. i can guarantee you that if i had an extra 500 id buy em right now. a ten year warranty? damn thats sexy.

the underlying concern in the back of my head is that when you go to chromo shafts and u better joints in the 30 without trussing it that you make the pinion in the 30 the weak point now, especially with 4.88s . you have 4.56s.
in the back of my head my justification for running stock shafts other than i cant afford the 4340s is that id rather break a stock shaft than take out my front pinion.
next is a truss for me.

i think the thing is that im trying not to kid myself, no matter what i do to the front, it is still a dana 30 . it has d44(297 or 760) sized u joints, we can get chromo shafts, and we can truss it, and convert it to wj knuckles and get dual caliper pistons and high steer. but we still have a 7.5" ring gear and a smaller housing.

it seems a truss and tacking the u joint caps should come before chromos if youre concerned with the pinion becoming the weak point bottle neck. if youre concerned with the axle shafts themselves breaking then chromos are a great idea. if youre concerned with u joints then why not throw some 760s in yours (if you have the 297 joints, ) and the truss will help eliminate deflection in the housing. i also think the ruffstuff covers work very well in solidifying the housings on the 30.

my fear is finally forking out the $500 for the shafts and then grenading my front end because i didnt truss it...
Click to expand...

I run 4.88s in my rig, same R&P set for all 3 failed shafts. Buy a quality set of gears and don't worry about them. For the record, I think 4.88 gears are stronger than 4.56 due to the angle the ring gear teeth are cut at. Steeper angle = a longer and stronger gear tooth. Normally the ring gear fails, not the pinion gear.

I also run a stock cover with only the crappy Warn half guard. I think you are over thinking the situation. Truss the housing, why? Unless you have a custom track bar mount or other extensive mods don't bother. New housings are cheap.
 
i am thinking some bad bouncing , and the effect of the leverage on the long side of the housing along with torque at the R&P could cause enough leverage on the housing to allow the carrier to move. now causing the carrier to move like this under heavy load seems to be an issue in my head. but im not too sure if its 100% practical to worry about unless youre gofast. . i would think a truss/gusset for the long side to the housing would help reduce this from happening by not allowing there to be any bending or flexing. i guess since we are on the topic of overbuilding a 30. also as for bearing cap deflection, i guess thats not so much of a problem. the more i think about it, the more i think we go slow enough and dont use alot of gas. actually, unless youre doing gofast like this, i dont think you need a truss even for a overbuild with 33-35" tires.

either way it would be very very very nice to have 4340 shafts and 760 joints with full circle clips if the budget allowed.

truss here probably
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfS9zdVjGh4
 
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