beating the dead horse, disconnecting rear axle

[panzerbob]

OK, I have one more presssing question before I get my new Deuce, I have read that disconnecting the rear or middle axle will possibly get better economy. Has anyone confirmed an actual savings? And how does one go about that? I have read through all the posts concerning this (only took till 3 in the morning ) but there does not seem to be an actual discription on what is involved, and if there are any special parts/tools I need to accomplish this. I understand that the axles will become mis-aligned durning the drive, not a problem to fix when I get it back to Las Cruces. Is there anything I need to plug up possible "holes" in the drivetrain that fluids could leak out of or crap get into? I must admit that I have had no time under a m35 yet, so I do not even know how the drivetrain is setup!

 

[timntrucks]

i quess you could disconnect the drive shaft between the 2 rear ends but i havnt heard of anyone else doing it to save on fuel or for any other purpose. id love to heard some more about this TIm

 

[hndrsonj]

I think it's more for turning radius and tire wear. If you are buying the duece for fuel economy, it is the wrong vehicle.

 

[M1075]

There are different ways of accomplishing this. The cheapest (free) is to simply remove the rear driveshaft. 4 bolts each end. The preferred way is to get a desplined axle shaft and use a lockout hub on one side of one rear axle to allow engagement/disengagement at your discretion (on-road/off-road).

 

[sermis]

I used a lockout hub on the rear axel first. One side, had a lot of hop and spin and hop from the front rear. Moved the lockout to the front / rear. 70% better. Still have spin but lot less hop and easier to drive. No idea on gas mileage, never checked. Cheapest way is to remove the axel and use a front hub or just a cover plate to keep the oil in.

 

[Massm35a2]

I took my shaft off a few weeks ago. I am going to be putting it back on, The wheels spin when ever I try to take off. I have to lock in the front to avoid spinning the tires.

 

[73m819]

my rear drive shaft is out, never had a problem even in wet weather, though can get stuck in mud if the front if not locked in

 

[rizzo]

IIRC it was about 1mpg

 

[Opie]

You just need a socket wrench with large one inch plus-sized sockets and a cheater bar of some type for added leverage. I'll try and check the size needed in the am.

 

[oifvet]

If this is just a, "get it home," thing, do what sermis said. It'll get your truck home w/o the axles arguing with each other. Just get a front hub and put it on the open hole at the end of the axle hub where you will be removing the front/real axle. If you're traveling far, it'll give you some smoothness and mild fuel economy improvement along with a little less tire wear. This method is cheaper and easier, and you won't have to lay on the ground and cuss as much. Do the lock-out hub later on.