Running bigger than factory tires and harder trails on a Rubicon JL or JT? This weld-on truss for the M210 Advantek Dana 44 front axle reduces deflection of the housing and ties everything in from one end to the other, so you are not dealing with a bent or broken front axle out on the rocks. Laser cut and precisely formed from 3/16" steel for a close fit, built in-house in Grand Junction, Colorado.
What each piece does
The base kit is the truss, and that is where most of the added rigidity comes from. It stiffens the housing through the FAD (Front Axle Disconnect) cast section, the common failure point on factory JL/JT front axles. Each add-on ties in one more part of the housing:
- Rear FAD Tie In Bracket: for FAD-delete builds only. It only fits once the FAD module is gone, so it requires a FAD delete or one-piece axle shaft kit, and it does not work with a factory FAD. If you don't need the module back there anyway, it ties the rear of the housing in with everything else.
- Upper Bridge/Differential Tie In: goes over the top of the differential and ties the driver-side tube, passenger-side tube and cast center section to one another. Completely bolt-on and removable, so you keep proper tool access to the upper control arm bushing pressed into the housing above the differential.
- C Gussets (upper and lower): strengthen the outer "C"s where the ball joints are pressed into the housing.
Running a factory FAD? Skip the rear bracket; the truss, the upper bridge and the C gussets are the parts that do the work. Deleted the FAD? Include all three and the housing is tied in from the outer Cs to the rear of the cast section with the center bridged over the top.
Fitment
Fits the M210/Dana 44 Advantek front axle found in most 2018+ Rubicon-trim Jeep Wrangler JL and Gladiator JT. Jeep changed the housing center-section casting partway through production, starting with the Mojave JT and Xtreme Recon JL, so the truss is built for both the Early Casting and the 05 Casting. Same price either way. Pick yours in the Axle Housing Casting selector; it has to match your housing.
Which front axle do I have? Is it a Dana 44?
"Dana 44" covers many generations of axle. The M210 is the modern, metric version with a 210 mm ring gear, and it is the one this truss fits. Nearly every Gladiator JT ever built has it, regardless of trim. On the Wrangler JL it depends on trim: Rubicon and Xtreme Recon run it, and so do many others. Your window sticker lists the axle, or send us your VIN and we will confirm it before you order.
Which M210 casting do I have?
The split is not a clean model-year break. All 2018-2020 Jeeps have the early casting. Most 2021+ have the 05 casting, and Mojave and Xtreme Recon (XR) trims received it early. Check the housing, not the model year. Two things to look for:
- The 05 mark. On the 05 casting, "05" is cast into the back side of the housing where the passenger-side axle tube presses into the center section. The early casting has no mark there.
- Count the ribs. Every M210 casting has ribs running from the tube press-in areas toward the pinion. The early casting has three: one on the driver side, two on the passenger side. The 05 casting adds a fourth rib on the driver side, so you see two ribs on each side of the pinion.
If you see the 05 mark or two driver-side ribs, choose 05 Casting. One driver-side rib and no mark, choose Early Casting.
This is a weld-on DIY kit
Installation requires welding and fabrication, including welding to cast. If you are not comfortable or experienced with welding to cast, work with an experienced off-road shop with a competent welder to weld this truss to your axle housing. The procedure is in the install guide below.
what is a fad?
It allows for reduced wear/fuel consumption in 2WD by means of an engagement collar on the 2 piece passenger side axle shaft. 392/4XE Models use a FAD Delete Plate, however they still have the brittle/weak FAD casting in the axle housing.
Regardless of JL/JT model, a truss is a must to address this part of the housing!
do it yourself - faq
just how "DIY" friendly is this?
The cast center section and cast FAD section of the housing require specific pre-heating and post-cooling techniques. Improper technique can cause damage to your axle housing. Welding an axle truss properly is best done by a competent welder experienced with welding cast. If you're not experienced with this, reach out to your local off-road shop!
differential tie in
What diff covers will the differential tie in work with?
This truss system is designed to tie in with our Next Venture Heavy Duty M210 Differential Covers, however it will work with many other similar fabricated covers with 3/8" thick flanges. Curious if it will work with yours? Give us a call!
jl/jt m210 truss FAQs
That depends on which components you intend to weld in. Lift is less important than bump stop additions however in this case.
To weld in everything, the upper bridge section of the truss will require a 2" bump stop addition. If you're opting only to weld in the lower profile sections, a 1.5" bumpstop addition is recommended.
No Lift is required for the outer "C" gussets.
We do suggest cycling your suspension and testing your bump stops each time you make a change to the configuration of your vehicle.
Yes. Any of the options that are available can be added on later to this system. Please note that the FAD Rear Tie In Bracket requires a FAD Delete to be done prior to it's installation.
No. A delete plate is included, but it will require the use of an aftermarket 1 piece axle shaft, in addition to the use of a tazer/programming from a dealer in order to properly finish the deletion.
A FAD Delete replaces the electronic module/shift actuator and fork mechanism with a delete plate.
Mopar/Factory 392 and 4xE delete plates have a shift fork that is permanently in the "engaged" position and still utilize a 2 piece passenger side shaft in most cases.
Many aftermarket delete's use a 1 piece shaft, and eliminate the need for a shift fork at all.
With enough fabrication/machining anything is possible; but the short answer is still NO.
Even with an extensive amount of fabrication, the passenger side axle shaft seal is integrated into the FAD casting to bring oil to the FAD actuator. There is no provision to install an inner axle shaft seal in the differential center section like on most Dana axles. Without this seal, your differential would not stay oiled properly.
It adds a total of 1.5" of vertical height above the differential at the ring gear; however it sits lower than the factory upper control arm mount and therefore does not increase the vertical height of the housing overall.
If you are installing the upper truss component that is bolt on, it may need to be removed in order to use proper installation tools to remove and replace the upper control arm bushing on the driver side of the housing. The passenger side upper control arm bushing and other serviceable items are unaffected.
While the upper C gussets do tie into existing holes on the outer C's, they are intended to be fully welded. The upper bolt locations are pre-threaded from the factory, and the lower bosses usually are not yet tapped and will require thread tapping before they can be used.
Yes, with no modification. These models came with the redesigned “05” housing casting, and the truss is now built for both castings. Choose 05 Casting (Most 2021+, Mojave and XR trims) in the Axle Housing Casting selector.
Not sure which casting you have? See “Which M210 casting do I have?” in the description above. The 05 casting has “05” cast into the back of the housing at the passenger-side tube and two ribs on the driver side of the pinion; the early casting has no mark and one driver-side rib.
We have not yet verified fitment of the base truss or C gussets on the M186/Adantek Dana 30 Housings found in most Non-Rubicon or Export/International Market JLs/JTs. The differential tie in bolt pattern is *NOT* a match, so we can confirm that the upper truss components will not work at this time.
Due to the difference in axle width, and the many changes that originate at the factory, the C gussets we offer will not work on the narrow track/non-rubicon JL/JT housings in most cases.
Additional Details
*If you completed an engine swap on your JLU, a 1.5"+ lift may be required!*
Products are designed and fabricated to fit vehicles that have varying tolerances from the factory, minor hand fitting may be required.
Truss products are shipped bare metal and ready to weld! Bare metal products may have scratches or surface imperfections as a result of raw material handling, manufacturing, and fabrication. Additional finishing, sanding, and prep work may be required if you wish to also have them finished with a smooth powder coat or paint.
Projected lead times are estimates only, and are subject to changes due to production realities, including material and labor availability and sudden variability in order volume. Lead times are not guaranteed, but we do guarantee that we are hard at work trying to produce the best product we can and get it into our customers’ hands as quickly as possible.
All Next Venture Motorsports products are laser cut, CNC formed, and hand-weld with pride in the USA. We are a Colorado-based business, and welcome visitors by appointment at our Grand Junction, CO headquarters. We hope to see you out there on the trail soon!
Why next venture?
parts inspired by the trail
Our team got into the game after rock crawling, wrenching, fabricating and being inspired to design and build parts for what we love to do: hit the trail.
what our customers are saying
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