Axle trusses?

rbpowerwagon · Post by **rbpowerwagon** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:58 am

How many of you guys are running a front axle truss? From what I've read it seems like the front axle seems to be somewhat of a weak link. I have been offroad where I have hit a large enough objects to make me worried.
How hard are the installs? Should I be worried about hi current when welding causing electronic damage? What manufacturers are out there, I have been considering a setup from Thuren fab. The Carli one looks beefy but also fairly pricey compared to the others.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Ducky's Dad · Post by **Ducky's Dad** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:43 pm

You'd have to really beat on your truck to justify an axle truss. Thuren told me that Boogie Bumps on the front are a good interim step instead of a truss. KORE told me that I don't need a truss. Carli told me that if I do a truss, I'd better find a reallllllly good welder. I went with Boogie Bumps.

RustyPW · Post by **RustyPW** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:45 pm

Seal weld the axle tube to the pumpkin. That will take worry out of the plug welds that AAM bubble gum on.

If you do any welding on the truck. Disconnect the battery and then step on the brake pedal. That will discharge any left over energy in the system. Also put your ground close as possible to where you are welding. You don't want the welding current to travel through any bearings or wires.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 6:19 pm

I've had the Carli truss and it was really quite nice, it's very installer friendly as far as trusses go. I now have a Thuren based creative fab truss that is about as far as you can take an aam 9.25, it was stripped bare chemical dipped and welded in a custom fixturing jig. The regular Thuren and Carli trusses are plenty to keep you from bending your axle from high speed or severe bottoming but neither are really intended to ward off direct hits from rocks etc. I'm living proof that a trussed axle can be bent and broken. If you're hitting your axle on things hard enough to be concerned, you need a better spotter lol. Trusses are uneccesary for most people, they are intended for those who see relatively high speeds off road.

2011RPW · Post by **2011RPW** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:33 pm

I wasn't planning on doing a truss, till I saw/read about this...(Kenadian's wagon)
I'm hoping to have a Thuren truss on in a couple months. I'd rather be safe, than sorry.

RustyPW · Post by **RustyPW** » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:56 pm

In that picture. Looks like the tube pulled out of the pumpkin! You can see where the plug weld was. Hardly any penetration.

15wbpw · Post by **15wbpw** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:24 am

2011RPW wrote:I wasn't planning on doing a truss, till I saw/read about this...(Kenadian's wagon)
I'm hoping to have a Thuren truss on in a couple months. I'd rather be safe, than sorry.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444699948.042135.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444699982.116955.jpg

What's the story behind this?

2011RPW · Post by **2011RPW** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:59 am

Hopefully 2wags or Kenadian can fill in details, but my understanding is that Kenadian was following 2wags and hit a 6" pothole, and the axle separated.

trk4sale · Post by **trk4sale** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 9:42 am

As someone who has had to replace the front axle housing I say get a truss. Even a small bend in the tubes can cause problems like a leak and worse, binding the front locker so it will not engage. By the time you buy a new housing and pay the labor to get the work done it could cost around $2000 or so. A truss then becomes cheap insurance. I had mine installed on my new axle for $500. If you decide to weld the tubes to the center section make sure you use a experienced welder, but it still won't do much to prevent the tubes from bending.

rbpowerwagon · Post by **rbpowerwagon** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:46 pm

Thanks guys for all the response. That is exactly the kind of catastrophic failure I'm trying to avoid. I think I'd rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it. Cheap insurance I think to have the axle trussed.

Colibri · Post by **Colibri** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:17 pm

I agree, hence my axle is trussed, however some thing's that should be considered before a person commits to doing a truss-

1. A trussed axle loses ground clearance, things that would not be a problem with a non trussed axle can hit and cause severe damage. This must be accounted for with a change of driving practices

2. If you should happen to hit your axle it will resist bending and breaking compared to stock and will transfer relatively more of the impact energy through the suspension frame and front driveshaft causing far more damage than just a bent housing

3. You are only moving the weak point to somewhere else on the front end. There is kind of a domino effect- balljoints wheel bearings etc. become the failure point instead.

At the end of the day you pays your money and takes your chances. I had a catastrophic hit on my front end that cracked the center section and bent the tubes. The carli truss was the only thing holding it together and I was able to limp home under my own power instead of on a flatbed. That's good value to me. However had the truss not been there I would have driven right over the stump and not hit anything lol.

rbpowerwagon · Post by **rbpowerwagon** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:09 pm

Colibri wrote:I agree, hence my axle is trussed, however some thing's that should be considered before a person commits to doing a truss-

1. A trussed axle loses ground clearance, things that would not be a problem with a non trussed axle can hit and cause severe damage. This must be accounted for with a change of driving practices

2. If you should happen to hit your axle it will resist bending and breaking compared to stock and will transfer relatively more of the impact energy through the suspension frame and front driveshaft causing far more damage than just a bent housing

3. You are only moving the weak point to somewhere else on the front end. There is kind of a domino effect- balljoints wheel bearings etc. become the failure point instead.

At the end of the day you pays your money and takes your chances. I had a catastrophic hit on my front end that cracked the center section and bent the tubes. The carli truss was the only thing holding it together and I was able to limp home under my own power instead of on a flatbed. That's good value to me. However had the truss not been there I would have driven right over the stump and not hit anything lol.

Awesome info thanks a bunch!

Stickman · Post by **Stickman** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 2:27 am

I'm pretty sure Kens axle pulled apart like that because he was trying to keep up with 2wags (who has a trussed axle and basically a Raptor killing Wagon) and just hit a pothole at way too much speed that 2wags axle/suspension could take but his stock axle couldn't. I don't think anyone on here has to worry about their axle doing that on their morning commute unless their commute is through a desert at 60+mph. Of course you want to consider one if you are hard on your Wagon off-road, but I think you'll know when one is needed, if it is indeed needed.

JBM Power Wagon · Post by **JBM Power Wagon** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 7:08 am

Stickman wrote:I'm pretty sure Kens axle pulled apart like that because he was trying to keep up with 2wags (who has a trussed axle and basically a Raptor killing Wagon) and just hit a pothole at way too much speed that 2wags axle/suspension could take but his stock axle couldn't. I don't think anyone on here has to worry about their axle doing that on their morning commute unless their commute is through a desert at 60+mph. Of course you want to consider one if you are hard on your Wagon off-road, but I think you'll know when one is needed, if it is indeed needed.

I was out with Ken and Lee that weekend and I think it had more to do with bad plug welds than how hard he was pushing his truck.

Now, that being said I do think if anybody wants to do a lot of driving at speed over rough terrain with a big heavy truck an axle truss is a good idea. I know when I'm out wheeling with Lee (2wags) I go A LOT slower than him! Lol!

Kenadian · Post by **Kenadian** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:29 pm

Yeah. I think it was many factors as to why it came apart part faulty plug welds, part me driving like a raped ape my suspension handled great on the beach but I was also running 25-30psi less on the beach which could be another factor. Many things But I will definitely be trussing my new axle shortly

I like to break things !!!

2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 2:42 pm

Yes ken was driving fast for the road. No the welds didn't penetrate barelly at all in the tube all four sever clean! No traces they were there except for discolored tube. Truss is a must if you plan on driving over 20mph off road. Ken was doing 45-60mph over whoops the day before and rough terrain this could have loosened the tube/ started the bend. Here's a video of some of the runs we were doing... A Thuren truss is a pain to install. It's a lot of upside down welding and patience and a GOOD welder (220v mig preferably 200amps minimum) or someone who is good with stick/ arc. You need to get the penetration to put the main tube onto the lower section of cast. Since it's 3/8" thick you need a good punch to penetrate both. Carlis truss looks easier for sure.... Welding the axle tubes is a bitch too. Welding to cast involves patience. As it usually cracks after a few minutes cooling unless it can be post heated to cool it slowly as the mild steel cools... http://youtu.be/6dmZ33SA9-M

Sent from Canada

Ducky's Dad · Post by **Ducky's Dad** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:49 pm

http://youtu.be/6dmZ33SA9-M

Looks like fun, but also looks a lot smoother than most of the dirt roads in the desert.

azracer · Post by **azracer** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 10:05 pm

Ducky's Dad wrote:
http://youtu.be/6dmZ33SA9-M
Looks like fun, but also looks a lot smoother than most of the dirt roads in the desert.

Long travel dodge suspension done right! Now with his long arm kit it gives the best of high speed and articulation.

phpBB [video]

Clickable link for Tapatalk

Baja and the southwest in general is a different animal altogether. Spending all day just getting to your destination is not how it is done. Driving like your on a freeway is where it is at. A truss is mandatory for this.

phpBB [video]

Clickable link for Tapatalk

phpBB [video]

Clickable link for Tapatalk

2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:40 pm

Ducky's Dad wrote:
http://youtu.be/6dmZ33SA9-M
Looks like fun, but also looks a lot smoother than most of the dirt roads in the desert.

looks a lot smoother then it is.

Sent from Canada

JBM Power Wagon · Post by **JBM Power Wagon** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:59 pm

2wagons1driveway wrote:
Ducky's Dad wrote:
http://youtu.be/6dmZ33SA9-M
Looks like fun, but also looks a lot smoother than most of the dirt roads in the desert.
looks a lot smoother then it is.

Sent from Canada

Yup, I was going A LOT slower in my stock 2014!!! Haha!

2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:08 pm

Lol ^^^ http://youtu.be/auvaD36cKq8 Jeff your in here cruising!

Sent from Canada

JBM Power Wagon · Post by **JBM Power Wagon** » Sat Oct 17, 2015 12:33 pm

Lol, still not near the speed you do Lee!

2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Sun Oct 18, 2015 5:21 am

JBM Power Wagon wrote:Lol, still not near the speed you do Lee!

lol ya responsibility has it's Perc's....*unbroken stuff*

Sent from Canada

Kenadian · Post by **Kenadian** » Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:32 am

Lee email that video to me

I like to break things !!!

2wagons1driveway · Post by **2wagons1driveway** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:10 pm

Find it on YouTube you bum lol

Sent from Canada

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