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Weaknesses and Solutions
As the dana 30 axle is known as a more light duty axle for is size and strength it often has problems with heavy use and rough conditions. Robin Stover gets more into detail about the dana 30 in his article, “Making a Stock Dana 30 Axle Survive”. Stover explains the different ways someone can keep their axle from breaking with a few simple upgrades and smart driving techniques. The first thing that is recommended to strengthen the dana 30 by installing sleeves in the axle tubes said to increase the overall strength about 59 percent over stock. Something that Stover puts an emphasis on is the gearing inside the axle, it can affect the size tires that you may want to run but also the vehicles speed as well as how quick it is off the line. The stock gears in the dana 30 axle are more meant for on road use with not a lot of abuse. Upgrading to stronger gears is a great choice if you want the axle to last longer without breaking. There are also treatments that you can use to strengthen parts so they do not develop fractures or cracks. While installing gears the backlash is very important as it determines the way the gears wear down as well as the wear amount. With strength in mind, choosing axle shafts it is always better to go bigger as more splines will increase the strength by about 11 percent per spline added. The final thing that one should look at is the drive flange to increase the overall strength of the axle. The drive flange is where the driveshaft connects to the axle and if you install a larger flange the torque on the gear with be more evenly distributed preventing breakage. Also the type of flange and driveshaft is very important as well because the constant velocity type of driveshafts have a higher chance of breaking and leaving you stuck. The u-joint style that most off-road enthusiasts go towards have more strength and when they do break are much easier and cheaper to replace.

Identification
When it comes to axles and finding the right one for your application it may sometimes be difficult to find one if you do not know what to look for. The professionals at West Coast Differentials have written an article about the different axles and how to identify them called, “Differential and Axle Identification.” When it comes to dana axles they have tags most of the time that are bolted onto the differential cover, if they is no tag then the information may be stamped into the metal on the tubing next to the differential. Some of the information included on the tags are things like, gear ratio, axle assembly number, bill of materials, and if the axle comes with a limited slip differential. All these are important to a builder while looking for the axle they so desire with the proper items that it comes with. In Joe Schaefer’s article “Jeep Axle: Dana 30” explains different ways you can identify where a dana 30 comes from by they way it is set up. The Comanche (mj) and cherokee (xj) use a reverse cut dana 30 and the grand cherokee (zj) uses a normal cut. (3) All Dana 30s from 1972-1980 use a six bolt locking hub. From '72-'78 the factory had Warn Premium hubs as an option. From '79-'80 the factory used Warn non-premium hubs stock. From 1981-1986 they use a weak Warn five bolt locking hub stock. Jeeps built in the 70s with the Quadratrac transfer case will not have hubs at all unless they have been converted to part-time operation. They have driven plates instead. When the wrangler was released in 1987 the type of part time four wheel drive actuation had changed from locking hubs to a vacuum actuated axle disconnect. The next model of wrangler would not have the vacuum actuated disconnect as it had many problems.

Pros Cons
The topic of good and bad when it comes to the dana 30 axle, there are many good things if someone is just starting out but bad things with experience. In Pete Trasborg’s article “Jeep Cherokee Axle Guide” there are examples of the different dana 30s through the years and what each had that was better or worse than the others. The first type of dana 30 is the center axle disconnect which was good as the driver did not have to get out of the vehicle to put the vehicle into four wheel drive as well as less wear on the front driveline parts. This type of dana 30 is the worst of them all because the disconnect is prone to breakage if abused as well as if vacuum is lost or electricity is lost then you lose the four wheel drive capabilities. Dana 30 high pinion would be the next generation axle that would not have the CAD (center axle disconnect) but that means all the components would be spinning. The pros to this axle was that it had one-piece long axle shaft as well as being a high pinion, proven to be stronger in the front than a low pinion. The cons to the axle is that everything is always spinning creating more wear as well as weaker u-joint before 1996. Dana 30 low pinion would show up in the last production years of the xj and continued use with the zj. The good parts that come from this axle is that it is used in multiple model jeeps so it is easier to find parts for as well as newer housings. The bad parts is that they are hard to find in junkyards due to the amount that were produced but would also have less ground clearance.