The driveline is a valuable part of an off-road vehicle, it is what connects your power to your tires, and for most of us an area that gets overlooked until we have a problem. J.E. Reel Driveline has a new product that gives off-roaders more peace of mind.

Its new part is a dual mechanical retaining system for U-joints with inside and outside locks which eliminate the failure of the standard outside snap ring when hit on rocks. Off-road vehicles have been pushing the limits of wheel travel, which increases the angle of the driveshaft. Standard angels range from 22 to 35 degrees, but with the new system, angles can now reach 55 degrees.

The modular drive shaft system also prevents human error of losing U-joint caps in the dirt. The J.E. Reel modular system has all U-joint caps retained at all times, eliminating delays and failures due to contamination.

The mechanical lock on the retaining nuts of the transmission, transfer case, and axles is a positive locking system. The 2.75-degree lock will engage preventing crimp and non-crimp lock nuts from coming loose under inertia, hard impact, or other extreme conditions.

We spoke with Jim Reel, to get more insight on the product and where the idea came from. “The idea came from talking and listening to as many racers and teams as we could to find out their problems,” Reel said. ” We talked to Kyle, Curt, and Todd LeDuc, Randy Slawson, Erik Miller, and Carl Renezeder’s team.”

Reel continued, “Kyle was cracking 1480 series flanges about every 20 laps. There would be micro cracks in each of them, and we were concerned that if they restarted him a couple times there would be a failure.”

The direction the sport is going with more horsepower, weight, and tire size the driveshaft was the weakest link in a lot of these trucks. Randy Slawson came up with the idea that there be an internal lock to keep the U-joints secured when getting hit again rocks. Products like this allow the sport and the drivers to push their vehicle harder.

The modular drive shaft system is available for the Ford 9 and 10.5-inch, Dana 60, 70, and 80, Atlas transfer case, Turbo 400, and in 1350 or 1480 U-joint sizes. For more information on the product be sure to reach out to J.E. Reel Driveline.