Front Axle Shafts

[Brecklin]

I've been running a set of OG Longfield 30 splines for the last 8 years or so, and today finally broke one.

What are people running these days? I was thinking of going the RCV route. I think the 300M would be overkill, as the chromolly Longs have done their job just fine through the years.

How's the warranty on the RCV shafts? I know they say lifetime, but is that only on the 300M units? Years back I broke one of the Longs and the warranty process was very easy to deal with.

The axles used to be under my second gen on 38.5" Boggers, and the truck got used hard..

Now they are under a Samurai on 35s thats more of a DD/light to moderate wheeler but definitely not beat like the old truck was.

What are you guys running?

 

[MT-TOY]

I'm pretty sure OG Longs get warrantied by TG. That being said, I wouldn't hold my breath for TG to make it right.
RCV seems like the go to for beef nowadays. Good luck, man.

 

[Slander]

I have had friends that warrantied parts through RCV and they all had a great experience.

 

[Arickvan]

RCV does warranty the OG longfields

i had rcv 300m on my 4runner for about 3 years no issues, locked on 37's

my buddy ran the rcv chromos for like 6 years no issues on his 4runner, locked on 37's with exo


im looking to get tacoma width rcv chromos if time permits

 

[NOODLES]

OG longs have 300m inner stars. So your overkill is the same as what you already had. Go with rcv.

 

[Brecklin]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Im wondering if mine could just be rebuilt. I havent torn it down yet but I have a suspicion that the inner star broke. It didnt act like it normally would when a bell explodes.

I'm going to call RCV today and see what they say.

Take'r easy guys.

Edit - I just spoke with RCV, they DO NOT warranty OG Longs.

 

[Arickvan]

yep they sell the cradle and ball bearings as a kit, its not on there website tho

yotamasters has it on theres for $100

https://www.yotamasters.com/shop/knuckle-service-upgrades/rcv-cv-joint-rebuild-kit-d44/

 

[Arickvan]

Edit - I just spoke with RCV, they DO NOT warranty OG Longs.

WHAT! thats new

 

[Brecklin]

yep they sell the cradle and ball bearings as a kit, its not on there website tho

yotamasters has it on theres for $100

https://www.yotamasters.com/shop/knuckle-service-upgrades/rcv-cv-joint-rebuild-kit-d44/

I asked the guy I spoke with at RCV about the capability of rebuilding mine using their cage and he wasnt sure if the splines are the same.

He said that the OG Longs could have a standard Toyota spline while their RCV shafts use their own spline, that is used in their D44 shafts also.

Interesting information for sure.

 

[Arickvan]

I asked the guy I spoke with at RCV about the capability of rebuilding mine using their cage and he wasnt sure if the splines are the same.

He said that the OG Longs could have a standard Toyota spline while their RCV shafts use their own spline, that is used in their D44 shafts also.

Interesting information for sure.

huh, ive got a set of new longs i could try into a rcv cradle, idk if the old longs and new longs share splines tho or are you talking about the stock 27 spline vs 30 spline?

if your local you can come shove your shaft into my cradle :wink:

ive got my rcv's pulled apart for a new front housing currently

 

[Brecklin]

huh, ive got a set of new longs i could try into a rcv cradle, idk if the old longs and new longs share splines tho or are you talking about the stock 27 spline vs 30 spline?

if your local you can come shove your shaft into my cradle :wink:

ive got my rcv's pulled apart for a new front housing currently

Mighty generous offer! Haha

I didnt know there was a difference in splines, other than count.

I'm tempted to order that $100 rebuild you linked and try it out. Worst that happens is that I have a spare for when I buy the new RCV kit.

 

[Arickvan]

I didnt know there was a difference in splines, other than count.

i may have misread your other post

ya as far as i know theres just stock 27 and beefed up 30

if you do rebuild have some brass drifts handy

 

[Dirtyjed]

RCV's warranty is not all it's made out to be imo. Tried to warranty a long side inner shaft and tcase output and got crickets from them. Both brand new with poorly machined splines that wouldn't fit into their respective holes. My buddy had the same issue with his tcase shaft and got the same response.
Ran RCV birfs and tg shafts just fine till I built 609's

 

[Wulf]

Has anyone broken their RCVs?


If so, with what setup?

 

[Slander]

I asked the guy I spoke with at RCV about the capability of rebuilding mine using their cage and he wasnt sure if the splines are the same.

He said that the OG Longs could have a standard Toyota spline while their RCV shafts use their own spline, that is used in their D44 shafts also.

Interesting information for sure.

That's interesting on my science experiment fj60 front axle I'm running RCV birfs with an og long driver side inner shaft and a fail gear/longs short side inner. It all snapped together, however I did build this axle 4 years ago so things may have changed in the recent past.

 

[J.Cole]

Has anyone broken their RCVs?


If so, with what setup?

Some friends of mine (Justin and Tab) broke an RCV birf on the Rubicon in Little Sluice about a month ago. Justin said he called RCV directly, filled out their warranty application, and had a new birfield within 8 days. Their rig is a 2nd gen Toyota xtra cab, 22re, toyota axles, 37s, and an exo cage over the cab. Not the heaviest or most powerful rig by any means haha.

 

[Wulf]

Some friends of mine (Justin and Tab) broke an RCV birf on the Rubicon in Little Sluice about a month ago. Justin said he called RCV directly, filled out their warranty application, and had a new birfield within 8 days. Their rig is a 2nd gen Toyota xtra cab, 22re, toyota axles, 37s, and an exo cage over the cab. Not the heaviest or most powerful rig by any means haha.

Gotcha.

Sounds pretty similar to my setup, 22R on propane, dual cases, yota axles with 5.29s, exo, 37s on steel beadlocks, etc. It'd probably be in my benefit to carry a spare set of shafts but I should also have a spare third if so; if I break an RCV I'd expect my Detroit to go with it

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Some friends of mine (Justin and Tab) broke an RCV birf on the Rubicon in Little Sluice about a month ago. Justin said he called RCV directly, filled out their warranty application, and had a new birfield within 8 days. Their rig is a 2nd gen Toyota xtra cab, 22re, toyota axles, 37s, and an exo cage over the cab. Not the heaviest or most powerful rig by any means haha.

Sounds like bull shit, unless they were time traveling, little sluice has been a gravel road for ~10 years.

Most of the chromo birfields I've seen or had buddy's break were well used and had tons and tons of trail miles. So many people just say "he broke xx with xx tires and xx motor" so that part must be weak, or whatever. Wear and tear has everything to do with trail breaks. That and driver, I know guys who have broken chromo 60 shafts with 37s and guys who ran 49s on 10 bolt fronts.

Not to mention, how often do most toyota guys regrease their birfs?

 

[Arickvan]

Not to mention, how often do most toyota guys regrease their birfs?

speaking of greasy birfs

looks like all my grease got rinsed out with gear oil

and now the birf isnt the most easy thing to wiggle around

i kinda dont want to take the cradle and ball bearings out, but i also dont want it to explode in a year

thoughts?

i guess i should use my own link from the last page

 

[Wulf]

Sounds like bull shit, unless they were time traveling, little sluice has been a gravel road for ~10 years.

Most of the chromo birfields I've seen or had buddy's break were well used and had tons and tons of trail miles. So many people just say "he broke xx with xx tires and xx motor" so that part must be weak, or whatever. Wear and tear has everything to do with trail breaks. That and driver, I know guys who have broken chromo 60 shafts with 37s and guys who ran 49s on 10 bolt fronts.

Not to mention, how often do most toyota guys regrease their birfs?

speaking of greasy birfs

looks like all my grease got rinsed out with gear oil

and now the birf isnt the most easy thing to wiggle around

i kinda dont want to take the cradle and ball bearings out, but i also dont want it to explode in a year

thoughts?

i guess i should use my own link from the last page

I got gear oil dripping from the knuckle so I'm gonna assume I'm in the same boat.

 

[Arickvan]

I got gear oil dripping from the knuckle so I'm gonna assume I'm in the same boat.

i cant remember what seals i did last time, but i ordered a set of marlin eco seals this time

hopefully they last longer

 

[Wulf]

i cant remember what seals i did last time, but i ordered a set of marlin eco seals this time

hopefully they last longer

I have the "heavy duty" ones sold by Low Range sitting on the shelf. They just arrived yesterday.

 

[J.Cole]

Gotcha.

Sounds pretty similar to my setup, 22R on propane, dual cases, yota axles with 5.29s, exo, 37s on steel beadlocks, etc. It'd probably be in my benefit to carry a spare set of shafts but I should also have a spare third if so; if I break an RCV I'd expect my Detroit to go with it

Yep pretty similar. They have 5.29s and dual caes with 4.7s as well. I carry 1 spare G2 chromo 30 spline birf and both long / short side axle shafts.

 

[J.Cole]

Sounds like bull shit, unless they were time traveling, little sluice has been a gravel road for ~10 years.

Most of the chromo birfields I've seen or had buddy's break were well used and had tons and tons of trail miles. So many people just say "he broke xx with xx tires and xx motor" so that part must be weak, or whatever. Wear and tear has everything to do with trail breaks. That and driver, I know guys who have broken chromo 60 shafts with 37s and guys who ran 49s on 10 bolt fronts.

Not to mention, how often do most toyota guys regrease their birfs?

It does sound like bull shit but it did happen lol. They had been running that set of RCV's since October 2016. Not very long at all, but they have countless trail miles on them. More than most people I'd like to bet.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

It does sound like bull shit but it did happen lol. They had been running that set of RCV's since October 2016. Not very long at all, but they have countless trail miles on them. More than most people I'd like to bet.

They broke at little sluice for real?

You can get a lot of wheelin in in 4 years. I wouldn't count it against rcv at all.

 

[J.Cole]

They broke at little sluice for real?

You can get a lot of wheelin in in 4 years. I wouldn't count it against rcv at all.

Yeah they really broke in Little Sluice haha. I wouldn't hold it against RCV either, I still think they are the best chromoly Toyota birfs / shafts available. If I had to buy new chromolys for my rig I'd get RCVs.

 

[alk1174]

speaking of greasy birfs

looks like all my grease got rinsed out with gear oil

and now the birf isnt the most easy thing to wiggle around

i kinda dont want to take the cradle and ball bearings out, but i also dont want it to explode in a year

thoughts?

i guess i should use my own link from the last page

I have a set of og longs and broke an inner shaft awhile back. It left a bit of the stub in the bell. When I removed the shafts they were well greased and have always been. But both sides were very stiff. It took forever to get the star and balls out. What I found is that over the years the bell had began to wear and deform where the balls pressed against the bell. I had to take a flap wheel for a dremel and sand out the deformation to get it back together and running smoothly. It did not seem to hurt anything but the years and miles haven't been kind. But they are still going.

 

[Slander]

They broke at little sluice for real?

You can get a lot of wheelin in in 4 years. I wouldn't count it against rcv at all.

I could believe it even if it was "paved". I blew up my IFS front end on a basket ball size rock 100ft after crawling through a garden of toyota truck size boulders. Shit fails at odd times!

Not an rcv but weak looking axle breakage story.

How often do you guys grease these things and how may pumps do you give it?

 

[Wulf]

I could believe it even if it was "paved". I blew up my IFS front end on a basket ball size rock 100ft after crawling through a garden of toyota truck size boulders. Shit fails at odd times!

Not an rcv but weak looking axle breakage story.

How often do you guys grease these things and how may pumps do you give it?

I wish mine had the grease zerks. Gotta pull the whole thing out and do it by hand.

 

[Slander]

I wish mine had the grease zerks. Gotta pull the whole thing out and do it by hand.

Sucks man.

If you dont have them, I recomend the trail gear wiper seals when you tear down the front end, they are nice!