Since we're supposed to go wheelin' Sunday, and I'm finally back from RMIHR, I dropped off the spare axle Jacob U donated at RMIHR along with a new bearing to be pressed on, and pulled Tigger into the shop..

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/jpg/tigger/broken_axle_8_1_2002/smDCP_0176.JPG

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/jpg/tigger/broken_axle_8_1_2002/smDCP_0184.JPG

Getting that little stub out was a pain.. finally used some household electrical wire to push the stub out of the diff and along a bit towards the housing end. I was then able to use my tape-measure to drag it the rest of the way, then some needle nose pliers..

(Time to buy a new rare-earth telescoping magnet and keep it where I know I can find it..)

I was prepared for that. I also started pulling the other side apart just to check, but the drum is being a pain in the ass, and I put the jack stand right where I need to be to loosen the adjuster.. d'oh.

What I didn't expect to see is this:

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/jpg/tigger/broken_axle_8_1_2002/smDCP_0179.JPG

I'd heard a little pitter patter when I popped the cover and the fluid started draining...

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout/jpg/tigger/broken_axle_8_1_2002/smDCP_0183.JPG

Four damaged ring teeth. Two are darker breaks than the other two, which I think means they've been broken for a while...

I couldn't get a good look at the pinion.. but since the ring gear needs replaced, it'll need replaced as part of the set.

That said.. should I park the rig until I can change the R&P, or do I stuff the new axle in, fill it up, and wheel it 'till it :bomb: in a more catastrophic way.

What's the likelihood of completely wasting the rear end on a trail run.. and.. ugh.. driving home in FWD (with a locker)?

I don't have the 60 ready yet.. it's still 16-spline. Rustoleum and I haven't traded tubes for our HP fronts yet, either.. *sigh*

Hmmm.. not that the Travelall axles would hold up any better, but I bet it'd look nice on 36" Swampers.. and that would fix the rust-over-the-rear-wheel-wells problem..

So.. wheel it, or park it?

And/or stop using so much right foot? :D

Gee Tom i could have brought the tubes to Mark:flipoff2: had i know you were gonna puss out on NWBRU. Man me and Joel ripped up the town. It was a blast.

I would say wheel it. The outer portion of the teeth should not cause too many problems, but do go a tad easy on it hun:confused:

slap a new shaft in it, and wheel it till :nuke:


could really have just been a freak thing. I welded my 44 up and with sticky 33's (ok, there just 33's but still) and some serious beating and road time, it hasn't bombed... much to my surprise.

R&P are already toast, but still whole, run it till it breaks. You don't have a locker in the back, so worce that could happen is you *might* hurt the carrier.... like you can't get another.



Wheel/drive it till you get the new parts, then swap. Trailer if your worried about driving home with a front locker :flipoff2:

I suppose if you've got a 60 in the mix, I'd just wheel the 44 till it blows or you get the 60 in. Besides if you have a couple that broke awhile ago and it still wheeled fine, well there you have it :)

Originally posted by The Fleckster
Gee Tom i could have brought the tubes to Mark:flipoff2: had i know you were gonna puss out on NWBRU. Man me and Joel ripped up the town. It was a blast.


Well, I was still planning on attending when you left.. but yeah, hindsight, shoulda had you just haul 'em up to Mark.. now I have to finish unloading the truck and cruise over to UPS and tag both tubes. :)

Originally posted by Cliffhanger
I suppose if you've got a 60 in the mix, I'd just wheel the 44 till it blows or you get the 60 in. Besides if you have a couple that broke awhile ago and it still wheeled fine, well there you have it :)

That's what I was thinking.. run it. :D

I knew I was on borrowed time when I put the tires on.. but it was an experiment. :D

I do need to keep the '44 whole, or at least, fixable, since it goes under Michelle's 800 when I'm done with it.

Guess I need to actually move the 60 into the shop and start cleaning it up and reaming those spindles..

I don't think it was the 44's fault, or the 30 spline shafts fault. I think there is something wrong with you. You must emit some sort of corrosive field that causes steel to fatigue. :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Ben W
I don't think it was the 44's fault, or the 30 spline shafts fault. I think there is something wrong with you. You must emit some sort of corrosive field that causes steel to fatigue. :rolleyes:

Y'know, a co-worker walked in my office earlier this morning and I showed him the pics.. he's a car n' motorcycle guy (his SBC350-in-a-914 project is moving awfully slow..)

His comment? "Maybe you should find a new hobby. Sure, you persevere, but there's just something not agreeing with you.."

I can break the strangest things.. and I can get a straight, good lucking truck and just by owning it and parking it, it can get smashed to bits...

*sigh*

Maybe I'll just go buy another stock Scout with 29s and go back to the graded Forest Service Roads and bashing parking lot snow drifts in the winter..

Tom,

You want us to predict if that r&p will break or not? :) I don't know about that but I do know a catastrophic meteor will impact earth at 5:14 P.M. on March 14, 2016.

You can drive home on a locked front end, but how far is a busted semifloater rearend going to go? :nuke: