Is it worth replacing the rear driveshaft and doing away with the rotoflex? Do the rear driveshafts ever really fail? I'm going to Moab and trying to make sure nothing silly ruins my trip.

Thanks,
Jacob

 

I noticed The OEM rotoflex with 150k miles showing signs of stress so I ordered a new one from lucky 8 (there brand when I saw price differences) it was a good thing I kept the original as spare in the truck- because the lucky 8 ripped apart after a few weeks. It was pretty easy to swap in a Home Dept parking lot.

Coincidentally, upon sourcing an new OEM rotoflex, I caught Tom woods on a Black Friday sale. So I did the swap. You’d also need a new differential flange from 3 bolt to 4.
That said - the Tom woods shaft centering ball failed within 1 year as I didn’t keep up with greasing it.

I suppose, either would suit well with proper maintenance.
I thought I had read that the original Land Rover design used the rotoflex as a cheaper execution vs adding a double cardon shaft to rear

 

I've had no issues with my rotoflex, I do carry a spare though. I think unless upgrading axles it's not worth switching to a more robust shaft.

 

Just carry a spare rotoflex, and don't worry about the conversion unless you're doing serious crazy things that might overstress them.
I think there are some inferior quality replacements being sold, which seem to not hold up very well. These are the ones that break very quickly.

 

I did the conversion a few years ago and I wouldn't look back. Nothing inherently wrong with a rotoflex, but universal joints (when maintained) will last longer and a whole lot easier to find when you're in a pinch.

The price has gone up a bit since I did mine, but I'd still go that route and in fact I am doing one in the coming future on my most recent rig.

Here's the write up I did back then.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...75/#post626382

 

I carry a spare also....

 

I got a "GKN" "made in Germany" stamped on the rubber. 22k miles driven so far, no problem. I checked it recently and it shows no signs of damage.

 

So, I'll probably replace my cracked rotoflex with a quality unit (this, https://lucky8llc.com/products/props...2e37df7c&_ss=r ?) and then convert the rear drive shaft to a Tom Woods when I do gears and lockers. Thanks for the help!