Derrick_Merwin

Ok in a few months I will be doing a regear and add an artec front axle armor kit to my d30 as well as nitro sleeves this is in preparation for some 35" trail graps I will also be doing LCA skids on the rear axle as well my question is should I truss the rear axle as well while I'm getting all of this done? I want to strengthen my axles for the 35s and because I want to be able to wheel moderately hard and not have to worry about them it's my daily so I won't be doing anything crazy I just don't want to have to deal with a bent or broken axle housing down the road

Blizz

I haven't done it yet, but I am in the same boat as you and with the same plan. When I bought my jeep, I did so because I work in a steel mill that is filled with dirt roads that are poorly kept to say the least. However, I do drive about 30 miles highway each way just to get there so I knew I needed to be weary about my wheeling habits. Safety is my number one priority.

I have 35s on my jku sport now and as a street jeep, its totally fine to drive on the highway and all that. Its wicked slow now because I have my stock 3.21 gears in there, but I don't mind I only dropped about 2 mpg anyway. It does great running over and through the poorly plowed snow we have on the mill. I just don't feel comfortable wheeling yet.
With that said, I have 4.88 G2 gears ready and waiting along with artec front AND rear axle armor. Its really not that much extra cash for the rear armor, but from what I've seen, that extra safety is vital in otherwise compromising situations.

Once I pick up my front carrier for me gears and find a shop near me that I feel comfortable working with, its time for the next step. With something like this, you want to do it all at once and what better time to weld on some trusses than when your axles are down for gears? It makes sense to me! haha

Question for you, where did you pick up your sleeves from? Its something I've been debating throwing in as well.

Not sure if any of that helped, maybe more experienced members can chime in.

Waldo_88

If money allows it, sure, truss the rear too. Why not? But I, personally, would feel safer if I spent money on a D44 or D60 front axle rather than reinforcing the tubes on a D30. There is no way to build a bullet proof D30.. Not only is the housing week, but especially with a re-gear, the ring a pinon gears are going to be super weak in the D30. When you regear, the number of teeth on the R&P will decrease, putting more stress on the teeth. Versus, a low gear, that has many teeth. With many teeth the pressure is spread out. When you move up to a D44 or D60, the ring a pinion increases in size dramatically.

sjd78

Personally I would save the money spent on a truss and sleeves and get a pro rock 44 and be done.

Derrick_Merwin

I was thinking about that but it will cost me about 380 to add the artec armor and sleeves so for the amount of wheeling I do I think that will be fine for now and somewhere down the road I would get a prorock 44

sjd78

Just be prepared because the stock housing will warp very easy when welding on a truss. Then you'll need a new housing and be out the money for the sleeves and armor kit.

Invest2m4

IMO, a PR44 is a terrible investment. $5k for a D44 makes no sense. You can make a stock housing nearly as strong for the above mentioned $380. You can buy a new Rubicon 44 for $1650. All in, a little over $2k. However, if you plan to run 37s or larger, skip all that and build a D60. Nothing on a D44 addresses the weaknesses of the ball joints and ring and pinion (coming from a guy who blew up a D44 with 37s). You can build a D60 that is stronger than a PR60, for about $3k.

JK505

Bought a trussed and gusseted front rubi d44 for under $500. The deals are out there if you're patient and on a tight budget

Invest2m4

Completely agree. Not a single reason to throw $5k away on an axle that can be had for $500.

sjd78

In my opinion trussing and or sleeving a d30 or d44 is a waste of money. Not only do you risk warping your housing but it still won't be as strong as a pro rock. Also not everyone has the interest in sourcing a junk yard axle and building it to fit a JK. And not everyone needs a complete front axle. For those who have a rubicon 44 that needs replacing because of bent tubes or c's can get a PR44 housing for $2300 and swap the rest of the OEM parts over. I do however agree that d60's would be awesome whether built or bought.