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Free Selectable locker for a full float axle

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  kkodet 
#1 ·
I figured this would be a nice place to write up about this.

One of my work trucks is very old and has a weird width Dana 70 rear axle in it. This summer it busted an axleshaft (not abuse, it appeared to have a marble sized manufacturing flaw in the shaft and finally snapped). Much junkyard and internet shopping came up with nothing for a replacement shaft.

The truck is slated to be retired very soon and we didn't want to put any major money into a custom shaft, so I came up with an idea.

I pulled the diff and welded it, as many of you have done before. This prevents the side gears from spinning.

Then I put the drivers side axle shaft back in, being that the drivers side is the side almost always on pavement while driving. Then I took the busted shaft and cut off the shaft section, making a cap for the hub (to keep the gear oil in).

This made the truck a one wheel drive vehicle. I'm not worried about it because it is heavy and is never driven in the winter. With only having one shaft, it is un-noticable that the rear is welded and the truck drives like it has an open diff.

My techs put about 15,000 miles on the old girl this summer with no axle issues. The truck weighs 13,000 lbs loaded.

This got me to thinking. If someone wants to DD a full float rear but has no fat cash for a locker, why not just do what I did, and then swap a pass shaft in when they want to wheel?

I just figured I'd share this idea and let you know how well it worked. I'll probably eventually do this to some low budget rig in the future.
 
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#8 ·
Completely un-noticable. I've also done this in my Sami when I busted an axleshaft, and it too was un-noticable. But I guess the sami has a long wheelbase though :poke:

If you were getting something scary going on, what was it? I bet it had nothing to do with having one wheel drive.
 
#10 ·
i did that with my welded 14 bolt(except i machined a cap for it to keep gear lube in) it drove fine down the road i dove it mostly around town, and yes you could do one hell of a burnout, it was a pain every time i wanted to go wheeling i had to keep putting the shaft back in. so i quit being cheep and bought a detroit locker, the best money i ever spent
 
#11 ·
How about doing the same to a front axle with a two piece axle shaft as a poor mans selectable locker. Disengage the axle when you need to make a sharp turn and then engage the front for maxxx traction. I'm not sure what's out there for a heavy front axle that use a two piece axle shaft...maybe a late model Dodge D60.
 
#12 ·
I've thought about this, and I bet it would work fine. In fact I'm going to be trying it soon on my buddys YJ. He wants to weld the front diff and put in a cable actuator. He doesn't do more than mild mud around his farm, so I think it will hold up until I can talk him into larger axles.
 
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