I am thinking of picking up a beater wheeling truck- It has Dana 44 front and 12 bolt rear with a NP203 T-case with part time conversion. Am I asking for trouble taking this thing to the Rubicon? What size tires can the D44 handle? Any help would be great!

1/2 ton stuff can handle 35" tires if you are easy on them. I would bring a extra shaft for the 12B. Is it a pre 73 truck?...they have smaller (260) u-joints in the front...the 73- trucks have 297's. If you have the small ones swap them for the later ones.

it is a 74. It has 35's now. 6" lift. I'm not paying much so I am willing to sacrifice the sheetmetal to the trail gods.

Personally. i think the 'Con would kill those axles, unless you have:

1) mad driver skillz
b) a 10hp motor
4) get reeeeeallly lucky.

Usually the 1/2 axles can live in a Mud or sand rig becuase the surface will give a bit. a heavy truck on the rocks is asking for it. It can be done, but it would worry me. JMHO

FAWKIT, break it and it means UPGRADES, u ain't spendin much to start w/ so that leaves some for later

so I need the D60 and 14bolt to keep from breakin'?

That sucks

so does it help that it is an auto, or hurt(as far as breaking)? I plan on doing the flat bed thing once the bed is too mushed up to look at. Is there any other big items I can do to reduce the weight but keep it street legal? The logic being- lighter = less chance of breakage.

Buy it!Wheel it!If you break something then upgrade.I have been running half ton stuff for years.I have never broken a 12 bolt shaft.I have broken ujoints.But these are easy to fix.I am running 36" swampers on hard trails.1 ton stuff is nice but heavy and pricey.Just run it and don't worry!!Blazin:rasta:

My trail rig will be a 44 and 12 bolt. Axles are plentifull, and I plan to carry at least a spare of each type (12 bolt, 44 short, long and stub) I'm even going so far as to weld places to fasten these spares.

Good luck

I have nothing against 1/2 gear. But it is a Break it, THEN upgrade it. Sinking big $$$ into 1/2 is not where it is at, IMO.

If you drive like a maniac at full throttle, yes you will break. If you take it easy and drive smart, you won't have any problems.Stock toy axles are rated 1/2 tons and go through the Con all the time.:skull:

Originally posted by ranger
Stock toy axles are rated 1/2 tons and go through the Con all the time.:skull:

This is quite true, but they are also packing considerably less weight around, an important item to remember.

I'm a newbie so I'll tread lightly till I pick the right line. I've done the Con 4 times and the last 2 running 35's and a d35 in front and a Currie 9' in back. No problemo:p The secret is gear low and no pedal to the medal and the rocks are your friends:D your friends:p your friends:smokin:

Originally posted by FAKRWEE
I'm a newbie so I'll tread lightly till I pick the right line. I've done the Con 4 times and the last 2 running 35's and a d35 in front and a Currie 9' in back. No problemo:p The secret is gear low and no pedal to the medal and the rocks are your friends:D your friends:p your friends:smokin:

WOW! Is that one of the elusive Portal 35 fronts???? :flipoff2:

Originally posted by TK
I am thinking of picking up a beater wheeling truck- It has Dana 44 front and 12 bolt rear with a NP203 T-case with part time conversion. Am I asking for trouble taking this thing to the Rubicon? What size tires can the D44 handle? Any help would be great!

My advice...since this thing is so cheap...pull the bed off to save some weight...this will help the axles live longer. Buy a Harber Freight PIPE bender and bend up some rocker protection and maybe a flat bed..but keep it light. And bring a 12bolt spare. You should be cool as long as you are gentle

I fully agree with SD. Lighten the load, build some protection (it slides better than sheet metal) and go EASY on the happy pedal. I ran a front 44 with dana shafts in my full width YJ with 38.5" SX's and only broke the cap on one joint and that was in the snow. Sure I am lighter but still have big tires and low gearing.

you'll be fine. just take it easy, and bring spare axles.. also, havefun with the sawzall.. half doors, no bed, etc. can help with breakage, but just remember that there already is little weight in the back of a fullsize, and without the bed, it may be too light for your taste.

What i am saying is, bring spare axles, and wheel till she breaks...

oh, and BTW, if you are hard enough, you can break d60's with 35" tires too.. so I think it really depends on the driver... but partially on the rig

Leave the stock bed on for now at least...as PW said, it may be too light in the rear without it. A balanced (f/r weight bias) truck usually wheels better than a front-heavy truck. Been there, done that. Just try to keep it strong yet relatively light and go easy on the stupid pedal.

This thing wheeled fine in SoDak with the D44/12 bolt with 38.5's. It depends how you drive it.

http://community.webshots.com/rz/r1/3/41/39/20734139zkLHTzdUtq_ph.jpg
http://community.webshots.com/rz/r1/3/44/39/20734439dHSjYkdiLj_ph.jpg