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welded diff on a commuter?


mcbrat
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every time i broke those axles on that car it was from extension, not compression.we are talking about a specific build.not you.cheers, b

 

Yes, And I was not talking about that build. I was talking about a specific trip where a guy with a welded diff who had just driven the car 700 miles on the freeway broke both his stubs.

 

I refferenced the other hyperextended axle to point out that NOBODY else had breakage issues except the guy with the welded diff that ran on the highway all the time.

 

Break your diff stubs if you want.

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Yes, And I was not talking about that build. I was talking about a specific trip where a guy with a welded diff who had just driven the car 700 miles on the freeway broke both his stubs.

 

I refferenced the other hyperextended axle to point out that NOBODY else had breakage issues except the guy with the welded diff that ran on the highway all the time.

 

Break your diff stubs if you want.

there are plenty of guys up north that run without breaking them.it is just a part of life when wheeling .stress is stress, i am SURE it iwas not just because he had a welded diff.it was not case study, so there is no way you can state that,there are to many variables.old and different types of metal, different tempers due to different climatizations, etc..........over the life of all of the different parts,from different cars no doubt, from different parts of the country no doubt .

you are trying to put a defenite answer on something that has WAY TO MANY VARIABLES.how one drove is another, etc....there is no answer to it no matter how bad you want there to be...........so whatever.

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...there is no answer to it no matter how bad you want there to be.

 

Speaking to me or yourself?

 

 

There is an answer.

 

Running an open diff does not produce excess strain on the stubs and axles.

 

Running a welded on the pavement DOES produce excess strain on the stubs and diffs.

 

Pretty clear cut answer.

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anyone done it?

 

I'm fixing some stuff on the rear of Grizzly. brake pads, trailing arms, bearing...

 

the axles are rusted onto the diff stubs (and the outsides as well) and are not budging yet... I've got them soaking with yeild right now though...

 

it currently has an open diff...

 

I'm thinking of just ripping the whole mess out since I'm putting in new trailing arms...

and I've got more axles, and I've got 2 spare rear diffs at home. a welded one I ran for years in my Red Brat, and I got it used from WA... and the second one is a VLSD that's in pieces....

 

I've got newish MWE rear axles with Legacy cups (maybe). not sure exactly what combo they were, but they are longer travel, and maybe even a tad longer. I ran them on my Brat before without issue...

 

I also have about 8-10 spare stub shafts for the welded one...

 

My daily commute is about 30 miles each way... Am I gonna eat my tires up super fast if I use the welded diff? I'm not sure if I even have all the parts needed to get the VLSD back in service....

 

Mick

Ive ran welded DD over the last few years , also ran it fully loaded over the pass to the Show, never was a issue , this is on a EA82 , tight turning with a load like in a parking lot was the only concern, if your running a empty car with just you and your lunch box its not a issue, my present DD is open and Ill leave it that way as its not my trail rig,

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Honestly I would say leave it as it is for DD I wouldnt weld the diff just for that and I live in minnesota about an hr and a half north of the twin cities we already have around a foot and a half of snow up here and im still driving around a rusted out eagle vision with front wheel drive till I get everything together to do my brat project (also off topic if anyone has a 120 wirefeed welder they are looking to part with cheap im looking for one to do the body work on my brat)

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Speaking to me or yourself?

 

 

There is an answer.

 

Running an open diff does not produce excess strain on the stubs and axles.

 

Running a welded on the pavement DOES produce excess strain on the stubs and diffs.

 

Pretty clear cut answer.

have you ever had a BRAND NEW diff setup?thats what i thought......that is the only way to have a control in the matter.......

SPEAKING TO EVERYONE ....regardless of added stress, you cannot pigeon hole the issue stating that simply because of a weldedd diff that you will break stubs, or destroy axle cups.cups were made out of several diffferent types of cast,same with stubs but from machined steels.different grades react differently.especially after years of different climates,abuse ettc...

if you just want to argue then fine,but stop trying to state that if anyone here puts in a welded diff that it will cause failure.it SIMPLY is not true.

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I ran around on a welded diff on and off road for about a year.

The axles were horribly rusted on at the wheel end so I never took one out for street use.

I have since put the open one back in due to going more for long distance backroads stuff now, but I never broke a thing.

And I had it up on one rear wheel in steep climbs, and in other "It should break now!" positions plenty of times.

 

I wheel with another Soob that broke an axle (or two) just about every single time we went out.

 

Luck of the draw I think. Mine might have been built on a day when the drivetrain supply came from the right place. We were always hitting the same trails.

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Honestly I would say leave it as it is for DD I wouldnt weld the diff just for that and I live in minnesota about an hr and a half north of the twin cities we already have around a foot and a half of snow up here and im still driving around a rusted out eagle vision with front wheel drive till I get everything together to do my brat project (also off topic if anyone has a 120 wirefeed welder they are looking to part with cheap im looking for one to do the body work on my brat)

 

I already have a welded diff just sitting around...

I'm swapping out trailing arms, and my current axles are frozen/rusted onto the stubs on both sides, so the whole works is coming out... I'll be putting all different parts in. welded diff is one of them....

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I would still say not worth it to do welded diff even if you have it just for a daily driver we get alot of snow up here where im at and regular four wheel drive gets me around just fine unless your going over the snow and threw the woods to get to work? Just my thoughts I have heard things both ways as far as added wear from using one in a daily driver personally I think its all about how you treat your vehicle if you abuse it your going to break things if you treat it good it will last a long time

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  • 2 weeks later...
Pull axle and it's fine. That's what I do. Though I have driven quite a few miles on my welded diff (welded by me) with the axles in place and haven't broken the diff yet - sometimes after taking it off-road I'm too tired to care about pulling the axle :rolleyes:. I've also snapped rear axle cups doing it too.

 

GD

 

Like GD said, What's wrong with pulling an axle for your commute and when you go wheeling, pop it back in?

 

I'd suspect, you'd be able to insert/remove an axle in 5 minutes or less?

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Like GD said, What's wrong with pulling an axle for your commute and when you go wheeling, pop it back in?

 

I'd suspect, you'd be able to insert/remove an axle in 5 minutes or less?

 

I've got hybrid axles in the rear which are a little tougher to get in/out... mostly I don't want to get caught with an axle out when a storm hits...

 

it's all in and running now. welded diff, braced moustache bar, different trailing arms, different rear coilovers. I put in adjustable ones, and cranked them all the way up, replacing the non adjustable ones that were a little taller... I also added a roof basket for my spare, and got the lights wired.

Also put new brake pads in...

And a slant console with CD/MP3 player installed...

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I was thinking of doing this same welded diff to my 83 Wagon. My main concern is not breaking shafts, but it's loss of gas mileage. My driveway to our cabin on our 110 acre property is 1.2 miles long, and is pretty much an adventure to get home everyday.

 

Temps outside right now are 36 below 0, and pulling an axle shaft is not something i'm willing to do. In the winter here it snows a couple feet at a time, and stays, along with freezing rain. Our driveway is nothing more than a luxurious ATV Trail, and in the summer it is worse, as it turns to a rutted mess of mud, so having the welded diff would be good.

 

I can take time getting to work once I'm on paved roads, and town is about 10 miles on paved roads, but it's 13 miles of backroads, unpaved, and not well maintaned. Right now the sub in "open diff" works ok, but could deffinately be improved.

 

 

So What type of gas mileage do you think would be lost with running 29's?? with a welded Diff?

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  • 3 weeks later...

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