I think you answered your own sye question with your second photo. Look at how much higher the driveshaft is after the pinion is rotated up to (almost- actually a couple degrees down) point at the transfer case yoke with an sye and the double cardan driveshaft.

An SYE won't solve his issue of snapping the driveshaft in half...
Unless it is snapping because it's binding AND getting hit putting extra strain on it.

my first picture is odd. My pinion is angled up. Up enough that I don't want it any higher.

I installed angled blocks to raise my pinion. I know what the "proper" angle should be for non sye.

However by raising my pinion up it did take most of the vibrations away.

I just wish it were a better picture so you could see.

That wasn't the point. If you read all the posts you would see that I was stating that it would HELP get the driveshaft out of harm's way by elevating it a couple inches. Certainly not a cure- all.

I don't think it would make any difference. His muffler has a big *** dent about where the shaft broke.

Good eye mr white. In fact the muffler is coming off in about a week. And my flat belly is going on. Then my drive shaft will be all by itself

When you do an sye you have to angle your pinion up to eliminate vibrations, this raises the driveshaft at its lowest, most vunerable point. An sye also allows you to run a stock front shaft which is thicker than the stock rear, and also smaller diameter (more out of the way although that's a pretty moot point). I have always run stock front shafts at each end of my rig and I have never broken one, and they have the rockrash to prove that they were well used. What always broke was the 1310 u joint at the axle end,

And traction bars don't kill flex when made right, Mine doesn't even twist like the one you posted, just rubber bushings and a heim on the crossmember end.

I have seen some pinion skids fabbed up as well. Usually utilizing a couple diff cover holes and a u bolt around the back of the housing. They take up ground clearance, but seem to work, some call them diff "sliders" as opposed to skids.

14 bolt and 9" rears have a removable pinion housing which makes pinion skids super easy to fab up and bolt to the rig.

These aren't even as long as xj springs, just stock yj springs, traction bar doesn't hinder the flex at all.



heres my pinion skid

Now that is the best reason to go sye that I have heard yet.

What? Didn't make sense to you when I said it?

Yes it made sense. But what caught my eye was when ktm said you can use the front shaft which is stronger.

Like I said I already have my pinion angled upward.

Thank you though. I just needed to get a couple different perspectives on it.

I think for now I will go with an extra drive shaft until I can afford an sye kit. Thanks everyone for the advice.

You are doing a flat belly but never heard about using a front shaft?

Eh, no? I did not know there was an order to follow, LOL

That's what I'm saying? Of course you twisted the stock rear in half... Run an SYE and use a front shaft.

You guys completely lost me about the flat belly thing?

Talking about this post
I want to see if you can break a front shaft.

Fwiw, get the JB conversions SYE kit. They have a high clearance yoke for all your rear droop.

Then, run a front shaft like me