Single or two piece axle?

[BlueScapegoat]

I have also been warned by many people that Yukon products are problematic. Has been that way for some years now.

For what it's worth I run US-manufactured Revolution Gear brand rear shafts on my TJ. I think their JL/JT shafts are made in India, however. It should say on their site. At least over in TJ world they're a highly regarded company. I'm not decided yet on upgrading my shafts on the Gladiator or going to UD60s but if I do upgrade the shafts, they'll probably be from Revolution, front and rear.

I don't think foreign made parts are necessarily bad because they're foreign made by any means. It's up to the company to oversee and enforce proper quality control. But if the company is going overseas trying to save a buck, well, there are a lot of ways to save a buck. I do like to try to keep my money local where I can.

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[Flyin6]

I have also been warned by many people that Yukon products are problematic. Has been that way for some years now.

For what it's worth I run US-manufactured Revolution Gear brand rear shafts on my TJ. I think their JL/JT shafts are made in India, however. It should say on their site. At least over in TJ world they're a highly regarded company. I'm not decided yet on upgrading my shafts on the Gladiator or going to UD60s but if I do upgrade the shafts, they'll probably be from Revolution, front and rear.

I don't think foreign made parts are necessarily bad because they're foreign made by any means. It's up to the company to oversee and enforce proper quality control. But if the company is going overseas trying to save a buck, well, there are a lot of ways to save a buck. I do like to try to keep my money local where I can.

I have had questionable luck with Chinese parts. I recall buying some drill bits from a national bolt supplier. The bits were not hardened and none of them worked. I have had bolts not up to spec as well. On the other hand, I have not had any problems with my Yukon 5.13s. I installed a Yukon Grizzly and 4.56 gears in my Duramax 2500 in 2012. With over 100K and a lot of very heavy hauling (I own a farm) I had zero issues.
Now having said that, I did grenade a set of 4.88's in a first gen Tundra, but that was pushing 37's with that tiny differential and had a supercharged motor.
Hearing these accounts of Yukon stuff failing is alarming. I mean to get to the bottom of this.

 

[KrashEd]

I am running RCVs with the FAD and 5.38s, no issues so far, but give me time, I can break a ball bearing in a rubber room. I like the RCVs, the downside is they fling grease.

I kept the FAD because I blew a ring gear (when I still had stock spicer shafts) and pulling the FAD/DS helped to limp my junk home.... 1600-ish miles. I read on RCV's site that the one piece is only 5% stronger by their calculations, so I figured that I'd stay with it. Future mods will dictate removal, however.

 

[willys 41]

Continuing with my build (22 JTR) I am about to purchase the Teraflex big brake kit (4-wheel) and upgrade to forged axles.

Regarding the axles, I will likely be going with the Yukon forged rear axle set. For the front I am considering either the Yukon or the RCV set. Knowing the RCV set is stronger, it then makes the geats the "fusible link." Maybe it would be better to have the U-joint grenade??? Next consideration is the front axle disconnect. I am thinking I want to lose that. Not only is it a weak link, but with removing it I eliminate a possible issue should the disconnecting mechanicals/electronics ever fail.

I'm sure many have considered the same things. What would be your thoughts?

I went with the two piece RCV.
Teraflex big brakes or Delta brake.
I have tried many different bake systems with out success.
After installing the Terafex delta brakes I was amazed on how well they work.
Two features the the delta brakes have that others do not.
1 Toyota Tundra brakes pad.
2 Anti knock back springs behind each caliper piston giving you the superior brake pedal.

 

[whysoserious]

OK, point taken.
But
I am really good friends with one of their executives. I buy stuff from them at a huge discount. I am running their 5.13's for maybe 18,000 miles so far. I can hear them but they run OK. I'll ask my friend about their axles. True, for any price, I do not want to install inferior parts.
Thanks

Not an expert on this, but do you think the 10% tariff on "chinesium" parts will affect your discount, or no?

 

[Just Mark]

Following

 

[Rusty PW]

I had RCV's on my Power Wagon. Put 80,000 miles on them. They're not high maintenance. Greased them once a year with a few pumps of grease. If you over grease them. They will sling grease.

 

[BlueScapegoat]

I had RCV's on my Power Wagon. Put 80,000 miles on them. They're not high maintenance. Greased them once a year with a few pumps of grease. If you over grease them. They will sling grease.

I say they're high maintenance because if you wait too long or don't grease them in time after water or dirt intrusion they can start popping and RCV generally doesn't warranty the clicking/popping then that's it, grease won't fix it. That and you need to grease them through the end of the shaft so depending on your hub/wheel setup you might need to jack the rig up and take the wheels off just to grease them.

I say this as somebody who runs RCVs on one of my Jeeps. I love them, but you do need to stay on top of them. I give them grease after every wheeling trip and I don't even DD my TJ. Once a year on a daily is mighty bold, imo. Especially in PA.

::edit::
Just to add, my preference on daily drivers are sealed u-joints. No greasing at all. So that's sort of why I call them high maintenance, comparatively. Greaseable u-joints need a frequent shot of grease too, especially if you're submerging.

 

[Flyin6]

Not an expert on this, but do you think the 10% tariff on "chinesium" parts will affect your discount, or no?

No, because the parts are currently in stock.
I'm going to call Tate tomorrow to get the real story on his axles. He may be a "wheel" over there but he is also a friend and a moderator on my site who I have known for a decade or more.

 

[Flyin6]

I went with the two piece RCV.
Teraflex big brakes or Delta brake.
I have tried many different bake systems with out success.
After installing the Terafex delta brakes I was amazed on how well they work.
Two features the the delta brakes have that others do not.
1 Toyota Tundra brakes pad.
2 Anti knock back springs behind each caliper piston giving you the superior brake pedal.

That is good to hear and solid feedback
I am starting to settle on two piece RCV fronts, rear shafts still up in the air, but for sure the TF Delta brake swap kit.

 

[Rusty PW]

I say they're high maintenance because if you wait too long or don't grease them in time after water or dirt intrusion they can start popping and RCV generally doesn't warranty the clicking/popping then that's it, grease won't fix it. That and you need to grease them through the end of the shaft so depending on your hub/wheel setup you might need to jack the rig up and take the wheels off just to grease them.

I say this as somebody who runs RCVs on one of my Jeeps. I love them, but you do need to stay on top of them. I give them grease after every wheeling trip and I don't even DD my TJ. Once a year on a daily is mighty bold, imo. Especially in PA.

::edit::
Just to add, my preference on daily drivers are sealed u-joints. No greasing at all. So that's sort of why I call them high maintenance, comparatively. Greaseable u-joints need a frequent shot of grease too, especially if you're submerging.

On the AAM front axle on the PW. You can't grease through the shaft. You have to remove the wheel. Turn the steering full left. Rotate the axle until you see the grease fitting hole in the hub of the RCV joint. Then use a needle tip to grease. To grease the right side. You turn the steering full right. I DD'ed my PW for 140,000 miles. 80,000 of that was with the RCV's. They were still tight when I traded it in. Your experience with them is a lot different than mine.

 

[n0arp]

I say they're high maintenance because if you wait too long or don't grease them in time after water or dirt intrusion they can start popping and RCV generally doesn't warranty the clicking/popping then that's it, grease won't fix it. That and you need to grease them through the end of the shaft so depending on your hub/wheel setup you might need to jack the rig up and take the wheels off just to grease them.

They're rebuildable fairly cheap if they start clicking, though I've never had to do it. $149 for the kit, plus grease I assume.

Grease them at tire rotation. Rotate every 5K. Solves two problems at once.

 

[Flyin6]

OK, I contacted my friend at Randy's (Yukon). Yukon axles are not manufactured in China. They are built in India and he claims they are amongst the very strongest in the market. He says that their heat treating process is better than everyone else.
More to come as I am still researching the parts...

 

[rharr]

In theory, having the 2 piece front could let you run in 2 lo. Basically if you can keep the the collar from connecting when in 4 low, then power can't get transferred from the drive shaft to the wheels. The carrier will just free spin when the diff isn't locked. The spider gears will just spin with nothing to drive power to the other wheel.

 

[AustyPosty]

One reason I like the FAD on the JT is because on my 2017 JK which does not have it, I had to pick between good caster angle for responsive steering or a quiet, vibration free driveshaft, I had to compromise between the two, which wasn't ideal imo.

The FAD allows you to pretty much not worry about front driveline vibrations or noise.

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