Deep, suction-like mud has a way of annihilating axle components faster than you can say, “Wow, this mud is really deep!” So, mud-country ’wheelers are starting to turn to 2 ½-ton military axles under their trucks in an effort to bulletproof their vehicles against the inconvenience and aggravation of snapped and pretzeled parts. Many potential buyers turn to Chuck’s Trucks in Orlando, Florida, because Chuck Davis and his crew are some of the leading purveyors of 2 ½-ton military axles.
Chuck’s Trucks has been modifying and installing military axles for 12 years, and the shop offers several packages for the potential buyer. These range from simple cash-‘n’-carry to a full-on install with a custom suspension of your choice. Figure on a base price of about $4,000 for a pair, with disc brakes. Not only that, but Chuck’s offers a couple of braking options for your new Rockwells, including your choice of driveline brakes (for off-road use) or disc brakes (for street use). Both of these systems use Chuck’s Trucks’ custom laser-cut bracketry for mounting the brakes to the axle housing. Chuck and his crew also can install a Detroit Locker in your new bestest-buddy-in-the-whole-wide-world, and this will ensure that you will not only have a tough driveline, but also one that is totally locked. The upside to installing one of these units is that you get a significantly stout axle that can inherently take a heckuva pounding. One possible downside is that your vehicle has to run at least 44-inch diameter tires. This is because all 2 ½-ton military axles are fitted with 6.72 gears, and as of this moment, there are no aftermarket gears available. But hey, you wanted to fit bigger wheels and tires anyway, didn’t you?