jk dana 30 vs xj HP dana 30

[Swampy]

From what I have gathered off the internet.

JK D30

-wider(5" wider than xj d30)

-5x5 bolt pattern

-larger housing (same as jk44)

-larger/thicker tubes (same as jk44)

-same inner C's as jk44

-bigger brakes

-bigger calipers

-Jk 2dr curb weight 3900lbs

 

xj d30

-60.5" wms to wms

-smaller housing

-thinner tubes

-XJ curb weight ~3200lbs

 

In my hours of internet wheeling I saw jk rigs running 37s on the jk30. I know overall it is bigger and some what stronger than the xj30. The jk30 has the same housing as a jk44 but its internals are what are different to the jk44. Both jk30 and jk44 have the same size bearings for pinion and carrier, and larger than the xj30 bearings. Until recently 4.88s were the deepest gears you could get for xj axles which now you could get 5.13s unlike the 5.38s available for the jk30. Both axles are high pinion which is good. 

 

Overall I guess my question becomes can a built jk30 axle be used under an xj/mj with 37s? I am looking around and searching to find possible axle swaps without adding all the weight on 1tons. I know xj's are lighter than jk's so that should help with axle strength/survivability.

 

Ideal swap would be jk rubicon d44's f&r but those are hard to come by and usually sell fast. 

 

 

 

 

[Smokeyyank]

Hp44 if you want strength without weight. You can add D60 knuckles and IIRC shafts. Depending where you are, JK30s can be stupid money and might as well build tons. 

[MiNi Beast]

i ran d30 stock non dis, with 33 to 37s and has lasted with me. typical bi yearly swap of wheel bearings is all. took out couple axle joints with 35s and ax 15, but 37s and auto no issues. is it ideal no. can you do it, yes. wheeling should be more about technical driving and your breakage shall be minimum. now if you want to bounce off rocks and hammer down then a more robust axle should be considered. however a built up d30 trussed is fully capable of handling 35s for sure. bigger advantage to a 44 vs a 30 is a larger ring and pinion. also stronger and rebuildable/serviceable wheel bearings and that is what most should be after when considering axle upgrades per their desired tire size.

there's an  idea behind building rigs and building it i  a way that if you do break you can somewhat control, through build options, where it will most likely break. 

[Dzimm]

The problem I see is that with the added width you will need either a lot of lift, cut out a lot of sheet metal, or probably both to make sure your tires don't hit anything.  You'd have to do something to widen the rear and then with that you'd either have to remove the bed or severely chop up an MJ bed.

 

I don't see any reason it can't be done unless the pumpkin isnt in the correct spot to line up the front driveshaft. 

 

As mentioned it's probably not an advisable thing to do unless you really need the strength but it sounds like there are better options.

[ghetdjc320]

57 minutes ago, Smokeyyank said:

Hp44 if you want strength without weight. You can add D60 knuckles and IIRC shafts. Depending where you are, JK30s can be stupid money and might as well build tons. 

Although the JK30 is a bit of an upgrade over an XJ30 in stock form, both axles can be modified to death. By the time you do all the mods (truss, gusset, shafts, locker etc) you’ll be in it for more than a good HP44. That being said, a built xj30 and jk30 are not that far apart when it comes to what they can handle. It’s not a very big upgrade unless you are only comparing stock-to-stock specs. 

[Swampy]

Thanks for the info. I have been searching mainly for a d44's but I only found 2 or 3. 1 a HP is from an f250 so its about ~69" wms to wms (the guy selling it wants $1500 for it) and the others are waggy LP d44 and dodge w150 d44. 

 

I was just wondering what the jk30 strength compared to the xj30 strength. 

The more I price out axle builds tons generally keep coming up cheaper (after I learn to weld and do gears)

 

[ghetdjc320]

1 minute ago, Swampy said:

Thanks for the info. I have been searching mainly for a d44's but I only found 2 or 3. 1 a HP is from an f250 so its about ~69" wms to wms (the guy selling it wants $1500 for it) and the others are waggy LP d44 and dodge w150 d44. 

 

I was just wondering what the jk30 strength compared to the xj30 strength. 

The more I price out axle builds tons generally keep coming up cheaper (after I learn to weld and do gears)

 

I ran a waggy D44 front with a rodeo 44 rear and that was an awesome combo. That was on a built YJ with stroker. Those old school heavy d44’s are awesome axles. The HP of course is better but don’t discount the LP. It was much stronger than I expected. Just think about the size vehicle it came from. I’d say it’s a true 1/2 ton axle.

[Swampy]

Just now, ghetdjc320 said:

I ran a waggy D44 front with a rodeo 44 rear and that was an awesome combo. That was on a built YJ with stroker. Those old school heavy d44’s are awesome axles. The HP of course is better but don’t discount the LP. It was much stronger than I expected. Just think about the size vehicle it came from. I’d say it’s a true 1/2 ton axle.

That was my only issue with the waggy axles is the LP. I know the waggy axle is stronger than the d30 but if I could find or retube a ford d44 that would be perfect

[ghetdjc320]

1 minute ago, Swampy said:

That was my only issue with the waggy axles is the LP. I know the waggy axle is stronger than the d30 but if I could find or retube a ford d44 that would be perfect

It can still handle 37’s with a good set of shafts plus the bolt pattern is perfect for the rodeo/passport Hd44 rear

[MiNi Beast]

do not buy a d44 anything for 1500 if it isnt built and boltin for your application.

[Swampy]

5 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said:

It can still handle 37’s with a good set of shafts plus the bolt pattern is perfect for the rodeo/passport Hd44 rear

What's the width on the waggy roughly 63" right?

[ghetdjc320]

56 minutes ago, Swampy said:

What's the width on the waggy roughly 63" right?

Something like that. I believe it’s actually about the same width as stock. +/- 61” wms-wms. They use D152 brake calipers and can easily run Warn hubs. 

[MiNi Beast]

1 minute ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Something like that. I believe it’s actually about the same width as stock. +/- 61” wms-wms. They use D152 brake calipers and can easily run warm hubs. 

is this apart of the cold weather package? 

[derf]

2 hours ago, Swampy said:

JK D30

-larger housing (same as jk44)

-larger/thicker tubes (same as jk44)

-same inner C's as jk44

Other way around.  The 44 uses a lot of 30 level stuff.  The Rubicon 44 is a Dana 44 center section with the rest being Dana 30 spec parts.

 

The Dana 30 center section is smaller than a 44.  The JK version of both is bigger than the XJ version.  But very thin wall.

 

The JK 30 is stronger than an XJ 30 but it's still not a full Dana 44 strength by a long shot.

 

There are ways to reinforce the weaknesses, but I wouldn't run anything bigger than a 35" tire with one.

[derf]

7 minutes ago, Swampy said:

What's the width on the waggy roughly 63" right?

Same as an XJ front axle.  I ran one for a while and it was under an inch difference between the two.

[MiNi Beast]

thats what she said. 

[ghetdjc320]

51 minutes ago, MiNi Beast said:

is this apart of the cold weather package? 

Yep, they warm up when driving lol. That would actually be pretty cool. Not fun to unlock frozen hubs

[MiNi Beast]

54 minutes ago, derf said:

Other way around.  The 44 uses a lot of 30 level stuff.  The Rubicon 44 is a Dana 44 center section with the rest being Dana 30 spec parts.

 

The Dana 30 center section is smaller than a 44.  The JK version of both is bigger than the XJ version.  But very thin wall.

 

The JK 30 is stronger than an XJ 30 but it's still not a full Dana 44 strength by a long shot.

 

There are ways to reinforce the weaknesses, but I wouldn't run anything bigger than a 35" tire with one.

you skeered? 

[Swampy]

I did find a guy who swapped a set of jk axles. D30 and D44 into his xj. He is running 5.13 gears and 38" tires. He said he did a truss, sleeves, c-gussets and it has held to his abuse. 

 

[derf]

I've seen people break JK 30s on stock tires.  It's all in how you drive.  The more careful you are, the bigger tire you can run safely.  I had 35's with my JK 30 and it's still alive 8 years later.

 

If I'm running big tires, I don't want to have to baby the axle to keep it from breaking.

[ghetdjc320]

3 hours ago, derf said:

I've seen people break JK 30s on stock tires.  It's all in how you drive.  The more careful you are, the bigger tire you can run safely.  I had 35's with my JK 30 and it's still alive 8 years later.

 

If I'm running big tires, I don't want to have to baby the axle to keep it from breaking.

Driving style, transmission, lockers etc. All determine how long something will last. I saw some sort of hybrid crawler one day running 37’s on a d35 and had run that way for years. I would never try that but some do. 

[Swampy]

Thanks for the info. I hope this information helps someone. 

Basically its doable but have to watch how you wheel so you don't break it

[Swampy]

Sorry to bring this up but for possible future reference you can add ball joint eliminators to jk axles which helps eliminate another possible failure point

[MiNi Beast]

1 hour ago, Swampy said:

Sorry to bring this up but for possible future reference you can add ball joint eliminators to jk axles which helps eliminate another possible failure point

never heard of this, should i consider this on our jk? 

[Swampy]

9 hours ago, MiNi Beast said:

never heard of this, should i consider this on our jk? 

https://www.hiredgunoffroad.com/product/american_iron_ball_joint_delete

about $500 for both sides and you replace the ball joint with a metal bushing and a huge bolt