I am putting a 4.5" rc lift and some 31 buckshots on. I don't do alot of hard trail riding, just some dirt roads and mud. Everybody talks about how weak the d35 is and I am getting scared of it. What year xj is a direct bolt in for a d44 or the 8.25? Is it the same wheel bolt pattern?

 

Yes they are, if you get them our of another XJ.

For what your doing, you will be fine with your D35 for awhile. So start searching and find the right one for the right price.

 

Your D35 will be plenty sufficient for road-going and the light trail riding you're describing, but if you plan on doing anything heavier with your vehicle, it might be worth looking into a Chrysler 8.25" rear end out of one of the later (97+, if I'm not mistaken) Cherokees. It's a pretty good bump up in strength from the D35, will do fine with 31" tires, and is pretty much a direct bolt-in swap.

Otherwise expect some modification and fabrication work with adapting a D44 from a non-Cherokee vehicle.

 

what year is your jeep? cause i have an '89 and it has the non c-clip dana 35. that was the problems with the dana 35s, is that the c-clips kept breaking. mine holds up to everything i have done so far.

 

for "light wheeling" i would NOT swap out a dana 35 unless it broke or I found a replacement very cheap. ive seen quite a few of them on rigs with 35's and those guys were able to keep from breaking them and "light wheeling" was what they used them for.
For any HD wheeling or crawling yes id swap it...

 

Mine is a 90