Bill, you were right

Eric - What size tires are you running? What kind of locker? What were you doing? I'm concerned because I've got a D35 on 33's.

Carl

I'm running 33's and a D35. The locker was a lock-right from powertrax (or so I think...).

Be careful if you're wheeling any rocks. If I'd have been locked in the front I'd have been ok. But the rear was doing all of the work. I was turning and going up a ledge when it broke. Ugly stuff.

wow... I'm running 33's on my D35 but I'm not locked up. Hope mine doesn't break! How wide are your tires?

Carl

I'm hoping that being open with 4.10's, on 33's, and running a 4cyl I should be OK.

Carl

Avoid overdrive gear. I don't think that it can handle this combination, except maybe in a tail wind or a long descent.

Earle

Gi'day Bill Seeing as you like to collect pics and vids of broken D35's Here's a couple links for ya from the local Jeep Club

and

Cheers Frank

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Now you did it!

We have spent the last 5 years telling Bill that he is an idiot, and now you come around and validate him. Crap. Now we have to start all over again ...

ROTFLMAO!

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Jeff Strickland wrote:

I use 5th gear all the time. Of course, now I have a broken axle, but I don't think that's a coincidence.

Here's a pic showing me under it. Note the snatch block above me, the tow strap hooked to a winch on the driver's side, the high lift just to my left, and the bottle jack on the axle to the right/front of me...

Here's a series. The first one is where the break happened (just click the right carat to cycle through):

Eric

Here is a direct quote (OR CLOSE) from JP magazine June 2005 issue page 48 on differential basics. Q: Can a locker break my Jeep? A: Mr.Reider walks us through it....the greatest torque that can be applied to either wheel with an open diff would be 50% of total power sent to the axle. This is because the spider geas split the torque 50/50., and if one wheel loses traction, then power is lost to the loose wheel and the wheel with traction receives less than 50%. When a locker is installed, no power is lost to the loose wheel, it has to rotate at the same speed as the wheel with traction, and up to 100% of the power can now be directed to the wheel with traction. That can be twice the power the jeep and its components were originally designed for. Meaning the axleshafts or u joints may not be strong enough. Upgrade accordingly.

Eric wrote:

You are just now getting concerned? Lol people amaze me. KH

Okay boys, I have limited off-road experience and none of the extreme of what these videos and pictures have been showing. My question, as a novice and interested party is, just how common is axle breakage? Do you have to "try" to break an axle or is it something I need to worry about?