Yet Another Axle Question...

[SafeAirOne]

If we change to 24 spline axles, are we not transferring the failure point from something easy and cheap to fix (the axles) to something expensive and a pain in the a** to fix (like the transmission or transfer case)?

I broke a tooth off the front differential ring gear out in the bush in Mexico despite having a 10-spline inner axle. I WISH the axle would have failed instead...

[leafsprung]

not really, 24 spline axles will still normally break before the output shafts on the t-case. Output shaft failure is unusual. Ive broken five 24 spline shafts two 30 spline shafts and two 1.4 inch 22 spline shafts and only one rear output. If you retain the 4.7 rover ring gear you will be harder on those as they are relatively weak.

-Ike

[SafeAirOne]

If you retain the 4.7 rover ring gear you will be harder on those as they are relatively weak.

Ahh..That might explain part of the problem. To be fair, personal stupidity was what broke my rover-type ring gear. My Rover was very much overloaded when the REAR 24-spline axle cap stripped. I tried limping home on front-wheel drive only and broke the front ring gear trying to negotiate an othwerwise simple obstacle. Either I had some really rotten luck, or the front driveline can't take the full force that's necessary to move an overweight Rover over challenging terrain.

It took me an hour to figure out that the axle caps on the front are the same as the rear despite a Salisbury in back and Rover-type in front. After swapping out the caps I was able to drive out normally in 2WD.

[leafsprung]

you are lucky, only the late ones are the same, the early ones are 10 spline.

[Tim Smith]

... Ive broken five 24 spline shafts two 30 spline shafts and two 1.4 inch 22 spline shafts and only one rear output...

Gee, that puts things into perspective.

And I thought I was tough on axles.