breaking a dana 25/27

Wyoming, high desert sage brush , mountains, mud, snow, drive it on the highway, it is scary on ice on the highway!!!

 

Mostly Wisc. area. Loose dirt or sand hillclimbs, mud, boulders, sandstone and shale rock areas.

 

I no longer do, but for alot of years I ran a Dana 25 with 33" radial swampers. 4.27 gears, power-loc, t-150 3 speed, and a warmed up 289 small block Ford. I started driving this combo at 16 and was not very nice to it. Only ever broke 2 front shafts at the power-loc. The first time I set the mico-loc to lock the wheels to winch someone out and then forgot it was on... I powered thru it in reverse and broke a shaft. The second time I was pulling on a stump in reverse and broke the other shaft, but i suspect it was weakened from the mico-loc incident. No pulling in reverse for me after that and no more issues. I flogged it pretty hard. I'm pretty sure the housing was bent when I replaced it with a D30 in my mid 20's.

 

Why did you replace it?

 

Bump

 

How aggressively are people setting up their power locks? I'm thinking of adding one to my 27 and setting it up at it's least aggressive in order to avoid breakage issues. Good thinking or should I go more aggressive? What say ye' with such experience. (I don't kill the go pedal.)

 

I rebuilt mine to orginal with fresh clutch discs and it was still pretty tight.

 

I don't think that what axle you have under it has as much to do with 'scary on ice on the highway' as maybe how short it is. But then again. Ice can be scary no matter what you drive!

 

its not the axle its the lockers as soon as you break traction either by letting off the gas or speeding up both tires break free an youve got nothin holding you on a straight course. Letting off is actually worse,

 

I have a pretty stock 59 CJ-5 and i wheel it hard here in Southern AZ. I wheel it in the mountains to the deserts and have not had any issues with the stock 27's under it. It is powered by a 66 289. I run 12x33's' on 10" rims. I run it up rock shelfs and mild bolders to sand washes. I also keep the right foot light and let the BFG's do all of the work. I limit the wheel spin and i am lucky that I have not broke anything yet It also helps that i have a warn overdrive. I can get the right gear to crawl up/over most obstacles with out breaking things. It is how you wheel and what you can afford to break I think. Either that or i am geting too old LOL!!

 

Personally I'd set it up stock so it has some give. That will help the axles live much longer but still help with traction.

 

Power loks are so hard to come by that I am considering a lock right with 33/12.5s. Seems that
most of you run power loks. Any one else have first hand experience with a 25/27 and lock right?

 

Lots of experience with 25/27 axles with out lockers. Never had them installed in any of my Jeeps.

 

1960willlys have you broken a25/27? What was the situation? Or do you find them to be pretty durable?

 

i have lockrights front and rear they work great! at least I haven't had any problems with them

 

I like hearing about a V6 "running like a sewing machine" What's your gear ratio?

 

In my Ram when you lift, it usually kicks you to other way, kinda scary of your not ready for it.

 

What about tires size causes a break? Is it the diameter, weight, or width?

 

All that plus tire spinning and sudden traction.