Waggy 44's with chromolly axles and 39.5 Irocs was standard for a budget sammi build there for a couple years! The weakest link was the outer hubs, most of them would either upgrade to the heavier hub or do drive slugs... They are a good axle with plenty of aftermarket support. You aren't really upgrading if you go to a toyota front axle.
It's an age old debate, D44 vs Toyota axle. Of the dozen of guys in my friend group back in the day most were D44 or Toyota. By far the D44 broke axle shafts more. Breaking a Toyota rcv is pretty difficult unless you're absolutely trying to. Usually the failures I saw were after years of wheelin and the joint was just about wore out.
Toyotas would break ring and pinion more, but those are a bolt in up grade (high pinion front)
Both would break steering studs depending on a million factors, good upgrades to solve that, but cheaper for a Toyota (diamond axle keyed arms ~$300)
Toyota axle is much more likely to bend but could be trussed easily.
Toyota trunion bearings is better than D44 BJs
Toyota hubs are much stronger.
The big difference is the rvc's are $750 vs $1800+ and are larger diameter.
I'm running Scout D44 axles on my CJ7 and I'm running 38" tires. I have the Revolution Defender series 4340 w/ 760X joints, 30 spline innners and 27 spline outers with drive flanges on the hubs. I am yet to trash anything, but a am very easy on the throttle and try not to let things get bound up. My current weak link is my u-joints, but I couldn't get myself to pony up the $$ to upgrade u-joints for a D44, knowing I would be upgrading to d60 eventually.
27 spline outters?
Can you actually break and replace a ujoint without trashing the ears on the axle? 99% of the time I've seen one break, it wipes out the axles or eggs the holes bad enough to make just throwing a u joint in impossible.
Who'm ever said you can get chromo axles for sub $600... I'd like to see where!?!? Maybe pre 2020 you could, but now your average price is in the mid to upper 600 range for just a basic set with a standard u-joint.
Luckily for me, I am fixing to go wontons...
Since we are on the topic... We all talk about the likely hood of a D44 failing with big tires, but then I see JK rubicon w/ 40's wheeling and not blowing shit up... Is their D44 something special? When I owned Jk's I thought the housings were pure shit, hell I bent 2 housings on my first JK!
Like everyone said, JK can fit much larger ujoints, and has a bigger stub shaft and no hub to break.
As far as running 37s on 1 tons. It does suck in a way. I ran 38s on my D60s and it was noticeable, thankfully I had a smooth bottom d60u rear. Was nice not really worrying about breaking.
I have a good buddy who built a TJ with a D60/14b. He was tired of issues with 1/2 ton axles and wanted a drive home rig. He ended up putting 37 km2's on it because the 40s he wanted were sold out. Those are probably the shortest 37s made at like 35.5" He's wheeled a lot of norcal trails and said it doesn't bother him much. He did try to keep in narrowish. Took 2.5" out of the front and runs 4.5" bs wheels, so I think that helps.
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