Smoked Another Axle Bearing

Wasup Jeepers …Am in a bit of a bind here and could use some advice. I’ve been having issues with rear axle shaft bearings on my Jeep. I’ve had to replace my rear axle shaft bearings three times now, and I’m only at 78k miles. I know I’m riding the line with my rear axle gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and sometimes even going over it. Unfortunately, there’s no practical way for me to lighten my JK.

I’m considering upgrading to a JL Rubicon, JT Mojave axle, or even a 392 Rubicon (full float). I’ve also been looking into custom Dana 60s, but I’ve noticed they’re using the same axle shaft bearing as my JK Dana 44. For reference, I’m currently running 4.10s, an Eaton Tru-Trac, and Carbon Off-Road 4340 shafts. I’d like to stay close to the stock width and keep my stock wheels if possible.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on what my best options might be to resolve this issue? Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :wink:

Teraflex offered a full float conversion kit for the JK Dana44, but I believe it required a different wheel. If you’re going through bearings that quickly, there might be an issue with your housing. Since you don’t have a huge offset or heavy 35" tires that typically cause such problems, it could be that debris in the tube is damaging the new bearings. Make sure you’re thoroughly cleaning out the tube to prevent metal particles from causing damage.