Dana 30 bearings vrs hub

[banshee]

Question is there an outer for a Dana 30 that a guy can buy that uses normal bearings and not the hub type bearing??

And keep my 5 on 4.5 lug patern

[Blue XJ]

There are conversion kits for the dana 30, warn, milimarker, omix ada and a few other companies make them.  They are about $1200 though, I picked up a used Warn kit for $250 quite a few years back.  I haven't had any issues with it, it's nice to unlock the hubs and not worry about ruining $150 wheel bearings when wheeling in the mud and water.  For a factory application, I don't think there was a D30 except the ones in the old CJ's.  You'd have to get into a dana 44 for manual hubs, unless you bought the conversion kit.

 

http://www.jeep4x4center.com/alloy-usa-d30-manual-locking-hub-complete-conversion-kit-all-12195.html

[Eagle]

The early XJ/MJ front hubs had NOMINALLY serviceable bearings. I wrote "nominally" because service requires a hefty hydraulic press, and by the time you buy the two bearings and associated seals the cost is about the same as buying a complete hub/bearing unit.

 

That said, what's wrong with the hub/bearing? They typically last between 100k and 150k miles.

[mvusse]

They have very little grease in them from the factory. Wheeling in wet conditions (as in water over the axle tube) will wash that grease out in a matter of minutes. After that the bearing will last at most a couple of weeks before it starts to get play in it.

[Eagle]

They have very little grease in them from the factory. Wheeling in wet conditions (as in water over the axle tube) will wash that grease out in a matter of minutes. After that the bearing will last at most a couple of weeks before it starts to get play in it.

Sorry. I KNOW this is incorrect, because I wheeled both my '88 XJ and '88 MJ all over paragon and on a number of trails in the Mohawk Trail region of Massachusetts, including several stream crossings and deep fords -- no harm to hubs. In fact, the '88 XJ is on the third hub on the driver's side at 287,000+ miles -- and still on the original on the passenger side.

[mvusse]

Hmmm, my daughter's unit bearings will last months without a problem, but without fail, a week after her taking it off road they will have play in them, and after removing them and spinning them by hand you can feel there's no grease left. And these are Timken ones.

[johnr]

Hmmm, my daughter's unit bearings will last months without a problem, but without fail, a week after her taking it off road they will have play in them, and after removing them and spinning them by hand you can feel there's no grease left. And these are Timken ones.

as you know mine is not a DD but I have had the same 2 unit bearings in mine for 3 years. probably have 5000 on them with no issue

[ftpiercecracker1]

Hmmm, my daughter's unit bearings will last months without a problem, but without fail, a week after her taking it off road they will have play in them, and after removing them and spinning them by hand you can feel there's no grease left. And these are Timken ones.

 

 

Is she running bigger tires, heavily offset rims, or wheel spacers? All these things put additional stress and leverage onto the wheel bearings. I assume the feeling your talking about is a rough/course feel as the bearing spins, yes? I am quite surprised to hear you are having such trouble with the Timken units.

[86FUBAR]

As far as I know my mj had the originals in it when I got it and I drove it for 7 more years till I upgraded the shafts .I inspected them and they were perfect ! After years of wheeling and running around with large tires and offset wheels I replaced them with the mile marker hub kit for IIRC about $550 and later upgraded the hubs to the HD warn outer hubs. I still have the original wheel bearings that I throw in the truck when I go wheeling incase somebody needs one .

[mvusse]

 

Hmmm, my daughter's unit bearings will last months without a problem, but without fail, a week after her taking it off road they will have play in them, and after removing them and spinning them by hand you can feel there's no grease left. And these are Timken ones.

 

 

Is she running bigger tires, heavily offset rims, or wheel spacers? All these things put additional stress and leverage onto the wheel bearings. I assume the feeling your talking about is a rough/course feel as the bearing spins, yes? I am quite surprised to hear you are having such trouble with the Timken units.

 

 

 

She runs 265/75R16 (about 32x10.50) on Jeep KJ Liberty rims. Stock backspacing, no spacers keeps the tires completely inside the wheel well. Like I said, as long as she keeps them out of the water they stay fine.