Snapped a front axle shaft on a muddy trail in Pisgah last Saturday

I was crawling up this rocky section near the Black Mountain trailhead when I heard a loud snap and lost all drive to the passenger side. Pulled the shaft out in the parking lot and saw it sheared clean at the u-joint, must have been a hairline crack I missed. Anyone else ever have a joint fail like that on a stock Dana 30 and upgrade to chromoly instead?

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2 Comments

bettywilson2mo ago

Dude that sucks. "Sheared clean at the u-joint" sounds like a classic weak point. I swapped my Dana 30 to chromoly after snapping a stock shaft on a simple rock garden. It's worth the upgrade if you wheel hard.

2

smith.ray2mo ago

Did you at least get a good excuse to hammer something in frustration after that snapped, @bettywilson? lol I know I did when my stock Dana 35 gave out, felt like a rite of passage. Chromoly is the way to go if you're breaking stuff on easy lines.

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