Digger 5

There's no reason a Truetrac can't be used in either a JK 30 or any 44 front. The 44 case will need to be drilled for larger bolt and is a PITA but it can be done.

The Ultimate 44's I've seen did not have a stronger end forging (the 'C'). The other guys, DT, Currie, TF and G2 all use a stronger end forging.

The added caster of aftermarket housing makes a huge difference in the stability of the JK. The factory JK electric locker is much slower to disengage than an Air Locker and can be very problematic. The Air Locker JK Rubicon replacement locker is a big seller and only fits that housing.

SoK66

The end forgings rarely if ever bend, the thinking on that is pretty dated. What bent on the earliest Rubi 44s was the tube right at the forging. The gussets actually stiffened the tube against the forging.

The Rubicon Tru-Loc is as robust as the ARB. The issues with it are mostly slow disengagement or weak engagement, which is solved by shimming the coil. Either is a good choice.

Rednroll

They're also all more expensive as well.

Rednroll

Hi SoK66, I believe you were the one that informed me in the past that many of the aftermarket and stock Dana 44 axles couldn't accept a Detroit/Eaton TrueTac LSD. The Ultimate D44 is at a price which is currently at the max I would want to spend for a front axle upgrade, and is likely more than strong enough for the mild stuff I do. Could you confirm on the TrueTrac fit? You seem to really know your stuff on the different front axle upgrade options and their pros/cons.

Really what I'm debating with myself on at this time is either re-gearing my D30 front and adding a Detroit Truetrac LSD at the same time, or just replace the entire front axle with the Ultimate D44 where I can select the gears I want and also includes a locker, and chromoly axle shafts. I figure it's going to cost me around $1200+ for re-gearing and adding the Truetrac to my front D30, where spending a little more on the UD44 may cost me more than I really want to spend ($3K), but may be a better overall upgrade path for myself.

I don't really care if the Teraflex, Dynatrac, G5's are stronger than the UD44. I have similar plans as the OP and care more that those options cost $1-2K+ more than my budget that I'm already pushing beyond while considering the UD44. Others seem to have unlimited budgets and are able to throw thousands of dollars away on upgrades I may not need.

I here D60 1 Tons, have stronger end forging than the Dynatracs, Currie, Teraflex, and G5 D44 upgrades also....However, none of them fit in my budget plans.

Digger 5

We still see trashed ball joints and the usual cause is bent end forgings (even in later years of JKs). The axle tubes generally don't show any signs of bending (usually). When the end forging bends the ball joint pins aren't properly aligned and it wipes out the internals.

As for the factory lockers, we've had the lockers shimmed and added years to their lives but we still sell a ton of replacement lockers when they fail. It really depends on how hard you wheel.

So much of what we do off road comes down to budget. You pay to play. To me, the real key is to do it once and do it right. I'm on my 4th Jeep now and each experience reinforces that mantra. It's always tough to make those expensive decisions but the best choice is usually to save up for the right part. The piece of mind that comes with right parts is well worth the expense.

SoK66

The Dana engineers claim the opposite, that the inner "C", or end forgings, don't bend, the tubes bend at the welds where they've been wekened fro the heat of the welding process. The UD44 uses a much stronger tube, and they claim a stronger end forging. We haven;t read any complaints about the JK Recon (which got the UD44 stock) having issues with bent tubes or forgings. The lockers, well, you pays your money and makes your choises. In the years since the JK was introduced with the Tru-Loc we haven't had a singe one grenade or fail in any way other than engage/disengage, and those were shimmed with no further issues. Just no need to replace one with an ARB, etc. unless you want to go to 35 spline shafts. At some point it's wise to start considering the D60 upgrades and punt.