Just how weak are Dana 35 Rearend axles(stock) I get the crap scared out of me when I go over small ravines that leave my rear tires in the rut,and have to power out of it. Afraid of torque im applying will snap an axle.Am I being overly cautious? Just how easy/hard is it to break an Axle?

Id like to hear first hand accounts of what caused "your" axle to break. Just how rough was the stuff you were in and just how hard were you wheeling?

Did you have a locker or not. I have an Aussie locker with 32x11.50x15 tires and would like to know if that makes a difference in weakness/strength of the D35.

I haven't broken my axles, but my pinion bearing went out under normal driving conditions. This drove me to instal a ford 8.8. I just didn't want to risk being stuck on the trail and embarrassed.

Ya don't need first hand account with this one to know that a d35 isn't a strong as others. But you can run 35's locked on stock and never break anything, or you can run stock tires and leave it open and blow your **** up. It all depends on how you drive. Easy on the throttle and some other knowhow and you'll be fine. That said, I would never run oversized tires on a 35... You can do upgrades and beef it up considerably... Some would call it a polished turd and others would say it's stronger than a 44... So idk, unless you have a super light foot, which isn't always an option, then the 35 will be ok.. Worst case, run it and save up money for the inevitable

My Dana 35C died on Sunday night. I just finished pulling the sucker out tonight and am now enjoying a beer. The axles were fine, but when I opened the diff cap, I found that ALL the bolts that hold the ring gear to the carrier had snapped, I only found 3 broken bolts the others are MIA. Here's a look at what can happen.




I've been running 31's for about 3 years and it is also my DD. I live in Los Angeles so I drive from OC to LA few times a week. I also love to take my XJ out to trail around in Barstow, lets just say I sometimes pretend it's Jeepspeed Prerunner. haha!

So I guess i will be shopping for a D44 or 8.25 at the local junkyards tomorrow. Hope this helps.

didnt last too long with 35's open

i was going up some rough stuff where guys flip over backwards often, which i almost did after it broke. i made it to the top where i popped up over the last little bump. when i landed it blew it out and i slid back down

Locked 33s and an Aussie. I'm all good. I even have some fun with my "polished turd"

I ran 33" BFG MTs on a D35 open for a while. Never broke anything, however as others have stated, there's no doubt it's a weaker-than-most rear axle. I tell you what, I'd sure as hell rather spend a couple hundred on a JY 8.25, 8.8, or D44 and slap it in than have an axle blow up on the trail. Considering the cost of towing/other potential drive line damage and time lost, it would have paid for itself after the first break.