Best Birfield for the money – (1 Viewer)

[semlin]

OEM used or new or go home.

Having been through a rebuilt birf that clicked and clunked 6 months later, I would suggest you skip that option. When assessing the risk vs. the cost, factor in the labour to pull it out and put another birf in when it goes bad. Another problem is that the rebuilt birf was much stiffer to pivot than OEM and that made my steering stiffer which drove me crazy until I figured it out..

I am now 6 months into a smurfed used OEM birf of unknown mileage. No clicking or misbehaving so far (touching wood).

I can't see any reason to replace both birfs. You are not saving any time or effort by waiting until it actually causes you grief.

 

[NW-sickboy]

I recently went throught this dilema. my rig is getting to the piont where it is 70 percent off highway use and i like to be able to pound it.... Let me start by saying i dont like the used oem option. especially if you dont know the mileage.

OEM is great but if you running a bigger tire and wheel locked at all i would want an upgrade if i am tearing all the way into an axle. used isnt an upgrade and OEM is just replacement.

If money was no option i would have sent 2 OEM straight to BOBBY for treatment and been happy. Money was a priority and because i wanted trail spares i went with the NEWEST newfield from CV unlimitied. It is all Chromoly and built for a rig that sees most off highway use. this was a good option for me. it also has a lifetime warranty.

Cost- 2 new OEM would run roughly 900 to a thousand dollars. treated by bobby is another 150.

For 1100 i got new birfs and chromoly inner axles... so i have a spare oem that was good when it was taken out and both spare inner axles. As far as i know no one has broken them.

ya i know the newfield history but it sounds to be a totally redesigned new material and the only viable upgrade.

I checked with ben at slee and they have yet to break one but have only ran it a few times...

I am going to moab this weekend to test mine as well

 

[cruiserdan]

It appears that one important point has not been addressed in this thread.


As Christo has already pointed out, catastrophic failure of 80 series birfield joints is largely an urban legend.


I do not know of a single failure(other than noise) in an 80 with anything other than extreme tire size and abusive usage.

 

[semlin]

um how about mine Panzer Dan? it went dry and grenaded at 122k from normal use unless you count a delayed repack as abusive usage. So did Klunky Kris's. I guess the point you are making is that if you just repack them this then failure probably won't happen even if you are already clunking. You may well be right there but I am guessing you have never endured the clunk/click everytime you turn which I was assuming was motivating Phil.

 

[Tools R Us]

You may well be right there but I am guessing you have never endured the clunk/click everytime you turn which I was assuming was motivating Phil.

Phil's did all of it's "clicking/clacking" in a very loud couple of seconds, quickly followed by lack of drive. May have something to do with supercharger driven 37" swampers.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

ZERO clicking/clanking in fwd, rev, turned, or locked prior to its last clunk.- POS

Pulled both birf out tonight things didn’t look to bad, fits together like a puzzle. The star split into 3 pieces, balls are smooth and round, and all the pieces to the cage are still there. So I’m thinking a little welding and some grinding I could be back on the trail by the weekend.

Phil still suffering from birfield sticker shock

 

[e9999]

It appears that one important point has not been addressed in this thread.


As Christo has already pointed out, catastrophic failure of 80 series birfield joints is largely an urban legend.


I do not know of a single failure(other than noise) in an 80 with anything other than extreme tire size and abusive usage.

what's an extreme tire size? Not 33" I hope...

E

 

[Wingnut]

Tool's It wasn't the swompers it was the tree....just intimidated by the tree!

 

[NorCalDoug]

what's an extreme tire size? Not 33" I hope...
E

I don't think the 33's would be a problem.