Myke J wrote:
Sounds like you need something a little stronger and with front dig capabilities
I'm a ways away from that step. Dana 44 breaks were just downright getting old. These recent 231 failures have been amusing. Amusement is why I wheel so I don't want to upgrade myself out of such a good time.
Honestly, The first 231 to go had served in my old trail rig it's whole life as well as the first two years with the buggy. It's failure was due to front drive shaft bind. It turned out my front DS was also my limiting strap so the weight of the Dana 60 drooped out broke the case. The second one lived, it just killed the transmission. Now #2 is bad but likely rebuildable. Not a bad record for drivetrain parts in my rig really considering it's on it's second motor and transmission as well.
I've had a hard time with the idea of bolting more than twice the weight in transfer case onto the back of a very thin transmission case. This applies to most brands of auto transmission. The trans cases from the factory were all engineered with a thin lightweight chain driven t-case in mind. Then one day I broke the back of the transmission case off with the lightweight t-case, let alone a 150 pound chunk of aluminum billet packed with bombproof gears.
None of the mounting options I've seen for dealing with the issue do it for me. I'd rather save the money and keep considering my rig "done". No major changes since the front 60 was in and dialed. I just wheel the crap out of it and change the fluids now and then. It's been too good to mess with.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Now I get to build and swap in another t-case and do a thorough go-through on the front axle before the big last run for the year coming up. Fun.