Jeff Daniel's Axle Upgrades

General Maintenance

Gearing

Lockers

Chromoly Shafts

Axle Tube Seals

Gussets

Inner Tubes

Trusses

Brake Upgrades

Differential Covers

Skid Plates

Complete Swaps

Chromoly Shafts

Axle shafts are a common part to break on the trail. You get suctioned into deep mud or up against a rock where your tire is unable to spin, you press on the throttle and everything wants to move but can't...snap!, there goes a shaft. Axle shafts can break on the street as well, usually a result of higher horsepower/torque engines and a heavy footed driver.

Why does this happen? Basically the stock shafts are made of steel and designed to hold a stock size tire. Throw on some oversized tires and push the limit - something has to give, a drive shaft or an axle are among the most common. A set of 4130 chromoly shafts is the best thing you can do prevent axle failure. Many aftermarket companies produce these shafts and the shafts have a few options. The biggest difference is the spline count, some shafts are designed to work with your stock differential carrier while others require you to upgrade. If you choose to upgrade this is a great time to add a locker.

TEN Factory front shafts	TEN Factory rear shafts

So what is chromoly? Chromoly is an abbreviation for chromium-molybdenum steel - an alloy that is 40% stronger then conventional steel. And the 4130? 
The "41" denotes a low alloy steel containing nominally 1 percent chromium and 0.2 percent molybdenum. The "30" denotes a carbon content of 0.30 percent. In addition, as normal constituents of plain carbon and low alloy steels, there will be around 0.2-0.5 percent silicon, 0.5-1.0 percent manganese, and well under 0.1 percent of each of a dozen or so other elements whose presence is unavoidable, in a few cases deliberate, and generally not harmful. The remaining 97-98 percent is iron. Well that was easy...

Another great option when upgrading your axle shafts is a set of RCV Performance Ultimate CV Axles. These actually eliminate the U-joint from the equation and are a low maintenance option. Tests prove Ultimate CV Axles to be twice as strong as OEM Jeep axle shafts, and they're just as tough at a straight angle as they are at extreme angles where U-joints are weakest. Ultimate CV Axles also eliminate U-joint binding to allow smooth transfer power to the ground.