Have you busted a birfield on your 80? (1 Viewer)

[landcrusher80]

I was wondering how many of us here on the forum have broken a birfiled.
If you have please reply to this post with the following info.

Truck year
Mileage
Gears
Tire size
Lockers engaged Yes / No
Driving forward / reverse
Wheels cranked left or right or straight
LH / RH brif broke
What part of the birf failed
Pics of damage if you have any
-------------

1992
167,000 KM (101,900)
Stock (4:11)
35's
No lockers
Forward
Wheels turned right
LH broke
Cage


Cheers,

LandCrusher80

 

[landtank]

well I haven't busted birf yet.

1996
230k
35s
4.88s
lockers used

just thought I'd give some sort of benchmark. The birfs are original and don't click either under any situation.

 

[FJnAK]

Yes, I just blew one this weekend. I had slipped off a rock and was about to flop, so I tried to back out of it.. Bam! Now the real question is to go with Longfields and give up some longevity or stay stock and figure to blow another.

1993 FZ80
168,000 miles
37x14.5 Super Swamper Iroks
5.29 gears
Locker engaged
Backing up turning (the birfields worst nightmare)

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I have broken 2 birfs.

First time:
1997
130k ish
315 Toyo Open Country M/Ts
4.10 gears
Locker engaged
Backing up while turning in a rock garden

Second time:
1997
130,200-ish miles
Same stupid Toyo's
4.10 gears
Locker engaged
I was going up a steep hill with bolders. I layed the truck over on the pass side, turned hard right into the rock and gave it all she had to pop it back onto the tires. Popped my birf instead.

Now:
1997
147k
37x14.50 bias Iroks
5.29 gears
Longfield inners and outers... Now I break rear axle shafts.

 

[lt1fire]

Yes, I just blew one this weekend. I had slipped off a rock and was about to flop, so I tried to back out of it.. Bam! Now the real question is to go with Longfields and give up some longevity or stay stock and figure to blow another.

1993 FZ80
168,000 miles
37x14.5 Super Swamper Iroks
5.29 gears
Locker engaged
Backing up turning (the birfields worst nightmare)

Easy answer is for a tiny bit more than stock OEM Birfs you could do longs and a part time kit and not have to worry about it.


1992
220+K
None broken
original birfs
no lockers

 

[Romer]

No

I am real careful about using the front locker

 

[Mark W]

I have installed part time kits for two people. Both hated the handling and road feel afterwards.

If it is a winter use road rig in a place where you see snow and ice (like FJnAK), Keep the full time 4wd.


Mark...

 

[sdog]

Yes, both.
First time out with 35 Boggers, backing up a hill that was giving me problems, started hopping and gave it more throttle, wrong move. Cage burst.
Second time, 6 months later, this time easing up onto a rock ledge under full turn. Same tires, lockers engaged both times, cage failed both times.
Very happy with my Longs, tho!
X2 on the part time kit if it's a DD

97 40th anni
150k
35-10.50 Boggers
4.10 gears
slee sticker

 

[Tapage]

The interesting land crusher80 it's you busted your birf with open diff .. ?

 

[sleeoffroad]

I stopped counting at some point. Does 5 in 2 days in 30 yards of Hall Johns (South Dakota_ count.

 

[overhanger]

I stopped counting at some point. Does 5 in 2 days in 30 yards of Hall Johns (South Dakota_ count.

Driver skill at play here?

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

1996
108k
37" Super Swamper
4.88 gears
Lockers engaged
Backing up in the sand

 

[Tenzig Norgay]

I broke the birf/axle interface and had to replace both. The light turned green, I pushed on the gas, and snap. Had to lock the center diff and drive like that for almost 2 years before I got around to fixing it. Hehe! I loved the way it handled and the improved gas milage was nice. But in the snow and ice it was scarry, like a dump trunk on cross country skis.

1992
~275,000 when I broke
4.10 gears
31 inch tires
No lockers, at least not yet
Right side axle/birf, open diff, going straight

 

[IBCRUSN]

1994
220ish & 230ish
4.88
36" TSX
Lockers engaged - of course
What part failed - cage
Pics of damage if any - Ige might have a pic of the Moab birf but it was worse than LandCrusher80's knuckle pic. Got nothing from the Hills.

Both this year. First, sliding along Rocker Knocker on Pritchett at CM '09. Second, Bikini in the Black Hills '09. They have both been worked pretty hard and were ready to go. Both cages blew under little load driving forward. In both instances the cages all but disintegrated into pieces smaller than your pinky fingernail. I was able to put 45+ miles on each after they broke, so knock on wood they haven't left me swapping a birf on the trail yet.

Bit of advice to those who haven't broken yet >>> learn to change a birf by removing the knuckle as an assembly.

Christo can comment but I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of 80 birf failures involve the cage. The material is very brittle and after looking over my spares it appears the cages get chipped over time and and create a stress riser just primed to break.

I stopped counting at some point. Does 5 in 2 days in 30 yards of Hall Johns (South Dakota_ count.

Section four? Did ya make it up the waterfall? After all the work I hope so.

Driver skill at play here?

Better try wheeling it before throwin' poo around.

 

[OGBeno]

Nope. No breakage. Original birfs.

(though I have 2 spares ready to go)

 

[cody c]

One other piece of info i would be interested to see posted is:

were your wheels cranked left or right or straight, and was it the left or right side that went.

 

[landcrusher80]

Cody C suggested to add the below questions.

Driving forward / reverse
Wheels cranked left or right or straight
LH / RH brif broke

Other damage:
The axle shaft took a little beating too.


LandCrusher80

 

[landcrusher80]

The interesting land crusher80 it's you busted your birf with open diff .. ?

That's correct. Broke it with an open diff: making a light right turn with very little throttle.
I rebuilt the front end about a month before that. The brifs looked like new.

LandCrusher80

 

[BrotherRob]

1997
187k
Locked
315s
stock gears
Wheeled extensively............











Original burfs

 

[RedTacoma]

Any chance to add "if /when spindle bushing was replaced on the side that broke"
Just curious.