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With Steve Schilling Jr.
26 Spline Chromoly Axle Shafts
From Spidertrax
  Well,
Its been a few months since ZookiMelt, and finally getting around to
wrenching on the zuks. My dad happened to be the lucky person to win
the Spidertrax prototype chromoly
front axles in the big raffle.These things are sweet. Much
beefier than the stock ones. |
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| A little insight
from Spidertrax: |
| The Samurai 26 Spline Chromoly Axle Shafts have a fun
history which I am happy to share. We got involved in this
project early on when companies started selling what seemed
to be the same product, a chromoly 26 spline upgraded axle
shaft. Rightfully so, both of their products came from the
same original source. The company responsible for the
original design and manufacturing, Illinois based Rockford,
are the same east coast guys that are responsible for other
highly known upgraded CV axle products (Toyota and Dana 60
applications come to mind). They are good guys and do some
really nice work, especially when you consider the degree of
difficulty in manufacturing the components for the CV/Birfield
itself. So, what does all this mean? Early on, for
whatever reason, a wrong material selection for the inner 26
spline axle shafts caused unwarranted failures. Although
under warranty, it still leaves a bad taste in your mouth
when you pay almost $600 for something that seems to fail
just like OEM. We were not selling the product at that time,
but were quickly contacted by dozens of guys looking for a
better solution. Since we were already making our own, and
highly successful, full floater shafts for the Spider 9
competitors, we were in a position to create a solution.
In all fairness, Rockford is a specialty CV design and
manufacturing company and not Suzuki specialists. So, we
went ahead and redesigned the inner 26 spline axle shafts
with not only better material (4340 with heat treat after
machining), but also a better shape to allow for more flex
and proper oil sealing. What the winner at the raffle got
was our version of what this product should have been from
day one. It uses the Rockford CV/Birfield stub assembly
coupled with our own chromoly 26 spline inner axle shafts.
We have yet to officially release this product because we
are working hard in getting the retail price down to $499
for an entire front set. We think this is completely
achievable and hope to have these rolling, at that price, by
the end of the year.
Tom Kingston, Spidertrax Off-Road |
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| Now, back to Steve...
 Well,
before we could install the axles, we needed a set of rear side
gears. Since we are going to replace the rear locker with a spool
from Trail Tough, we will use the stock rear side gears for the
front.
Front gear on left.. Rear on Right..
After the spool install, we started on the front. |
  (Side
note: If running Calmini Hi Steer Kit, use lock tight on all bolts.
All were loose.) After stripping front axle, we pulled apart the
carrier and replaced side gears with the rears. Re-assemble carrier
and install... |
 After
packing the birfields with grease, it was time to install. These
things are a very tight fit.At this point, it is a good idea to
replace all seals and felts.
No clearance problems. Everything went together without a hitch.
Time will tell how they hold up. The 3rd Annual Turkey Trail Ride in
November will be the test.. Hope to see ya there... |
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Editors Note: Keep an eye
open for a performance review in the future! |
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Source:
Spidertrax Inc.
7510 Hygiene Road
Longmont, CO 80503
Phone
(800) 286-0898
(303) 772-0033
Fax
(720) 294-9950 |
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