Lets talk Differential Covers!

[mrmo]

ARB front and back, solid and heavy cast, good features, comparing inside conturing to stock, they are very close. Magnets, bottom drain, level indicator. Like em

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[Rusty PW]

The best aftermarket diff covers were the Rock Crusher covers. Made from cast steel, not cast iron. The covers weight about 25 lbs each. I wanted them for my JT. But the company had gone out of business. I had them on my Power Wagon.

 

[Rusty PW]

This is what my Dana covers look like now.

 

[Boostnu]

The best aftermarket diff covers were the Rock Crusher covers. Made from cast steel, not cast iron. The covers weight about 25 lbs each. I wanted them for my JT. But the company had gone out of business. I had them on my Power Wagon.

Did rock crusher not get bought out by solid? I remember them from back in the TJ days. I was going to order a set but think they were gone by the time I got around to it and I went with the solid ones.

 

[Rusty PW]

Did rock crusher not get bought out by solid? I remember them from back in the TJ days. I was going to order a set but think they were gone by the time I got around to it and I went with the solid ones.

From what I remember. The guy who designed the covers for Rock Crusher left and went to Solid. Took the design with him.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

From what I remember. The guy who designed the covers for Rock Crusher left and went to Solid. Took the design with him.

Companies I worked for said "if you created it while we were paying you, it belongs to us".

 

[Rusty PW]

Companies I worked for said "if you created it while we were paying you, it belongs to us".

A lot of places are like that. After the guy left. Rock Crusher went belly up. The guy could have been part owner? Don't know.

 

[DanW]

A lot of places are like that. After the guy left. Rock Crusher went belly up. The guy could have been part owner? Don't know.

If they did not patent it, he could do whatever he wanted with it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If they did not patent it, he could do whatever he wanted with it.

Doesn't have to be patented.

 

[Rusty PW]

But at the end of the day neither employee or employer will have rights to the design unless they filed for a patent.

Couple of places that I worked at. When I was hired. One of the pieces of paperwork I signed stated that anything that I invented on company time belonged to the company. The one company gave me a $20,000 spot bonus for one idea that I came up with.

 

[Dougstdig]

Tflex

 

[Josh00333]

Has anyone had a problem with the durability of the stock covers? I had a 2019 JL sport and those diffs help up amazing even after years of abuse. Curious to understand the advantages?

I am adding this as a part of doing the work in general. Also, my worry is or fear is scraping that cover on a rock, my typically four wheeling is in Moab or dry, rocky stuff, not necessarily destroying the cover, but damaging enough so it leaks. So that’s my fear even if all I do is add a cool, looking thingy and solve an irrational fear probably a win in my book. One thing I have read about/talk to guys about is a stronger cover act as a second-half to the pumpkin from a strength standpoint versus the thin metal of the factory how much that really adds I don’t think I can qualify that.

 

[bd100]

An option to consider if towing and heat are a concern:

Review: Purple Cranium Spider differential guards

 

[Hootbro]

But at the end of the day neither employee or employer will have rights to the design unless they filed for a patent.

Employers or even former employers can still have an employee or former employee’s issued patent reassigned to the company if they can prove the employee had at one time garnered the knowledge base for the invention while in the company’s employ.

Seen it before years back at my employer in Aviation Manufacturing. Worked with a woman who worked the development test lab for aircraft avionics system. She left the company and within a year, had filed and had a patent issued to her as the inventor for a component diagnostic system that was basically what she was doing when employed by my current employer. The company filed a lawsuit against her and won judgement that assigned the patent to the company as the “assignee” but the former employee still retained the listing as inventor. She could no longer capitalize on her invention.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

But at the end of the day neither employee or employer will have rights to the design unless they filed for a patent.

Sorry, not true. There's also copyrights, implied or otherwise. The scripts and automation I devised while at PFG belonged to them and I could not sell that work to any other entity. I have copies but could not use any of it while I did contract work for Cementech or other companies.
I did some research last night and found more than you might imagine. The design was paid for by his employer.

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