I've always run greasable u-joints because if you have water crossings you can grease the joint and push any moisture out. The non greasable u-joints most commonly still have drilled trunnions (from what I have seen). The non greasable are supposed to be sealed to prevent intrusion but I've changed plenty of them that were rusty and dry inside. In my opinion a maintainable joint is the way to go.
Hiya Hollie, I agree with you and Rudy as far as U-joints are concerned. Older axles ALWAYS fight you. I know you are used to being able to use the "best stuff" on the market for all your personal stuff but now you get to see how us everyday people build our stuff on our budgets. Great work on getting that axle apart.
I cut the bearing cages off with a cutting wheel, then score the inner bearing race almost all the way through then smack it with a chisel a few times. Usually pop right off. Measuring the old shims for duplication assumes the new carrier is the same dimensions (it may not be). A good way to set them up is buy spare bearings, sand them until they are a slip fit on the carrier. Dana 60 should have .015" preload on the bearings. Set that up first, then move shims side-to-side to get the backlash correct, then press on new bearings. Throw your new setup tools in the toolbox for future use.
Agree with everything, but carrier bearings are expensive…Instead of buying bearings to make set up bearings with, that’s how we plan to use these old ones. 😀👍🏻
In heavy duty apps in construction. logging and snow removal I too prefered the U-Joints with a grease port on all four needle bearing caps. We used the larger yokes so the solid crosses bearing surface was larger diameter and allowing us to maintain the needle bearings for longer service life. We did not use external zerk fittings since they were prone to getting snapped off by debris and would use a grease needle to service them via the easily removed and replaced solid plugs. The larger yokes were also less prone to breakage as were the heavier 2 ton axles from the W600 series trucks which were shortened and installed in the 3/4 ton pickup trucks. Favored the enclosed ball knuckles similar to our heavy pay loaders too since we could fill them with Lubriplate and keep dirt/debris from the U-Joints inside the front knuckles further extending their service life. With the old Dodge/Fargo trucks, as I've likely mentioned before, you could order the 200 series trucks with the 2 ton axles and drive shafts from the factory making this a economical factory engineered solution with the last one we got set up this way cost about $3,500 new including the PTO winch, heavier transfer case, iron transmission and 4,800 lb clutch from the 2 ton trucks set with hubs to fit 16.5 inch rims. It even had that newer thing we didn't see very often called Air Conditioning which we would sometimes turn into an on-board air compressors when they became more common. Back when engineers were more fully in charge of designing trucks and not stylists. We could use those trucks to fill in for farm tractors and pull ground engaging implements with them in emergencies. Capable or carrying 4 to 6 tons in the bed off-road and often pushed well beyond that since we used 16 ply tires on them. Workers call them the Beasts 50/60 years ago. Different type of extreme for heavy service work in grueling applications where downtime meant lost income or losing the contract entirely. Rot from heavy road salt use was much more common than breaking those old 2 ton axles and drive trains. Suppose we were spoiled by being able to get em set up the way we wanted from the factory back then. If you have a good eye you might still be able to spy those old 200 series Dodges with the factory modified 2 ton axles out in the wild, junk yards, etc. Best!
I run the sealed solid U-joints because when I change the oil and grease my stuff (1998 XJ and 1969 IHC Scout on 44's) with lunchbox lockers in all the axles (1 Spartan, 1 Aussie, and 2 Powertrax) the U joints are almost never where they need to be to get the grease gun on them. Rather than have to jack the entire vehicle up to get the axles turned to grease all the joints, it's easier to just run the sealed and have that much less to deal with. Yes, with proper greasing the grease-ables might last a little longer, but U joints are easy to change and not having to fight to get the grease gun on all the joints is worth changing one every once in a while.
I converted to RCV's in my steer axles nearly 20 years ago...and 1350 Spicer non-greasable for the driveshafts in the CJ and 1410 Spicer non-greasable in the driveshafts in my WOD "Jeep" you saw at Windrock last August...think really, really green...and Jason Vanover.
I like my front birfield axle, inner chromoly shafts. Had on my Tacoma maybe 8 years now. Knock on wood still in good shape. Maintenance is the key and some beers.
A day, without a Mischief-Maker / Miss Hollie video, is a bad sad day for-me 😔 soooooooooooo, I make sure I beat the blues by watching every video she comes out with every day!!!!!!!!! And hit the LIKE-BUTTON!! button, so it comes up in my feed!! YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!
Over many years I've owned over a half dozen Ramchargers. Only 2 pop-tops. A '78 and an '80. All of them were stock, with mud tires. I'm excited to watch this build. Over 20 years ago, I went looking for another '80 RC. Spent a few months searching for a decent example, gave up and settled for an '80 Powerwagon. It's the extreme opposite of what I was searching for, long box, Clubcab. But it had the 360, 4spd, manual everything. Only options are two tone paint, dual tanks, and cargo light. Ramchargers Rule!
One trick when using solvents and grease without gloves is to slather hand cream/ moisturizer on your hands before working. It's slimy for a bit, but the lotion helps seal the skin and makes cleaning them easier without harsh chemicals.
Tack weld those caps on those 1480s. Those stock shaft Cs or ears, whatever you want to call them flex a lot and will squirt the caps out. I run 1550s on my SD60 with stock shafts.
I use only Spicer “Life time” u-joints . They are a solid non grease able joint , and last in my jeep a super long time , i have yet to replace one and they are still super tight , expensive but worth it to me anyway..
some people also want the axle shafts to be cheaper and like a fuse,,, its easier to swap in a new shaft then rebuild the center section.. its not necessarily being "cheap" but could be seen as "strategic"
Hollie in my opinion you are good at what you do and a really good teacher. I always find your videos educational because you know what you are doing and safety is always your top priority. I am really enjoying this build series you and Rudy are a great team and you both can learn from each other
Dana spicer lifetime greasable u joints are rocksolid, affordable and if u do lots of deep watercrossings non greaseable just rust and turn to dust after a couple months
Harbor Freights 12 ton press is on sale thru the 14th.. (or maybe all month?) for $149.99. Not sure how much tonnage you need but if that's enough it would make things a lot easier.
I would definitely get a 12 ton shop press. We literally used it 2x in the past year for front and rear axle assemblies on my 08 Wrangler. Put 10 Factory axle assemblies on and needed the press for the bearings and other components. Definitely made the job a hell of a lot easier.
Knipex 4611A3 is the size for those horrible snap rings. I about lost my mind over the driver's side of my axle over that ring and I had the right tool. I feel your pain.
Exceeding budgets are almost a given. Very few projects stay within budget no matter how big or small. Keep forging onwards and find the best places to save money. You’re not building an off-roader that will be used for years to come. It just has to win the challenge.
You REALLY need to take care of yourself, eating correctly (Regular times and healthy, low or no sugars.) as you are diabetic. My wife has diabetes also, she has all but cut sugars from her diet. The reason for the drastic change is her uncle passed because his diabetes was NOT under control. He had gone blind and lost both his legs below the knee. so PLEASE take care of yourself. Love what you and Rudy are trying to put together and wish you all the best. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. 👍
My 1979 bronco is running stock u-joints with 31x10.50x15 wheels and in 20plus years of off-roading the California's and Northern Nevada trails. Now granted I do not climb big rocks. I have had only one u-joint fail and it was from lack of maintenence. In fact the entire Bronco is running on stock gear.
Non greasers for me. In my yj I would carry spares and a 3 lb hammer and had a bench vice bolted to the front bumper. Changing u joints on the trail was still all too common but not difficult
When I had my 81 F250 ford with 1 ton drive train I had a DANA 60 in the front, the rear had a DANA 80, 300-6 with a granny low 4 on the floor. This was was tied to a Borg and Warner 1045 transfer case. All drive train bearins were Warner witn the universals beind greaseable but can't remember the brand but they would have tough as they were never a problem. All this was mounted on BFG 9.5 x 16.5 mud terrain and drove mostly olg logging roads hunting and fishing. Daily driver until my nephew wlaked away with not paying after I sold him the motor. Oh! Well live and learn
i have the napa heavy duty ujoints. the caps are greaseable. the body is forged and solid. it has needle bearings. my hubs stay locked most of the time. 30k miles and some serious off road pulling with no issues.
What size tires and you mention pulling, but are you rock crawling. One of the biggest issues I’m seeing is that what some folks consider extreme can really vary. My issue with any uJoint that has needle bearings is the size of the post. I can put a set of calipers on the Super Joints I have here, but that additional thickness is what matters most for me. That’s where all of the varying solid joints I ran were failing.
So one trick for snap rings is break clean!!! The grease is a large part of the problem ,clean the holes in the snap ring and let it dry or hit it with air and clean the snap ring pliers and they grip better. This works almost every time.
I don’t mind greasable joints for driveshafts. They see a ton of rotation and movement and being able to quickly and easily service them is key to longevity…but for axle shafts, you are much better off with a solid joint! As long as you inspect them regularly, there is usually a good visual or audio indication that they are in need of being replaced 👍🏻
I've for many years been using solid crosses, boring and tapping the caps for grease fittings. A little time consuming but the best all around solution in my mind.
Years ago Ian Johnson did a explanation on why not to use greaseable u joints because they are week due to the channel that runs inside of the cross hatch .Ever since that day I have never used a greaseable joint again. Take care Hollie and Rudy and catch you on your next video .
I was screaming at the monitor that the bearing separator was on backwards and might snap or bend the bolts on a heavy pull like that especially if it hadn't been closed far enough. Be sure to clean up the damage the separator caused to the carrier so the new bearings and shims will seat completely and evenly before you put it all back together. Best!
Needle bearing tolerances are lower in greaseable u-joints as well, so if you are not actually regreasing them like 90 some odd percent of people, the lower tolerance needle bearings will fail extremely fast compared to the low tolerance non-greasable u-joints. If you are seeing lots of water, use a molybdenum grease as it will resist wash out better. If I am going to the local parts store, non-greaseable Moog Super Strength, if I am ordering off Rock Auto then OEM Dana Spicer non-greaseable, usually get it for the same price as a moog jobber part or even less sometimes.
15:58 😂 Except not grabbing the shims/pumpkin with the puller. Those pullers were putting in some work! Clamping onto the pumpkin, thinking the bearing to pop off was funny. But when yall put the other puller on the pumpkin with the first clamp firmly clamped to the pumpkin... I thought to myself, well we are going to find out which puller breaks first. Pullers are always fun, I recently modified a 3 point puller to use chain instead of claws on a harmonic balancer. That thing was on there crazy tight.
This is for both MM and RAD. Amazon has inexpensive differential bearing tools for sale! Just purchased mine for doing up to Dana 80's for 97 dollars. No more hokie bearing puller shim destroying gadgets. Saves so much time. I havent even used mine yet. If either of you would care to come pick it up in person, I would give it to you. Of course I understand it would be much cheaper for you to buy your own. Stay blessed.
As pointed out by some others, the non-greaseable joints are hollow too. Moog and spicer have heavy duty versions that are much stronger, and a lot of them have the grease zerk in the end of one of the caps on the crosses that make maintaining them much easier. But, to grease the joint, you need a needle attachment for your grease gun as the zerk is almost flush mounted.
Grease displaces water. I run greaseable. I don't do what you do, but a $13 trail fix sounds a lot better than a $300+ (150?)set of yukon superjoints to me.
I have run every type of u-joint known to man, and they all let me down. Break a u-joint and you are most likely gonna take out one or both axles due to it messing up the yokes on the shafts. I now run Super joints, and have zero issues in 8ish years. I do put the lubricant/anti-seize in the caps before every wheeling trip. I do hope you are gonna at least run the 35 spline outers. BTW Matt has the mac daddy bearing puller that works GREAT! Save yo old bearings if you didn't destroy them, take them to a machine shop and have them hone the centers, save them as a tool for the next time you do this job!
i always use genuine spicer non greasable, because they are forged, heat treated and cryo treated so they are as strong as they can be. the seals are made to be fully sealed and they have high quality grease. (even the used ones you showed still have an airtight seal. these are the best joint for a 4wd with or without hubs that gets used on and offroad. greasable ones are typically budget the seals are designed to let grease out so they need to greased often. even if you didn't break them they only last as long as non greasable except you waste time and money greasing them. specialty non roller u-joints are only good for slow speed crawlers, they can't be used at prolonged high speed and they can't be used on road at all without freewheeling hubs or with the hubs locked. so if you crawl one week, climb mountains the next and cross a desert the week after that they're no use to you. also gun drilled is stronger than a solid shaft so being drilled for grease channels or pockets is not a disadvantage.
Great points! I went through 6 sets of chromoly inner and outer shafts trying out different uJoints including spicer joints. The solid joints seemed too weak to prevent breaking, but strong enough to completely ruin the ears on my 4340 shafts. Luckily my axle manufacturer has a lifetime guarantee on shafts, but he offered to help find a better solution (in an effort to save himself money and save me time/hassle). Our first step was to switch to SuperJoints - which as you said was only really an option because MM is a dedicated trail rig and/or double disconnected when on the road/highway. If that didn’t work he was going to upgrade me to RCVs free of charge as a next step. Luckily the SuperJoints were the appropriate step.
Gun drilled is NOT stronger at all. A gun drilled 1" rod (or trunnion) is weaker in shear than a solid 1" rod. This is why greasable u-joints are not desired when ultimate strength is the priority. Gun drilled is lighter. This is a great trade off in torsion where the majority of the strength comes from the material furthest from the center axis. So if you have a 40 spline axle shaft that is gun drilled it is lighter then the non gun drilled version but only slightly weaker. In shear you want area. Gun drilling just removes area from the cross section. It makes a rod or trunnion (or bolt) weaker in shear (also in tension). In torsion a hollow center can be advantageous for the weight savings, but the same OD solid bar would handle more torque. If weight is a factor you can get a higher torque rating than a solid shaft by using a tube with a larger OD than by using a rod of a smaller OD. The two will weight the same but the tube will handle more torque. This is why drive shafts are hollow, relatively thin wall, large OD tubes. Pound for pound a tube is stronger (in torsion), but if weight is not a factor a tube is weaker than the same OD in a rod. So in u-joint trunnions, drilled grease channels absolutely make them weaker because the OD of the trunnion is the same but material has been removed from the cross section reducing the cross sectional area.
@@Fix_It_Again_Tony that is incorrect a drilled shaft is more rigid and it is heat treated all the way through. in the case of the u-joints both the greasable and non greasable have the trunions drilled. they wouldn't gun drill the drive axles on locomotives if it was just to save weight and had no strength benefit. they'd leave them blank like carriage axles. the loco axles are driving the whole train and carrying the weight of the loco 70T+
I can confirm that greasable vs non greasable are basically the same. The MAJOR difference you will see is quality amongst brands/ranges. Cheap ones are made of lower quality steel and case-hardened (only the surface). Better ones are forged and case hardened. Top-of-the-line are forged, sodium hardened and cryo treated, with a proper and controlled tempering. They are hard, but will absorb impacts to avoid developing cracks. Machining is a big part too. Crack start at sharp corners of rough machining surfaces. I personally run greasable SKF BF series with the cap zerk fitting. Does not have the 5th hole in the center and the cross-bore is tiny, doesn't really affect the strength. And I would 100% replace a u-joint on the trail, that can be found at basically any auto part store than dumping half the fluid from the diff trying to change an axle shaft, possibly ruining the seals at the same time.
I run stock greasable U joints. I don’t have enough power to break them. Eventually I’m planning to gear down and I could break them at that point, but I’d rather break a u joint than an axle.
I don't do nearly the intense crawling and off roading you guys do, and thus kept the IFS on my Yota and Chevy. So, my favorite U-joints......are CV axles. In front at least.
"In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most. No system of energy can deliver sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it. This universal truth applies to all systems. Energy, like time, flows from past to future".
Great job Hollie, Rudy and Walter!! Why let a little thing like no press and too short of bolts stand in your way!! LOL!! Nice thinking on those snap ring pliers Walter!!
I use non greasable. No super joint for me as $550 vs $32 for joints that are still stellar and not my vibe. I do have a bit of a interesting view on non greasable joints though. Last I looked they still are drilled though the middle and filled with grease from the factory but the greasable have a zerk. Let me know if you are seeing something different. Maybe I didn’t look close enough?
Don’t know much about them axle but do you think you should wield the tubing to the housing for more strength cuz it’s tack on? As for them Yukon joints, I’ve never herd of them till now, 😎…
Spicer does offer a forged trunnion grease-able 1480 joint (spl55x-4x) that wouldn't have any strength disadvantage when compared to the non-grease-able forged version. The weaker version is the 5-188x
I’ve run them. I’ve broken them. Also broke 2 sets of the solid spicer joints. 42” + sticky tires can break lots of things and I’m not exactly throttle happy…I crawl everything. They just couldn’t do the job…
@@MischiefMakerTV Can you use some junkyard 1550 u-joint shafts from a similar year F450-550 in that F350 housing? Not sure that would be any cheaper than just using 1480 superjoints in the existing shafts...
I've wheeled all the vehicles in the challange stock. The fzj80 based Lexus i think is going to crush the competition. It by far has the best stock suspension stock axles with avalible factory electric lockers rear full floater. The ramcharger does sound better with a v8.
It's fighting you because the Ramcharger doesn't want Ford parts on it. Lol You could have used Dana 60 from a 1st gen diesel truck along with doing a 205/203 doubler . I have done something similar to my Ramcharger using the 1 ton running gear under it with the factory 440 .
If you have the transfer case in neutral, the two drive shafts are hooked together as if in 4wd. If coasting, or towing, the front shaft will turn with the rear shaft. I assume you meant the transfer is in 2wd.
Pinion and side brng races come off easily if you remove the cage and rollers, then weld the race and watch it practically fall off because of the heat ❤❤❤
Ive seen a few times now where your shop could greatly benefit from a small oxy/acetylene setup. If you took a torch to those carrier bearings theyll expand and basically just drop right off the carrier. My ujoint situation isnt worth bragging about but I'm only on 35s with a diy trussed dana 30 and chromoly shafts. Ive settled with greasable joints for 2 reasons. #1 I live in a part of the northeast where the beavers like to turn everything into deep water crossings and being able to grease them easily is a must, #2 they also act as a fuse and will break before anything else expensive does and theyre an easy trail fix. If I put RCVs in there I'd be wrecking ring gears plus I'd be an idiot for putting shafts in a 30 that cost as much as a dana 60. If you get creative and find some "friends" to gift you the parts you need you can keep that invoice total a lil lower. Theres a big difference between breaking the rules and bending the rules. P.S. Your frustrated face is much more patient than mine. I usually start inventing 4 letter words and throwing wrenches around like I'm trying out for a dodge ball tournament 😂😂😂 Looking forward to seeing you and Rudy dominate the Ultimate Adventure🤙🇺🇲
I just spent a week in Moab with my 70 Bronco. I lost a front axle ujoint on Kane Creek. Non greasable. It was dry and nasty. Never again will I run non-greasable joints.
The thing about calipers is they r awesome but they will never tell u 100% percised numbers on 1 setting cause the numbers r so close its hard for it to be 100% on point so where it said 12 but suppose to be 11 it was prob at 11.9 but checking one outta time ull never see those differences cause it shows .2 not and cant show u if its .2.3 or what not so what id always do is check them in a pack and then if im replacing id check in packs so they add upto what i removed im no pro at building axles tho but makes more sense to put back 100% of what u removed or a small bit more if needed not less. Morel of the story is u can check one by one but always check the full stack to so u know what u removed closer to the real number and not less
Holly, we live in a disposable item, consumer based society driven by extreme sports. I like them too. I'm driving 40+ yr old Toyotas with serviceable U-joints and have not yet had an issue with stock. I haul 1000 lb loads of fire wood in the winter and live in Moab. Also, old Toyotas are reliable, but lack HP. My point is, off-roading doesn't have to be about testosterone. But that's okay too. Build for your goal. Mine are built for 35 year service life and have yet to prove anything worthy to make a video about. I might make Trailmater one day.
You definitely could have kept the budget down with the Kingpin Dodge front 60 and a 14-bolt rear swap and keeping it on leaf springs. I know the allure and cost of linking SD axles is appealing at first but the cost comes on the back end to finish it off. I’m not the I told you so guy but don’t pretend leaf sprung rigs don’t compete and finish the UA.
This is why you don't go crazy. Not everything has to have one tons and 40s. A couple good lockers and some good tires with a small lift will be enough.
A good trail driver checks their consumables constantly, and replaces them at a time before failure. A driveline check in neutral, on flat ground takes minutes, changing out a blown u-joint on a precarious spot, well, blows.😝😝😝
If you wrap the new bearings in completely water soaked rags, and toss it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, the bearings just fall right on the the carrier. Conversely, if you have a large enough freezer, freeze the carrier overnight.
Bigger stronger tools for what you are doing ,it's all about learning aye ? Good explanation on the crosses Q,could you have just done a few simple upgrades to the stock diffs ?I think showing how to improve a standard machine without a huge budget is a better way
I use greaseable and non greasable ujoints. No matter which ones you use, you should always have spares anyways so it’s really not that big of a deal in my opinion. Ujoints should always be your weak point.
old toyota driver, stock ujoints, generally a non issue, of all the things that cross my mind while stressing parts i've never thought about my ujoints.
I love Walter. He's like me thinking outside of the box and get her done. Definitely the Man Behind the Scenes. God bless
I've always run greasable u-joints because if you have water crossings you can grease the joint and push any moisture out. The non greasable u-joints most commonly still have drilled trunnions (from what I have seen). The non greasable are supposed to be sealed to prevent intrusion but I've changed plenty of them that were rusty and dry inside. In my opinion a maintainable joint is the way to go.
Hiya Hollie, I agree with you and Rudy as far as U-joints are concerned. Older axles ALWAYS fight you. I know you are used to being able to use the "best stuff" on the market for all your personal stuff but now you get to see how us everyday people build our stuff on our budgets. Great work on getting that axle apart.
I cut the bearing cages off with a cutting wheel, then score the inner bearing race almost all the way through then smack it with a chisel a few times. Usually pop right off. Measuring the old shims for duplication assumes the new carrier is the same dimensions (it may not be). A good way to set them up is buy spare bearings, sand them until they are a slip fit on the carrier. Dana 60 should have .015" preload on the bearings. Set that up first, then move shims side-to-side to get the backlash correct, then press on new bearings. Throw your new setup tools in the toolbox for future use.
Agree with everything, but carrier bearings are expensive…Instead of buying bearings to make set up bearings with, that’s how we plan to use these old ones. 😀👍🏻
Thanks for showing what everyday people can do with everyday vehicles to build a go have fun on the trails rig that everyone can enjoy.
In heavy duty apps in construction. logging and snow removal I too prefered the U-Joints with a grease port on all four needle bearing caps. We used the larger yokes so the solid crosses bearing surface was larger diameter and allowing us to maintain the needle bearings for longer service life. We did not use external zerk fittings since they were prone to getting snapped off by debris and would use a grease needle to service them via the easily removed and replaced solid plugs. The larger yokes were also less prone to breakage as were the heavier 2 ton axles from the W600 series trucks which were shortened and installed in the 3/4 ton pickup trucks. Favored the enclosed ball knuckles similar to our heavy pay loaders too since we could fill them with Lubriplate and keep dirt/debris from the U-Joints inside the front knuckles further extending their service life.
With the old Dodge/Fargo trucks, as I've likely mentioned before, you could order the 200 series trucks with the 2 ton axles and drive shafts from the factory making this a economical factory engineered solution with the last one we got set up this way cost about $3,500 new including the PTO winch, heavier transfer case, iron transmission and 4,800 lb clutch from the 2 ton trucks set with hubs to fit 16.5 inch rims. It even had that newer thing we didn't see very often called Air Conditioning which we would sometimes turn into an on-board air compressors when they became more common. Back when engineers were more fully in charge of designing trucks and not stylists. We could use those trucks to fill in for farm tractors and pull ground engaging implements with them in emergencies. Capable or carrying 4 to 6 tons in the bed off-road and often pushed well beyond that since we used 16 ply tires on them. Workers call them the Beasts 50/60 years ago.
Different type of extreme for heavy service work in grueling applications where downtime meant lost income or losing the contract entirely. Rot from heavy road salt use was much more common than breaking those old 2 ton axles and drive trains. Suppose we were spoiled by being able to get em set up the way we wanted from the factory back then. If you have a good eye you might still be able to spy those old 200 series Dodges with the factory modified 2 ton axles out in the wild, junk yards, etc.
Best!
I run the sealed solid U-joints because when I change the oil and grease my stuff (1998 XJ and 1969 IHC Scout on 44's) with lunchbox lockers in all the axles (1 Spartan, 1 Aussie, and 2 Powertrax) the U joints are almost never where they need to be to get the grease gun on them. Rather than have to jack the entire vehicle up to get the axles turned to grease all the joints, it's easier to just run the sealed and have that much less to deal with. Yes, with proper greasing the grease-ables might last a little longer, but U joints are easy to change and not having to fight to get the grease gun on all the joints is worth changing one every once in a while.
I converted to RCV's in my steer axles nearly 20 years ago...and 1350 Spicer non-greasable for the driveshafts in the CJ and 1410 Spicer non-greasable in the driveshafts in my WOD "Jeep" you saw at Windrock last August...think really, really green...and Jason Vanover.
I like my front birfield axle, inner chromoly shafts. Had on my Tacoma maybe 8 years now. Knock on wood still in good shape. Maintenance is the key and some beers.
Looking good. We watch and we hope all goes well.
Hey Rude your dad has the Yukon bearing puller saw it on his channel, maybe he'd let you borrow it next time🤔
A day, without a Mischief-Maker / Miss Hollie video, is a bad sad day for-me 😔 soooooooooooo, I make sure I beat the blues by watching every video she comes out with every day!!!!!!!!! And hit the LIKE-BUTTON!! button, so it comes up in my feed!! YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!
Over many years I've owned over a half dozen Ramchargers. Only 2 pop-tops. A '78 and an '80. All of them were stock, with mud tires. I'm excited to watch this build. Over 20 years ago, I went looking for another '80 RC. Spent a few months searching for a decent example, gave up and settled for an '80 Powerwagon. It's the extreme opposite of what I was searching for, long box, Clubcab. But it had the 360, 4spd, manual everything. Only options are two tone paint, dual tanks, and cargo light. Ramchargers Rule!
One trick when using solvents and grease without gloves is to slather hand cream/ moisturizer on your hands before working. It's slimy for a bit, but the lotion helps seal the skin and makes cleaning them easier without harsh chemicals.
Good advice!
Tack weld those caps on those 1480s. Those stock shaft Cs or ears, whatever you want to call them flex a lot and will squirt the caps out. I run 1550s on my SD60 with stock shafts.
Holly I’m impressed! You go girl tearing into axles! I remember when you didn’t do your own work! Keep up the good work!
I use only Spicer “Life time” u-joints . They are a solid non grease able joint , and last in my jeep a super long time , i have yet to replace one and they are still super tight , expensive but worth it to me anyway..
some people also want the axle shafts to be cheaper and like a fuse,,, its easier to swap in a new shaft then rebuild the center section.. its not necessarily being "cheap" but could be seen as "strategic"
Thanks for the info on the different types of u-joints. Totally makes sense. I've always used grease able ones but I'm not a trail hound either so....
Great resourcefulness! When projects are fighting back we just have to keep at it as you & Rudy have so brilliantly demonstrated!
Thanks for the explanation on the types of joints Holly. I know what to upgrade next. 😀
😀🤘🏻 if you are an OnX Offroad subscriber make sure to get the 15% Yukon discount you are entitled to!
Hollie in my opinion you are good at what you do and a really good teacher. I always find your videos educational because you know what you are doing and safety is always your top priority.
I am really enjoying this build series you and Rudy are a great team and you both can learn from each other
For my daily driver I use Moog grease-able units. Spicer also makes a good part as well
Dana spicer lifetime greasable u joints are rocksolid, affordable and if u do lots of deep watercrossings non greaseable just rust and turn to dust after a couple months
HF has a very reasonably priced hydraulic press which is great for removing bearings, etc. Might be a good addition to your garage.
Harbor Freights 12 ton press is on sale thru the 14th.. (or maybe all month?) for $149.99. Not sure how much tonnage you need but if that's enough it would make things a lot easier.
I would definitely get a 12 ton shop press. We literally used it 2x in the past year for front and rear axle assemblies on my 08 Wrangler. Put 10 Factory axle assemblies on and needed the press for the bearings and other components. Definitely made the job a hell of a lot easier.
Knipex 4611A3 is the size for those horrible snap rings. I about lost my mind over the driver's side of my axle over that ring and I had the right tool. I feel your pain.
CTM u-joints in the 9" front of the CJ7 and RCV in the JKU.
Exceeding budgets are almost a given. Very few projects stay within budget no matter how big or small. Keep forging onwards and find the best places to save money. You’re not building an off-roader that will be used for years to come. It just has to win the challenge.
Nice work guys!
You REALLY need to take care of yourself, eating correctly (Regular times and healthy, low or no sugars.) as you are diabetic. My wife has diabetes also, she has all but cut sugars from her diet. The reason for the drastic change is her uncle passed because his diabetes was NOT under control. He had gone blind and lost both his legs below the knee. so PLEASE take care of yourself. Love what you and Rudy are trying to put together and wish you all the best. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. 👍
My 1979 bronco is running stock u-joints with 31x10.50x15 wheels and in 20plus years of off-roading the California's and Northern Nevada trails.
Now granted I do not climb big rocks. I have had only one u-joint fail and it was from lack of maintenence. In fact the entire Bronco is running on stock gear.
Non greasers for me. In my yj I would carry spares and a 3 lb hammer and had a bench vice bolted to the front bumper. Changing u joints on the trail was still all too common but not difficult
When I had my 81 F250 ford with 1 ton drive train I had a DANA 60 in the front, the rear had a DANA 80, 300-6 with a granny low 4 on the floor. This was was tied to a Borg and Warner 1045 transfer case. All drive train bearins were Warner witn the universals beind greaseable but can't remember the brand but they would have tough as they were never a problem. All this was mounted on BFG 9.5 x 16.5 mud terrain and drove mostly olg logging roads hunting and fishing. Daily driver until my nephew wlaked away with not paying after I sold him the motor. Oh! Well live and learn
i have the napa heavy duty ujoints. the caps are greaseable. the body is forged and solid. it has needle bearings. my hubs stay locked most of the time. 30k miles and some serious off road pulling with no issues.
What size tires and you mention pulling, but are you rock crawling. One of the biggest issues I’m seeing is that what some folks consider extreme can really vary.
My issue with any uJoint that has needle bearings is the size of the post. I can put a set of calipers on the Super Joints I have here, but that additional thickness is what matters most for me. That’s where all of the varying solid joints I ran were failing.
So one trick for snap rings is break clean!!! The grease is a large part of the problem ,clean the holes in the snap ring and let it dry or hit it with air and clean the snap ring pliers and they grip better. This works almost every time.
Good old Ingenuity is how all of this stuff got started, way to go Walter!
Thank you for the info in the fittings. I know if I have to replace them, I'll get the service free joints
I don’t mind greasable joints for driveshafts. They see a ton of rotation and movement and being able to quickly and easily service them is key to longevity…but for axle shafts, you are much better off with a solid joint! As long as you inspect them regularly, there is usually a good visual or audio indication that they are in need of being replaced 👍🏻
Clamshell puller and press will do wonders for your garage as you will end up doing diff work off and on
I've for many years been using solid crosses, boring and tapping the caps for grease fittings. A little time consuming but the best all around solution in my mind.
Years ago Ian Johnson did a explanation on why not to use greaseable u joints because they are week due to the channel that runs inside of the cross hatch .Ever since that day I have never used a greaseable joint again. Take care Hollie and Rudy and catch you on your next video .
Great to watch your teamwork. Also, I love to hear holly's slight accent. So cute.
I was screaming at the monitor that the bearing separator was on backwards and might snap or bend the bolts on a heavy pull like that especially if it hadn't been closed far enough.
Be sure to clean up the damage the separator caused to the carrier so the new bearings and shims will seat completely and evenly before you put it all back together.
Best!
Needle bearing tolerances are lower in greaseable u-joints as well, so if you are not actually regreasing them like 90 some odd percent of people, the lower tolerance needle bearings will fail extremely fast compared to the low tolerance non-greasable u-joints. If you are seeing lots of water, use a molybdenum grease as it will resist wash out better. If I am going to the local parts store, non-greaseable Moog Super Strength, if I am ordering off Rock Auto then OEM Dana Spicer non-greaseable, usually get it for the same price as a moog jobber part or even less sometimes.
I’d take stock Superduty axle shafts over stock Toyota axle shafts any day! 😉
😝
The toyota 80 is proven
@fishing montana but they're no dana 60
15:58 😂
Except not grabbing the shims/pumpkin with the puller.
Those pullers were putting in some work! Clamping onto the pumpkin, thinking the bearing to pop off was funny. But when yall put the other puller on the pumpkin with the first clamp firmly clamped to the pumpkin... I thought to myself, well we are going to find out which puller breaks first.
Pullers are always fun, I recently modified a 3 point puller to use chain instead of claws on a harmonic balancer. That thing was on there crazy tight.
This is for both MM and RAD. Amazon has inexpensive differential bearing tools for sale! Just purchased mine for doing up to Dana 80's for 97 dollars. No more hokie bearing puller shim destroying gadgets. Saves so much time. I havent even used mine yet. If either of you would care to come pick it up in person, I would give it to you. Of course I understand it would be much cheaper for you to buy your own. Stay blessed.
ThankQ Holls and Rudy! I'm going to vote as normal! 😋
As pointed out by some others, the non-greaseable joints are hollow too. Moog and spicer have heavy duty versions that are much stronger, and a lot of them have the grease zerk in the end of one of the caps on the crosses that make maintaining them much easier. But, to grease the joint, you need a needle attachment for your grease gun as the zerk is almost flush mounted.
Grease displaces water. I run greaseable. I don't do what you do, but a $13 trail fix sounds a lot better than a $300+ (150?)set of yukon superjoints to me.
I have run every type of u-joint known to man, and they all let me down. Break a u-joint and you are most likely gonna take out one or both axles due to it messing up the yokes on the shafts. I now run Super joints, and have zero issues in 8ish years. I do put the lubricant/anti-seize in the caps before every wheeling trip. I do hope you are gonna at least run the 35 spline outers.
BTW Matt has the mac daddy bearing puller that works GREAT!
Save yo old bearings if you didn't destroy them, take them to a machine shop and have them hone the centers, save them as a tool for the next time you do this job!
i always use genuine spicer non greasable, because they are forged, heat treated and cryo treated so they are as strong as they can be. the seals are made to be fully sealed and they have high quality grease. (even the used ones you showed still have an airtight seal. these are the best joint for a 4wd with or without hubs that gets used on and offroad.
greasable ones are typically budget the seals are designed to let grease out so they need to greased often. even if you didn't break them they only last as long as non greasable except you waste time and money greasing them.
specialty non roller u-joints are only good for slow speed crawlers, they can't be used at prolonged high speed and they can't be used on road at all without freewheeling hubs or with the hubs locked. so if you crawl one week, climb mountains the next and cross a desert the week after that they're no use to you.
also gun drilled is stronger than a solid shaft so being drilled for grease channels or pockets is not a disadvantage.
Great points! I went through 6 sets of chromoly inner and outer shafts trying out different uJoints including spicer joints. The solid joints seemed too weak to prevent breaking, but strong enough to completely ruin the ears on my 4340 shafts.
Luckily my axle manufacturer has a lifetime guarantee on shafts, but he offered to help find a better solution (in an effort to save himself money and save me time/hassle). Our first step was to switch to SuperJoints - which as you said was only really an option because MM is a dedicated trail rig and/or double disconnected when on the road/highway. If that didn’t work he was going to upgrade me to RCVs free of charge as a next step. Luckily the SuperJoints were the appropriate step.
Gun drilled is NOT stronger at all. A gun drilled 1" rod (or trunnion) is weaker in shear than a solid 1" rod. This is why greasable u-joints are not desired when ultimate strength is the priority.
Gun drilled is lighter. This is a great trade off in torsion where the majority of the strength comes from the material furthest from the center axis. So if you have a 40 spline axle shaft that is gun drilled it is lighter then the non gun drilled version but only slightly weaker.
In shear you want area. Gun drilling just removes area from the cross section. It makes a rod or trunnion (or bolt) weaker in shear (also in tension). In torsion a hollow center can be advantageous for the weight savings, but the same OD solid bar would handle more torque.
If weight is a factor you can get a higher torque rating than a solid shaft by using a tube with a larger OD than by using a rod of a smaller OD. The two will weight the same but the tube will handle more torque. This is why drive shafts are hollow, relatively thin wall, large OD tubes. Pound for pound a tube is stronger (in torsion), but if weight is not a factor a tube is weaker than the same OD in a rod.
So in u-joint trunnions, drilled grease channels absolutely make them weaker because the OD of the trunnion is the same but material has been removed from the cross section reducing the cross sectional area.
@@Fix_It_Again_Tony that is incorrect a drilled shaft is more rigid and it is heat treated all the way through. in the case of the u-joints both the greasable and non greasable have the trunions drilled.
they wouldn't gun drill the drive axles on locomotives if it was just to save weight and had no strength benefit. they'd leave them blank like carriage axles. the loco axles are driving the whole train and carrying the weight of the loco 70T+
I can confirm that greasable vs non greasable are basically the same.
The MAJOR difference you will see is quality amongst brands/ranges.
Cheap ones are made of lower quality steel and case-hardened (only the surface).
Better ones are forged and case hardened.
Top-of-the-line are forged, sodium hardened and cryo treated, with a proper and controlled tempering. They are hard, but will absorb impacts to avoid developing cracks.
Machining is a big part too. Crack start at sharp corners of rough machining surfaces.
I personally run greasable SKF BF series with the cap zerk fitting. Does not have the 5th hole in the center and the cross-bore is tiny, doesn't really affect the strength.
And I would 100% replace a u-joint on the trail, that can be found at basically any auto part store than dumping half the fluid from the diff trying to change an axle shaft, possibly ruining the seals at the same time.
I run stock greasable U joints. I don’t have enough power to break them. Eventually I’m planning to gear down and I could break them at that point, but I’d rather break a u joint than an axle.
I don't do nearly the intense crawling and off roading you guys do, and thus kept the IFS on my Yota and Chevy. So, my favorite U-joints......are CV axles. In front at least.
Love the process! Keep kicking butt! I’ll be paying special attention to setting up the carrier bc I’ll be doing that pretty soon here.
Hi.👍🇸🇪 Is from. It's good to try, even if it's messed up.😊
"In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most.
No system of energy can deliver sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it.
This universal truth applies to all systems.
Energy, like time, flows from past to future".
Great job Hollie, Rudy and Walter!! Why let a little thing like no press and too short of bolts stand in your way!! LOL!! Nice thinking on those snap ring pliers Walter!!
Holly, you are a skilled mechanic. Great work!
I would recommend a hundredth or thousandth micrometer when measuring shims
Bummer we haven't gotten to see 15k worth of work. Hope you got some footage in the can. Voting ever single day. It looks like you guy's got this.
It was mostly parts orders at this point. My guess is you’ll see at least $20K worth of work before this rig is done. We’re just getting started.
@MischiefMakerTV Awesome. Love you guy's! Keep it coming!
Explanation was excellent, thank you.
I use non greasable. No super joint for me as $550 vs $32 for joints that are still stellar and not my vibe. I do have a bit of a interesting view on non greasable joints though. Last I looked they still are drilled though the middle and filled with grease from the factory but the greasable have a zerk. Let me know if you are seeing something different. Maybe I didn’t look close enough?
Don’t know much about them axle but do you think you should wield the tubing to the housing for more strength cuz it’s tack on?
As for them Yukon joints, I’ve never herd of them till now, 😎…
You'd be amazed on the expansion a heat gun will provide when applied to a bearing that's being pulled....
Spicer does offer a forged trunnion grease-able 1480 joint (spl55x-4x) that wouldn't have any strength disadvantage when compared to the non-grease-able forged version. The weaker version is the 5-188x
I’ve run them. I’ve broken them. Also broke 2 sets of the solid spicer joints. 42” + sticky tires can break lots of things and I’m not exactly throttle happy…I crawl everything.
They just couldn’t do the job…
@@MischiefMakerTV Can you use some junkyard 1550 u-joint shafts from a similar year F450-550 in that F350 housing? Not sure that would be any cheaper than just using 1480 superjoints in the existing shafts...
I've wheeled all the vehicles in the challange stock. The fzj80 based Lexus i think is going to crush the competition. It by far has the best stock suspension stock axles with avalible factory electric lockers rear full floater. The ramcharger does sound better with a v8.
Hollie, nice job on the custom axle stand. It ended up being the perfect height.
That's amazing. MN Millennial Farmer needed heavy duty snap ring pliers from Harbor Freight in his video too. 😂😂
I didn’t know HD snap ring pliers were a thing, but I went down a rabbit hole yesterday that is going to set me back some $$ 😑 🤣🤣
Cold forged (non greasable) u-joints. Hot forged are greasable.
It's fighting you because the Ramcharger doesn't want Ford parts on it. Lol You could have used Dana 60 from a 1st gen diesel truck along with doing a 205/203 doubler . I have done something similar to my Ramcharger using the 1 ton running gear under it with the factory 440 .
I go with non greaseable my self. They are stronger and less likely to break. That snap ring can be a pain!!
Gettin dirty! Great video.
If you have the transfer case in neutral, the two drive shafts are hooked together as if in 4wd. If coasting, or towing, the front shaft will turn with the rear shaft. I assume you meant the transfer is in 2wd.
Filing the plyers to fit the snap ring, been there, done that.
Pinion and side brng races come off easily if you remove the cage and rollers, then weld the race and watch it practically fall off because of the heat ❤❤❤
You are absolutely right and I would love to do that, but we want to use the old ones as set up bearings for the air lockers we have coming! 😑
Ive seen a few times now where your shop could greatly benefit from a small oxy/acetylene setup. If you took a torch to those carrier bearings theyll expand and basically just drop right off the carrier. My ujoint situation isnt worth bragging about but I'm only on 35s with a diy trussed dana 30 and chromoly shafts. Ive settled with greasable joints for 2 reasons. #1 I live in a part of the northeast where the beavers like to turn everything into deep water crossings and being able to grease them easily is a must, #2 they also act as a fuse and will break before anything else expensive does and theyre an easy trail fix. If I put RCVs in there I'd be wrecking ring gears plus I'd be an idiot for putting shafts in a 30 that cost as much as a dana 60. If you get creative and find some "friends" to gift you the parts you need you can keep that invoice total a lil lower. Theres a big difference between breaking the rules and bending the rules.
P.S. Your frustrated face is much more patient than mine. I usually start inventing 4 letter words and throwing wrenches around like I'm trying out for a dodge ball tournament 😂😂😂
Looking forward to seeing you and Rudy dominate the Ultimate Adventure🤙🇺🇲
Make sure you are not counting UA requirements, maintenance, or safety items in your budget. Things like a winch or a cage.
Axel pains, been there done that! Keep up the good work y’all!
I just spent a week in Moab with my 70 Bronco. I lost a front axle ujoint on Kane Creek. Non greasable. It was dry and nasty. Never again will I run non-greasable joints.
They are more maintenance, but I disassemble my dedicated trail rig front end at least 4 times per year.
we got a bunch of those bearing pullers at our Toyota dealership, all bent or striped, wish they would issue clam shell pullers instead
The thing about calipers is they r awesome but they will never tell u 100% percised numbers on 1 setting cause the numbers r so close its hard for it to be 100% on point so where it said 12 but suppose to be 11 it was prob at 11.9 but checking one outta time ull never see those differences cause it shows .2 not and cant show u if its .2.3 or what not so what id always do is check them in a pack and then if im replacing id check in packs so they add upto what i removed im no pro at building axles tho but makes more sense to put back 100% of what u removed or a small bit more if needed not less. Morel of the story is u can check one by one but always check the full stack to so u know what u removed closer to the real number and not less
Holly, we live in a disposable item, consumer based society driven by extreme sports. I like them too. I'm driving 40+ yr old Toyotas with serviceable U-joints and have not yet had an issue with stock. I haul 1000 lb loads of fire wood in the winter and live in Moab. Also, old Toyotas are reliable, but lack HP.
My point is, off-roading doesn't have to be about testosterone. But that's okay too. Build for your goal. Mine are built for 35 year service life and have yet to prove anything worthy to make a video about. I might make Trailmater one day.
Im rooting for you guys 🎉🎉
That Ram is a sweet ride Holly I hope you meet your goals on it be rooting for yah❤️
You definitely could have kept the budget down with the Kingpin Dodge front 60 and a 14-bolt rear swap and keeping it on leaf springs. I know the allure and cost of linking SD axles is appealing at first but the cost comes on the back end to finish it off.
I’m not the I told you so guy but don’t pretend leaf sprung rigs don’t compete and finish the UA.
This is why you don't go crazy. Not everything has to have one tons and 40s. A couple good lockers and some good tires with a small lift will be enough.
Put a little run of weld on around the inner race of the bearing just to hear it an it will slip right off 👍🏻👌
Holy you should've bought the whole retaining clip pliers set! Comes with different sizes
Inner and out pliers!
A good trail driver checks their consumables constantly, and replaces them at a time before failure. A driveline check in neutral, on flat ground takes minutes, changing out a blown u-joint on a precarious spot, well, blows.😝😝😝
If you wrap the new bearings in completely water soaked rags, and toss it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, the bearings just fall right on the the carrier. Conversely, if you have a large enough freezer, freeze the carrier overnight.
Bigger stronger tools for what you are doing ,it's all about learning aye ?
Good explanation on the crosses
Q,could you have just done a few simple upgrades to the stock diffs ?I think showing how to improve a standard machine without a huge budget is a better way
New subscriber. Sure enjoyed the video. Walter, man behind the scenes seems to have plenty of common sense. Thanks.
I use greaseable and non greasable ujoints.
No matter which ones you use, you should always have spares anyways so it’s really not that big of a deal in my opinion. Ujoints should always be your weak point.
Love your channel! Keep it up. Question? Is it just me… or does the axle tube on the ram not look straight on the drivers side? It looks bent. 🤷🏻♂️
It’s still straight. There may be a mix of camera angle and uneven grinding when we were cleaning it up after cutting off all those stock brackets
@@MischiefMakerTV awesome! I can’t wait to see the ram charger all finished and ready to win the challenge… you’re gonna kill the competition. 💥❤️
old toyota driver, stock ujoints, generally a non issue, of all the things that cross my mind while stressing parts i've never thought about my ujoints.
Love your commentary ❤awesome video 👍Aloha from Hawaii 🤙🏽🌴😎
Helped on the second bearing that the puller wasn't upside down like he did in the first bearing.
Great video and yall should watch Coles video on rebuilding the axle and stay safe and God bless from GA
My man Walter with the big brain ideas coming in to save the day
Specialty U-joints 🤔
Now I know !
👍🏻