I drive a '92 Cherokee which has a Dana 35 rear axle on it and i heard from my dad that there's a specific year that has a stronger rear axle which i believe is a Dana 44 can anybody tell me the year of Cherokee that has that or just a stronger rear axle in general?

 

87 was the most popular year for the dana 44. Newer cherocars also cam with the chrysler 8.25 which is easier to find and also stronger than the 35.

 

'87-90 for the D44. If you can't find one, a Chrysler 8.25 out of a '97-01 is also a good upgrade.

 

thanks guys the local junk yards got plenty of those years of cherokees and I can get it for cheap compared to brand new

 

Have you broke a shaft on your current setup? If not there really is no need to upgrade until you start breaking stuff.

But to answer your question the Dana 44 came in the XJs from 87-89 with the tow package (good luck finding one) and would be a direct bolt in, with matching gears of course. Another swap would be the 8.25, pretty common in the Cherokees. The 91-95 are 27 spline, and the 96-01 are 29 spline.

 

i haven't broke yet but my dad want me to find a better one because im planning on a trip to moab , utah in april so im getting my rig ready for my trip in the months to come and i definatly have alot to do

 

Upgrading before a Moab trip is a good idea, you didn't state what size tires you'll be running. The easiest upgrade axle to find that is a bolt on upgrade is the 97+ C/8.25. If you are planning on running trails like Behind the Rocks, and Pritchett Canyon, you'll need stronger axles and spares.

 

I got my 87 with the D44 for $900. Was pretty easy.

And considering the D35 is known to break and let a tire walk its a great idea to swap ita out if you have large enough tires.

 

I'll be swapping my D35 for a 29 spline 8.25 in a few weeks

 

i currently have 31's on right now because i got them for free and frankly as a highschool student i dont have the money to get bigger ones but i hope i will soon and my rig cant quite take trails higher then a 3-4 rating i just want to get prepared

 

No reason to upgrade until you start breaking stuff? how about so you don't end up broken down on the trail with a snapped shaft miles from help because you went wheeling with a dana turdy five in the back? I mean, why would you keep a part you know is insufficient for the uses your jeep is intended for... something that you KNOW is going to break if you try to use your jeep to it's full potential... Guess that fits in with wear and tear weld points on critical suspension components...

 

try car-part.com. just do a search for 87 jeep cherokee rear axle assembly. it will ask you which rear end you're looking for. it's an awesome site.

in fact, there's one 190 miles from you in bayfield, CO. 3.55 rear end gears. you can select which gears you need, too. i just picked 3.55 because that's what I have.

(i tired to post the search results, but it didn't work. sorry)

 

Yeah its a lot cheaper and easier to carry an extra set of shafts, than to do a complete axle swap, and if your not breaking parts then what is the reason to upgrade, just saying, if its not broke dont fix it.

 

spare shafts=$50-60

jy diff=$100-150 (29 spline chryco 8.25, d44, ford 8.8)



you would rather save $100 at most, and still have to worry about breaking on the trail?

upgrade sounds better to me. i dont like trail repairs.

i broke a d35 shaft on the street because of my locker, on 33 inch tires.

 

yeah i dont like trail repairs either especially if im about 500 miles from home