Shaved Dana 35C

[Insayn]

From another forum.
"So I bought this motorhome on Friday and was planning to take it to the Baertrax run for it's inaugral camping trip. I've been flat towing my Jeep for many years behind what ever else I had around the house. After a few years in the pop-up, needing people to help me get all my **** to the trail, the motorhome is the perfect scenario for us. So... I proceed to hook the Jeep to the 35 foot class A I just bought. I bought the thing in Denton at Ancira. I headed south on 35W about 3:30 PM. The Jeep was tracking perfectly behind the MH. Charlotte had come over to the camper place in her car so she was behind me. We were through Denton and about to TMS when I called Char and had here go on ahead of me to get to her sisters in FW where we were going to leave her car for the weekend. MH was cruising nicely at about 65 mph. I had owned it about 1 hour. So I've got this big I have arrived grin on my face while I cruise down 35 at about Alliance Gateway, when this lady with a crazed and frantic look on her face pulls up beside me and was waving me over. I immediately checked my rear monitor thinking perhaps something had gone wrong with my Jeep back there. In the monitor everthing seemed OK. The monitor has a bit of a wide angle lense and distorts the image some what. But considering the look in that lady's eyes, I thought it prudent to stop and check things out. As I slowed and moved to the shoulder the Jeep wiggled some.


THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED JUST HOW WRONG THINGS HAD GONE.


The back tires and wheels were gone, and I don't mean ruined, I mean not there, GONE! I jumped out of the MH and ran to the Jeep. It was sitting on what was left of the diff. I looked behingd me, some folks had stopped behind me and were fighting the grass fire I had started on the shoulder. The lady that stopped me ran up to me and said, "you wheel came off and went across the median and hit some body." Well, my heart sunk. I can see from what was left behind that not only did my wheel cross the intersated at 65 mph, but it had an axle shaft and brake drum attached to it. I just knew I had killed someone in rush hour traffic. She saw the panic in my eyes and quickly followed up with, "but he's OK, he got out to look at the damage." That was a relief. I called 911 and called Char to come back. Wes was asleep in the MH. As I surveyed the damage and looked behind me for the north bound acciedent I had caused I realized I must have drug the Jeep a couple of miles before anyone stopped me. I couldn't see the accident or the traffic jam it caused and the pumpkin was shaved about 1.5 to 2 inches. The shock mounts were ground off and the shocks were wrapped under the fuel tank. I have pictures. The police showed up and we called a wrecker. The policeman and I walked back to where the fire had started and found what probably started it. One of the bolts tha holds the carrier brackets in the diff was shaved in half length wise and had fallen out of the bottom of the diff into the grass. I should have kept it but it was too hot to touch and I forgot to go back and get it. It took 3.5 hours for a tow truck to show up. The fellow my tire hit, hit the flat side of the tire and dug the axle shaft into the asfault. The passenger side tire was never recovered.

In conclusion, on the trail Saturday, someone I didn't know mentioned my bad luck. I say my luck could not have been better. A mile before the wheels came off, my wife and one year old were right behind me, the had passed me just in time. A 65 mph wheel crossed the median on 35 W and didn't hurt anyone. I waited 3 hours for a tow truck but I was in an air conditioned motorhome not a broke down civic. And finally, my Jeep is fully insured and I wanted a better axle for a really long time.

Thanks for your attention, this was a long story."


Bob"

Friend' shaved Dana 35C. Nice.

[Cody_91YJ]

holy ****! That sucks, but like he said, coulda been a hell of alot worse

[JeffsJeep04]

AAAAND that's why I'm glad I A) never had an axle with c-clips and more importantly B) got rid of the tirdy 5.

[88yjJimmy]

Bummer man , .............. Good to hear everyone is ok. That has got to be the most bizzare D35 failure I have ever heard of .

[Hiapo]

Holy crap that is crazy!! So the moral of the story is Dana 35's suck?



Just kidding Im glad that guy and his family are all right.

[Chase]

Wow that's incredible!! I've heard of lots of D35 failures, but nothing like that. There ahve been lots of threads, here and elsewhere, on flat towing, and that it's not a good idea. I don't recall any of the specifics but would that have been the cause of this?

[Unlimited]

omg thats crazy!!!! wow guess that motorhome has a diesel than can really pull!!! just glad nobody got hurt. have u been able to check what other damage the jeep sustained? bumpers, frame, driveshaft, transfercase, tranny, mounts? i'm guessing half the exhaust is toast?

damn man, sucks, but could always have been worse.

[UTexas95YJ]

WOW!!!!
first off...glad everyone is ok.

Secondly, It's insured so nothing TOO terrible there.

Thirdly, Insayn sir, Your friends have the kind of Luck I wouldnt wish on ANYONE.

The Lord does work in mysterious ways though

[Patriot4x4]

jesus man! glad everyone was ok... glad you are keeping the right view on it being good luck not bad

[Insayn]

Originally Posted by Bob W.

Well, of course the tires and wheels were unrecoverable. The shocks are wrapped under the gas tank. The tail pipe may be bent or at least the mount broken. It was hard to tell on the ground or the flat bed. We'll know more when it gets to Baertrax. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if it needed a new transfercase but I don't know how it would have been possible to ruin that. Trade in is only $4,500 so I imagine it wouldn't take much to total it.

Hopefully this means upgrades for him

[sevenslats]

[Insayn]

The TJ is sitting at BaerTrax now. More pics.

[climbhigh]

Holy crap.

[Hiapo]

That is friggen crazy!

Has he decided what kind of upgrades he is doing?

[JonsYJjeep]

ummm how did they both come out? did someone forget to put the c-clips in or the Center-pin. I could see that being an explaination. I just dont understand how Both came out at the same time. I want to see pics of inside the diff.