Folks that have broken a R&P was it front or rear / both?

[OBJLU]

Just curious, most of the ring and pinion breaks that I have seen or heard about is in the rear.

I really don’t want to spend 12k plus on new axles, at that point I’m better off buying a dedicated crawler but I wonder if I can just upgrade the rear for less than 1/2. Fusion 4x4 makes a sweet 40 spline semi-float that has me curious.

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[track.n.trail]

I've seen people break both on these D44s:

• Broken rears from giving it too much skinny pedal on climbs (this more often just results in twisted splines)
• Broken front when super bound up with the locker on or reversing up a steep grade while bound up

 

[OBJLU]

Thanks, I just added 39 KM3’s and I know it’s a matter of time for the rear so either I upgrade the rear axle or move back down to 37’s and hold onto them until I save up to upgrade

 

[word302]

Thanks, I just added 39 KM3’s and I know it’s a matter of time for the rear so either I upgrade the rear axle or move back down to 37’s and hold onto them until I save up to upgrade

Curious what makes you think the R&P is the weak link here? The pinions on theses new axles are massive. You're gonna twist shafts and bend housings long before you break the gears in my opinion.

 

[track.n.trail]

Curious what makes you think the R&P is the weak link here? The pinions on theses new axles are massive. You're gonna twist shafts and bend housings long before you break the gears in my opinion.

That goes contrary to a lot of the broken R&Ps I've seen. When you go up to a 4.88 or 5.13 as a lot of folks do when they're running 38s-40s the gearset becomes weaker.

I've seen broken gears with people still running stock rear shafts. The front is a little harder to break on stock shafts since the factory u-joints are so weak but possible nonetheless.

The R&P isn't all that weak but there are lots of people running 40s out there on these axles - it's still just a D44 after all

 

[word302]

That goes contrary to a lot of the broken R&Ps I've seen. When you go up to a 4.88 or 5.13 as a lot of folks do when they're running 38s-40s the gearset becomes weaker.

I've seen broken gears with people still running stock rear shafts. The front is a little harder to break on stock shafts since the factory u-joints are so weak but possible nonetheless.

The R&P isn't all that weak but there are lots of people running 40s out there on these axles - it's still just a D44 after all

Yes but the pinions on these new axles are significantly bigger than other Dana 44s.

 

[track.n.trail]

Yes but the pinions on these new axles are significantly bigger than other Dana 44s.

The JL D44 ring gears are smaller than those on the JK D44s.

 

[Renegade]

The JL D44 ring gears are smaller than those on the JK D44s.

Prior generation D44 axles had a 226 mm ring gear size and a torque capacity of 8200Nm. The new generation Dana 44™ AdvanTEK® gearing has a smaller 220mm ring gear size, but has the same torque capacity of 8200Nm.

 

[word302]

The JL D44 ring gears are smaller than those on the JK D44s.

Yeah but the pinion head/shaft has always been the weak link as you get into lower gears. An 8mm smaller ring gear is not gonna change the strength of the gear set.

 

[track.n.trail]

Yeah but the pinion head/shaft has always been the weak link as you get into lower gears. An 8mm smaller ring gear is not gonna change the strength of the gear set.

Most of the broken JL D44 gear sets I've seen have been chunked ring gear teeth

Point being - if you're running big tires treat your D44 like a D44 and it'll be fine.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Some interesting info about the ring gear size differences:

 

[bllprk]

I would like to hear about more broken ring and pinions. I will report here if I break mine. 35" tires. M186, open diff, 5.13's. M220, LSD, 5.13's. Thank you

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Reverse is the weak side of the tooth so if you use your Jeep to pull someone out, never attach the rope to the front of your Jeep and reverse to pull them out. I also stick with my stock axle shafts (in lieu of chromoly) because if something is going to break, it is a lot easier (especially on the trail) and cheaper to fix a broken shaft than replacing a broken R&P.

If you are going to break a tooth, take out a few to make the regear worth the time:

 

[Some Random Guy]

I would like to hear about more broken ring and pinions. I will report here if I break mine. 35" tires. M186, open diff, 5.13's. M220, LSD, 5.13's. Thank you

Keeping the front open reduces the chances quite a bit on the M186. If you install any sort of lunch box locker up there I’d get real nervous about your R&P. To the point I would tell you swap to a crate front instead of wasting money on the locker.
I didn’t even regear my M186, just went straight to UD44 for under $5k plus a new tie rod. Beefier shafts, rubi width, 4.88 factory setup, and locker all in one shot. Outer knuckles, balljoints, and brake upgrade will probably get done later this summer.

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