RCV Axles anyone?????
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I had heard they are crazy expensive but I don’t know exactly how much that is. Any idea what the cost is of fronts they already make that might be similar in size?
I’m not unhappy about the strength of the OEM but would these provide further angles and allow more droop?
Trunk Monkey
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Dig around, @spressomon tried to get them to do this a couple years ago, no luck. I think your best bet for innovating those would be @TRAIL TAILOR
Perhaps I am missing what the advantage of these would be? With the price of an aftermarket CV they sell for other trucks, I could buy 3-4 new Toyota CVs.
Wait for Jason's (TrailTailor) HD CV axles. They'll be worth it...and more importantly properly designed & fabricated to provide more benefits with no downside (for those needing more strength than new OEM cv axles provide). Having said that, the #1 killer of OEM CV axles on UZJ100 is running too high suspension. That's where a body lift, for those running/want to run 35's, is IMHO required.
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I had a custom set of CrMo 4340 axle sets made and my cost was 2100.00 plus my own assembly time and misc extra parts to finish the units out. Overall total out of pocket -2422.21. This is of course high for a production pricing, but just saying what the exact price was for ONE set. There is a lot that goes into these and finding a shop that properly heat treats and has a background in axle building is limited as well.
After looking at trying to get a little more angle from the housing from shaft the potential of chain reaction issues wasn't worth the effort. Reducing and/or increasing component sizes of the inner race, cage and balls and then the thinning of the housing made my decision to stay within the Toyota specs of +/-.005" the right choice for me.
I posted these up on here and IG and I only had 3 people contact me. After giving a rough estimate, none have been back in contact on them. So for me this is a dead project.
RCV has IFS sets for the FJC that are pretty close to my one off cost as a production price offering....
Jason
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A production run of front and rear axles would be an awesome upgrade from RCV .
As far as price it is completely ridiculous to try and have a one off product made like this. You are going to pay $$$$$$$
I see 80 series axles for $700, and that's if you pay retail.
As far as the point of the upgrade, it would greatly reduced the binding of the joits in full lock or hard power. This sounds like a major contributor to CV failure . This would also eliminate the issues with leaking boots .
I don't understand the want to lift the truck higher, if you want a rock crawler you need a different tool.
I have never been I a situation where I needed that vehicle to be taller than my 3" lift .,
If somehow the price point could be around $1000
We would be in business .
As far as price it is completely ridiculous to try and have a one off product made like this. You are going to pay $$$$$$$
I see 80 series axles for $700, and that's if you pay retail.
As far as the point of the upgrade, it would greatly reduced the binding of the joits in full lock or hard power. This sounds like a major contributor to CV failure . This would also eliminate the issues with leaking boots .
I don't understand the want to lift the truck higher, if you want a rock crawler you need a different tool.
I have never been I a situation where I needed that vehicle to be taller than my 3" lift .,
If somehow the price point could be around $1000
We would be in business .
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While you may think it's ridiculous to pay that for a set of axles, I don't since that's what I wanted and IMO need to keep my rig going for my particular build. The upgraded axles won't be for everyone and for the guy that heads to an event once a year and camps a few times a year on a 2" lift and 33s doesn't need this upgrade. But to each their own.
From my quoted job numbers at 100 sets it was still 1400.00 a set plus final assy pieces, boots, clips, balls, clamps, etc.. and assembly time. To get to 1000.00 you'd need to stay away from CrMo and/or head overseas and place a 500+ unit order.
I don't know of any CrMo quality aftermarket IFS axle set up (for any make/model) that's under 1400-1800.00 at a minimum. Some go up to almost 4000.00.
Just for the record, I paid the bill for the 4340 CrMo bar used in my axles and it was $842.80. Now pay reverse engineering, CAM/CAD programming, CNC machine time, splining, heat treat service, misc assy pieces, packaging, handling, figure in a profit, taxes, product liability percent, insurance vol percent on sales, final overhead and a feasible loss rate (mainly for shipping losses) also in the cruiser world if 100 guys say they will buy, in reality that is 10-15. So, the investment to bring a product like this to the market for a small demographic is possible, but not very promising.
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Yeah I understand, very difficult with such a small market .
What about something that uses the RCV style joints but without using CrMo? Maybe just to increase the CV by 40%-50%.
In my mind it's not that we need something built proof, just stronger than stock to handle the added weight and more aggressive driving offroad
What about something that uses the RCV style joints but without using CrMo? Maybe just to increase the CV by 40%-50%.
In my mind it's not that we need something built proof, just stronger than stock to handle the added weight and more aggressive driving offroad
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Strength comes from the CrMo and the heat treat processes. You only have so much room. Like I said above, once you start playing with the increase/decrease of component sizes the possibility for failure increases elsewhere in the assy. Splines will be the same no matter what you do so it will be the point of failure more than likely as it is the new weak link if you increase sizes of other aspects. Next IMO, is the housing and cage.
Stock units (especially new/er) are very capable of handling 33s and smaller tires and shorter lifts. My advice, stay to those specs or smaller and choose a better line.
J
Jason, I am still curious if your source could do an extended version of that cr-mo one he did for you? Is it as simple as making a longer center shaft? Adding maybe $200 to the price for that part for another 1.5”?
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I'd need to know the dims you want and I can ask. Have you looked at what that does to the UCA/LCAs and steering rod lengths and geometries?
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So you are saying the only thing that makes the RCV axlel srtonger is the CrMo?
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Most stock axles use a 1040 or similar steel alloy. The breakdown on just raw materials.
SAE-AISI 1040 Steel vs. SAE-AISI 4340 Steel :: MakeItFrom.com
J
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Like I said before, the rigs are not for rock crawling, Just would like something more robust than stock .
Not sure where you got the choose a better line comment from. For all you know I have a dd stock vehicle
More robust joints like the RCVs have and a boot that is less likely to leak sounds like another improvement other than the CrMo.
Not sure where you got the choose a better line comment from. For all you know I have a dd stock vehicle
More robust joints like the RCVs have and a boot that is less likely to leak sounds like another improvement other than the CrMo.
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Lots of 100s are running rocks. Is it the ideal vehicle... no... but there are lots that do it.
The boot has nothing to do with strength of the axle, but potentially less overall maintenance in the long run if the CV angles are too acute. Otherwise a stock Toyota boot, properly installed will last even cranked up with a diff drop.
I can't see any reputable company making anything less than a CrMo upgrade axle for a more intense use.
I don't care if the rig is stock or heavily modified. The comment is a general statement that goes hand in hand with offroading and advice we've all heard and said for years. The driver is the cause of the damage more times than not, whether in the rocks, mud hole, fallen trees or a plethora of other instances. They get themselves into a bind and try and hammer through and break parts. So choosing a proper line and using a knowledgeable spotter is a majority of the battle. I've seen stock 100s follow solid axle rigs on trails and they never had problems.
How many axles have you snapped and what were you doing when they snapped? Must have been at least one to even start this thread to begin with.
Nothing lasts forever, but common sense gives things a fighting chance.
