Kapoww! You might have heard that heart-sinking noise before on the trail, the metallic snap of an axle U-joint letting loose. If youre lucky, it was somebody elses rig thats now immobilized, blocking the trail, and creating unrest. If youre unlucky, then its yours. Hopefully you know what to do and how to fix it. It seems that blowing an axle U-joint is one of the most common mishaps off-road, whether its due to poor maintenance, mismatched components, or just plain stupidity.
Regardless of why, axle U-joints break and need to be fixed. If you needed four-wheel drive to get to where you broke, the odds are youll need it again to get out. These things rarely break on flat level ground, but instead when the shock load of a spinning tire is stopped, or when the joint is angled because the wheel is turned. If youre really lucky, you might be able to limp back to camp and fix it there, rather than having to wrench in a precarious position on rocks or up to your hips in mud.
Our featured fix shown here was broken at night in a precarious situation, but just for you we salvaged the situation and limped the rig back to camp. Follow along with the photos so you can know how to fix this very common trail breakage.