YJ on Tons Build Saga

[Kurt]

JW,

Which receiver did you end up going with? Make, model, rating?

Looking to upgrade mine now that the RC trip is over.

[IronTortoise]

Hey Kurt, I would love to hear an after action report on how you felt your new upgrades to your YJ worked out, perhaps the new trailer/camper too.

[nostaw]

JW,

Which receiver did you end up going with? Make, model, rating?

Looking to upgrade mine now that the RC trip is over.

Got my hitch from etrailer.com.... Is a Curt 2" Class V hitch rated for 15k lbs (or 16k w/ weight distributing). I looked on etrailer, but they don't seem to have that exact model any longer (the P/N on my invoice was a 15573). This appears to be the replacement:

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/D ... =200613627

This one is rated a little heavier (17k lbs) than mine and also appears to be more $... The one I got was ~$219, shipped. From the pics the only difference I see is that it appears to have some gussets mine doesn't. I would go through their vehicle fit menus to be sure which is the right one for your '04.

The key is to make sure the one you get is designed to work with the factory receiver in place (as you may recall, the one I use installed with the factory receiver in place)... The first one I got did not (ooops), fortunately I was able to sell it to Doug. At the time there were models that did both.

JW

[Frank]

Second request . How did she do ?????? Do you still feel the control of the leaves in front. Is the back more forgiving. Feels stable ? Did you just start off with even amounts of threads on the lower arms or did you go to have it alined ? Should be driving Mona today and hope not to show at F&F without tryin her out first , probably M B Thanks Kurt. FjR68

[Kurt]

Second request . How did she do ?????? Do you still feel the control of the leaves in front. Is the back more forgiving. Feels stable ? Did you just start off with even amounts of threads on the lower arms or did you go to have it alined ? Should be driving Mona today and hope not to show at F&F without tryin her out first , probably M B Thanks Kurt. FjR68

She did just great!
It did get a brief shake down run at Jeep 101. Nothing too hard there. It did walk right up the 1 rocky climb down my the creek. No issues at the 101 other than a minor drip of brake fluid from one of the fittings.
While at Rausch it got a much better workout.
It performed better than expected. The rear flexed nicely on the long arms while the leaves in front kept the front in control. No binding or issues in the suspension. The rear tires just touch the frame/cage tie in's and the air shocks with one side at full droop and the other at full compression (as expected).
The 5.38 gearing and the taller meats kept the same crawl speed that I had on the 35's.
The first real test was CV hill. Pointed it up the hill, 1 tire hopped just slightly and then it walked right up it. With the rear axle moved back the ass end never touched the ground before starting the climb.
Crawling over the rock piles and the Creek was a breeze. Tony even jumped in and drove a short section of the Creek in it.
Three of us hit the steep RED hill climb on the NW side of the Creek. Again the beast walked right up it without even hitting any rocks on the chassis. I think a pumpkin touched a rock on the way up/down. Ryan's Heep decided to stall and not start half way up the climb so I ended up driving half way down, gave him a jump and them climb back up the hill in reverse. Piece of cake.
Only one obstacle stumped the new rig. I attempted to climb over Pitman rock on one of the black trails. Almost made it up but didn't want to push the rig yet as I am still getting the feel of it.

Only two minor issues during the trip. The tcase skid bolts started to loosen on one side. Just had to re-torque them.
At the end of the 4th day of wheeling I noticed that the bolts securing one of the rear full float axle shafts had loosed up. Again, just a simple re-torque and back on my way. Need to Lock Tite them before the next run.

The trailer worked out nicely too. It towed well. Could certainly notice the extra weight behind the Dodge but the Cummins still had enough guts to breeze down the road. I did get a bit of sway occasionally so I just set the cruise at 60 and had a nice smooth ride down and back. Setting up camp was really tough.
Just back in, lower the ramp, unfold my chair and crack open a cold one. All the trailer systems worked great. cooking, lighting , refrigeration and heat. I did fire up the heater on the first and last mornings to take the chill off. The battery & inverter system work well too. Kept the fridge happy for the 6 days. The batteries lasted until I was about half way home. Perfect!

[Carl McFly]

And on a side note.... this month the BSJ calendar has your rig when it was just a pup

[nostaw]

Man Kurt... Nothing was a challenge, nothing broke... you're making it sound... Boring.

JW

[Kurt]

Great news Kurt!

It WAS good news. Popped the new rear axle shaft in today. Went for spin around the yard.
Hear clicking from the rear.
Back into the garage. Jacked it up AGAIN. Looks like the Detroit STB

What to do.... What to do....
Thinking it might be Spool time and possibly some stronger shafts.
Double splined 4340's or even 300M's... hmmm....

[Hoodoo Man]

Great news Kurt!

What to do.... What to do....
Thinking it might be Spool time and possibly some stronger shafts.
Double splined 4340's or even 300M's... hmmm....

Well as you say build it, break it, upgrade....

[Frank]

I liked the fact you still feel comfortable and no steering bind. We did the run with Ian and crew and thats what I noticed, was the lack of steering bind. That part is great. Jeff said I didnt lift a wheel all day and I guess she has done that once or twice. The rear feels funny on the road , but on the trails you just dont feel it at all. Glad you guys had an awesome trip. FjR68

[Kurt]

I took the D60 Detroit apart last night. Yup... it's toast.
It IS possible to kill a Detroit.
They apparently can get damaged when 1 shaft breaks and that side suddenly unloads.
It ended up stripping the teeth off the two synchro assemblies. Would cost me too much in parts to bother fixing it.

So... The spool is on it's way to go in the rear axle.
Getting a spare Yukon axle shaft to have on hand too.
ECGS is giving me $200 credit on the fubar'd Detroit.

[Frank]

Kurt : I swear I just told a friend who was asking about lockers. Just get a Detroit, Ive never seen one break! Only you FjR68

[Kurt]

... Only you FjR68