Inside the 2 1/2-ton Rockwell Axle

Problems and Solutions

Deuces can be configured in lots of different ways. In stock form, the fronts were bolted to the springs with the tie-rod facing behind the axle and the driveshaft flange on the passenger side. The rears also have the driveshaft flange offset to the passenger side. You can spin the axles 180 degrees on the springs or, because the centersections come with a driveshaft flange attached to both sides of the pinion shaft, you can rotate the centersection 180 degrees on the housing by redrilling a few holes. This will allow you to accommodate virtually any driveshaft offset or clearance issue you may encounter.

A few other things you may need to consider when locating these axles in your rig and deciding on the orientation of the driveshaft flanges is that the centersection is massive and sticks 9 1/2 inches above the top of the axle tube. Interference with oil pans, crossmembers or suspension links is a definite possibility unless you get creative with your swapping and flopping. Also, these suckers have 6.72 gears, so unless you're going to be running at least 42s or 44s and an overdrive, you can kiss highway-driving goodbye. From what we've seen, big tires, pliant leaf springs and even moderate power levels don't work well with these axles. There's so much gearing, weight and leverage involved that massive axlewrap is hard to avoid. Consider building a three- or four-link suspension off their square axletubes instead.

Finally, most military wheels with the Rockwell's big 6-on-8 3/4-inch pattern are for 20-inchers. You should be able to run custom 15-inch wheels with no clearance issues if you ditch the factory drums in favor of a pinion-mounted disc brake.