I ordered a set of Alloy USA chromoly axleshafts for the front end and got two sets! That's the good news. I checked the driver side new inner shaft against the stock shaft and the new one is short by 11/16". What is going on here? I don't think there is an possible way to use them. But before I return both sets I want to see if anyone else has dealt with this before. I did slip the new shaft into the housing and diff, and it slid right in, but its the position in the knuckle and the fit of the outer I'm not to happy about.
New Axle Shafts - Don't fit!
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The two sets they sent were clearly marked d44/30/30 and are identical. We have three possibilities:
1. The aftermarket axleshafts are different length than stock; or
2. These two sets are the wrong part for my Jeep; or
3. Mis-fabricated
Before I box it all up and send it back I need to see which case it is. I've only pulled the driver's side axleshaft and compared it to the new one. The stock inner shaft measures 17-13/16" overall length (end of shaft to end of ear). The new one is 17-1/8" oal.
1. The aftermarket axleshafts are different length than stock; or
2. These two sets are the wrong part for my Jeep; or
3. Mis-fabricated
Before I box it all up and send it back I need to see which case it is. I've only pulled the driver's side axleshaft and compared it to the new one. The stock inner shaft measures 17-13/16" overall length (end of shaft to end of ear). The new one is 17-1/8" oal.
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X2 They are not known for "quality".kidmugg said:
As I run Vanco's, whenever funds allow depending on what happens up front, I'd run Superior Evo's myself...
Best of Luck,
Mike
If it weren't for the fact that the drivers side inner was 11/16" shorter than stock, which puts the ujoint 11/16" inside the centerline of the knuckle, they would be fine. Again exceedingly poor quality control. These are junk and they are going back to China where they were made. I'll find an American made axle.seal66 said:
First off....relax. The shafts are shorter for production reasons, nothing else. This is not uncommon. Superior/Foote does the same thing. I wondered about this when I got my new set of evolutions from Superior, but Chad looked it up and it was done that way on purpose. I forget the exact measurement so can't remember it off the top of my head, but if you have at least x amount of inches contacting the side gears in the carrier then you're fine. When you pull your stock axles out, you'll notice that the end of the splines do not have signs of wear on them, because they were never inserted into the side gear. Of course this is a moot point with shorter axles since the unit bearing pulls it out of the carrier a bit when the unit bearing is bolted to the outer C. Thus, the location of the ears and u-joint is in exactly the same location. The only difference is that...1. you don't have extra unused splines on the axle, and 2. the axle isn't pressed all the way into the side gear. It's perfectly fine that way and does not lessen the strength of the axle or the side gear.
Second....Alloy USA is now Ten Factory/Motive Gear. Notice the Super D44 kits with 30-spline outer axles ;-) They are just as strong as all the other axles from all the other middle men....er, I mean "manufacturers", with maybe the exception of Yukon (since those actually are different axles). Which brings me to my third & final point...
All the axles from Superior (with the exception of the Evolution series axles), Alloy USA/Ten Factory/Motive Gear (G2 axles are actually Ten Factory axles repackaged & relabeled BTW), and Yukon axles.....are made in India, not China. They all come the same place and go to different "manufacturers"...if you can really call them that. Really, these companies in the US selling these axles are the middle man/quality control dept. Ten Factory actually has a QA facility and department to check that their axles meet their standards, but they do not actually MAKE axles. Some are imported from India, the others are made by a US company called Foote. I'm not sure if Foote is now owned/partnered with Superior now, but that is who actually MAKES American-made axles. One of the axle guys from Superior left to start his own axle company a while ago and is now in charge at Ten Factory. If you compare the Ten Factory axles to Superior axles, they are EXACTLY the same because they came from the same place....with the exception of the Evolution series from Superior. Those are different and you'll know if you have one because "USA" will be stamped into the ears...and you'll pay for it too! I have broken TONS of axles/ ring gears/lockers/spider gears/etc, but I have yet to break.....I'm better not say it
The Yukon axles are noticeably different when you compare them to the Superior or Ten Factory imports, but they still come from India too.
Good luck with 4 Wheel Putts, especially when it comes to gears. While setting the pinion depth, backlash, and shims is not brain surgery it still takes some experience and a little patience to get it right. Whoever is setting up your gears, make sure they know what they're doing.
Second....Alloy USA is now Ten Factory/Motive Gear. Notice the Super D44 kits with 30-spline outer axles ;-) They are just as strong as all the other axles from all the other middle men....er, I mean "manufacturers", with maybe the exception of Yukon (since those actually are different axles). Which brings me to my third & final point...
All the axles from Superior (with the exception of the Evolution series axles), Alloy USA/Ten Factory/Motive Gear (G2 axles are actually Ten Factory axles repackaged & relabeled BTW), and Yukon axles.....are made in India, not China. They all come the same place and go to different "manufacturers"...if you can really call them that. Really, these companies in the US selling these axles are the middle man/quality control dept. Ten Factory actually has a QA facility and department to check that their axles meet their standards, but they do not actually MAKE axles. Some are imported from India, the others are made by a US company called Foote. I'm not sure if Foote is now owned/partnered with Superior now, but that is who actually MAKES American-made axles. One of the axle guys from Superior left to start his own axle company a while ago and is now in charge at Ten Factory. If you compare the Ten Factory axles to Superior axles, they are EXACTLY the same because they came from the same place....with the exception of the Evolution series from Superior. Those are different and you'll know if you have one because "USA" will be stamped into the ears...and you'll pay for it too! I have broken TONS of axles/ ring gears/lockers/spider gears/etc, but I have yet to break.....I'm better not say it
The Yukon axles are noticeably different when you compare them to the Superior or Ten Factory imports, but they still come from India too.
Good luck with 4 Wheel Putts, especially when it comes to gears. While setting the pinion depth, backlash, and shims is not brain surgery it still takes some experience and a little patience to get it right. Whoever is setting up your gears, make sure they know what they're doing.
Thanks Atheist! I am holding off on the return until I go and measure the sidegear engagement. I agree on the unit bearing pulling the assembly to its proper position. I was worried about losing the engagement with the side gear and not lining up with the inner seals properly. I am amazed that the Re-seller (not 4WP in this case) and the "manufacturer's" rep couldn't tell me what you just did. Anyway this is what forums are for and thanks to all of you for input. I'll post at the conclusion of this work and let everyone know how it went and also clear up the other questions floating around. Oh and Merry Christmas to one and all!
JK
JK
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