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With Steve Schilling Jr.
26 Spline Chromoly Axle ShaftsFrom 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.
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
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…
Editors Note: Keep an eye open for a performance review in the future!
Source:
Spidertrax Inc. 7510 Hygiene Road Longmont, CO 80503
Phone (800) 286-0898 (303) 772-0033
Fax (720) 294-9950
08/11/10 15:08
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