Rockwell axles with Jeeps
The benefits to Jeeps and other short wheel based rigs with Rockwell 2.5 ton axles is the short wheel base and the limited turning radius of the big military rig axles. Easily overcome in larger rigs with four wheel steering, smaller rigs can get away with one steering axle.
The biggest difficulty with Toploader military axles
and short wheel bases is similar to the issues in other trucks. You do need an additional 7″ of clearance over conventional front loading axles. Of course the best answer to this is to relocate the front axle forward and the rear axle backwards which is easily performed with the body lines of most Jeeps.
My next Jeep Rockwell project would be a YJ based rig. I would run YJ Springs up front, with a doubled up long leaf (from the rear pack) and I would build a custom front end stinger that integrated pushing the front axle forward 6-8 inches, enabling the motor to sit behind the axle top end. I would run XJ springs in the rear, to push the axle backwards with aditional axle wrap control, or 4-link the rear end, pending finances. I would use 39-42″ Iroks with Hummer double beadlocks recentered for the rockwells.
Additional things I would consider to keep costs down would be to take advantage of the toughness of these axles. I would weld the spiders (for budget) and then run a split manual brake system using pinion brakes, with a twin sticked transfer case to independently brake the front or rear axles for front or rear digs. To run 39″ tires and rockwells I would cut the bottom end and add a custom skid pan available from a number of vendors, or custom made from our own.
I have discovered many jeep based rides with Rockwells and for good reasons. They regular the Top Truck Challenge, and other situations where money is taken into account and you can live with a few extra hundred pounds. This is usually ok in most wheeling genre’s except for specialized areas of rock crawling or desert pounding.
2.5 Ton Rockwell Axle Guide 