How Much Did My “Junkyard” 1 Ton Swap Cost??

After a lot of grinding, cutting, welding, and general axle work, the JK 1 ton swap video series has came to an end. I hope this video series helps anyone who is looking to do a junkyard axle swap for their Jeep.
In the first episode I mentioned my goal was to be around 8-10K and I landed within that ballpark. You can do the swap cheaper, and you can also start cranking up those numbers very easily.
Doing a one ton swap for your Jeep is not cheap, however you don’t need to spend 16K on a set of axles.
Overall I am very happy with the outcome, and I can comfortably rely on my axles holding up to some vigorous off-roading.
Now, do I recommend this swap for every Jeep owner?
No...
Everyone doesn’t need one ton axles, but for those of you looking to run 40” tires and hit some hard trails then this is the swap for you.
Doing a junkyard swap requires a lot of work and time, but the process is highly rewarding.
If you ever have any questions feel free to comment and I will do my best to help you out!
Until the next project!! Keep on Jeeping On!

[@JKGearandGadgets]

Stay tuned for a VERY SPECIAL VIDEO dropping tomorrow morning. You do not want to miss it!!!! 😂😂

[@ala8649]

JK Gear and Gadgets hey you didn’t talk about the benefits about going to bigger axles ...

[@JKGearandGadgets]

Bigger tires need bigger axles. If your going bigger than 37s you need one tons. Bigger axles have all bigger components, ring and pinion, axle shafts, knuckles, brakes, steering components etc. 37s would be fine with Dana 44 axles (rubicon axles), but to Offroad with 40s you need the bigger axles to prevent things from breaking

[@2coldnpagosa]

Love the Series! Terrified job! I’m doing the exact swap and am using your series as my baseline. What I haven’t seen or found is your story. Who are you, what’s your background, has this become your career? I caught you’ve got a family and two twin daughters. Hope this series hasn’t taken a toll on the family unit. Keep up the great work and vids. 😎

[@thatmar1neguy]

JK Gear and Gadgets You did go double Cardin DS right?

[@thatmar1neguy]

JK Gear and Gadgets What was the 14bolt rear out of?

[@shanepowell5115]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE THE KZbin GOD FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO THERE ARE A TON OF NORMAL BLUE COLLAR PEOPLE OUT HERE THAT ABSOLUTELY CAN'T PAY 16K TO 30K ON SETTING UP A JEEP SO I SAY AGAIN THANK YOU YOU HAVE MADE "THE" VERY MOST NEEDED VIDEO OUT THERE AND ADDING ALL THE DETAILS JUST PLAIN (AWESOME) I AM NOW A LIFE LONG SUBSCRIBER. 🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@Everybodypoops2]

This series got me through a lot of poos. Thank you. PS. My feet usually turn purple around the 13 minute mark.

[@zachconroy1443]

Ben, I can personally say that watching you do this gave me and my son the confidence to truss our stock JK axels. I know it's not the Ton swap but doing this together has been awesome. Thanks for the great content.

[@Dmcummings48]

AWESOME work and great detail! Thanks for all the info!

[@andrewbreault1578]

Great series! Thank you for contributing your knowledge.

[@austintollefson]

Thanks so much for making this series. I've watched it all from the beginning and there is so much I've learned from these vids!

[@stevectl1]

I was entertained, but I'm looking to do this in a few years. Thanks for the series.

[@adansoto7931]

Great series!! Thank you for being thorough with everything. That motivates me to do it myself

[@beachboy4928]

Awesome work Ben! Well done man. You should def. be proud of all you did on the series.

[@markpascual100]

really nice and detailed video... won’t be doing this to my Jeep bc I don’t have the need for it but it was fun to watch!

[@roadhouzz4275]

Great video series Ben, very educational and not boring. Thank you for going into all the detail that you gave on this swap!

[@TheoneDragon51]

I enjoy the entire series . I do drive a truck for a living so it helped pass the miles. Looks great.

[@hemitj]

Just found your channel. First video. Now I need to go back and watch the full series. Subscribed and notified! Thank you for the info and breakdown.

[@caroleertel2961]

Great job son ... you never cease to amaze me!

[@dobrzpe]

ben, good series! thank you very much for putting the time and effort (& money) into sharing this with The KZbin. It's much appreciated!

[@hashmaker]

Great series, learned a lot. Thank you for sharing the journey with us

[@ryalsoffroad]

10K Thumbs up, sad to see it end but so happy to see these videos will be here for years to come, this has not only been helping me but will help hundreds in the future. :)

[@owilde64]

Great series Ben. Enjoyed it all the way. Learned a ‘Ton’. LoL. Looking forward to Casey’s version 👍🏻

[@brianalberto5662]

Ben, thank you for everything you do and thank you for the series of videos stop being hard on yourself very entertaining very educational I'm so happy I did these videos

[@johnmunder7107]

You did a hell of a job man...looks great! Very descriptive series with a bunch of information. If I take the plunge I'll definitely be watching this all over again as a go-by.

[@johnlamb4465]

Awesome, This guy seems so passionate and genuine about all of this. Good vibes.

[@mesomorfo]

Ton's of info on this series! Thank you for sharing!

[@bruce-bruce7975]

This is by far the best one ton swap video series on KZbin. Hands down. You did a great job. Much appreciated .

[@michaelmurray2592]

Great job on this series Ben! You did awesome and keep the videos coming brother.

[@StormbornJKU]

I’ve loved all of these videos! I’m not sure if I ever plan on doing a one ton swap. I for sure don’t have the tools for it, and I’ve never done a lot of that labor. I also don’t foresee me having any type of budget to attempt it either. But I’ve still enjoyed the knowledge and all of the footage of the entire thing. I’ll probably end up watching the series over again a few times. It’s just interesting. Great series man. Looking forward to future videos!!! (Especially the rear hydraulic bump stops!)

[@bradleycollins8485]

Great video series dude. I like watching builds like this. Great job!!

[@unlimitedljadventure]

Excellent series. I enjoyed watching them and can't wait to see the series on putting the JK 44s under the LJ. One thing I would mention would be the cost of tools to get the job done. Unfortunately not everyone is going to have the tools to tackle this kind of job. For those that do, this is a great step by step and how to. Very nicely done.

[@jasonkus4510]

Awesome as video! You do a great job on every video you do. You have me wanting to start looking for axles! I am excited to see some wheeling video in the future.

[@danhambrick6331]

Nice job Ben.Makes me feel good about my decision to do a junk yard axle swap on my XJ.

[@flhtcui2000]

Hats off to you sir. Lot of work but suspect you got a great reward, knowing you did it all yourself.

[@jimschmidt4089]

Fantastic axle build series. I'm a do it yourself type too. I really have enjoyed learning and watching you build them. Certainly can be emotional with all the time, money, blood, sweat, and tears you put into it. Standing back and looking closely you did an awesome job. Thank you for all the tech info and allowing me to follow along. Looking forward to your next big do it yourself build. There are so many people out there showing how to swap out headlights or install fender liners this was a great change of pace! I will be watching your series over again to see if I can pick up some things I missed the first time. Great job....😎👍

[@Slapsh0t95]

It was a great series! Definitely helped me out a lot. Just now finishing up my SD60 and 14 bolt swap. Can’t wait to test it at Rausch

[@patfinley3491]

Good work Ben. Great series and very informative

[@mikehoffman3690]

We opted for a Tera 44 front axle with 4.56 gears and Yukon front a rear lockers to replace a Dana 30. So happy with the upgrade. Best thing about the JK is you can make whatever mods you want. Love you videos. So informative. End of the 1 ton swap series is, however, like the end of Game of Thrones. What do we do now. 😢

[@willwalker6896]

Hey thanks for the walkthrough great job and educational 👍

[@n3tfury]

great job on this series bud. Awesome DIY skills.

[@tslucam]

Great job on the series. I've done this a couple times and never took the time to do the video part because I know how much work it is. Thanks for doing it and doing it well. Good luck on your future projects. I'll definitely be referring newbies to your series as they pop up. I'm curious to see how long you last on that auto locker before you upgrade. :)

[@largonutke0vxl635]

This IS entertaining! I saw this and now I’m going back to watch from the beginning.

[@drock3825]

I've loved watching these. IDK if i'd ever do it but I learned a ton.

[@bruce-bruce7975]

Brilliant! This is the best series.

[@davidkay7389]

Thanks for the series and wrap up

[@supersportimpalass]

Excellent video! I'm glad I subscribed so I didn't miss this. 👍

[@Gabi4x4]

I enjoy watching your videos. amazing job. Thanks to you, I'm also going to do it. Waiting for the next videos. hello from Israel.

[@MegaSendit]

Great video thanks for Doing this I’ve been wanting to do the same thing it really helped thanks a lot

[@clintdavis9717]

Great series learn a lot. You rock!

[@jnightrod]

That’s one bad ass Jeep. Awesome videos. Keep it up.

[@hivoltagedriver]

Two thumbs up! I kept pretty close track of costs on my swap. I used ARBs front and rear, and had both axles power-coated. All new Power Stop brakes, Spicer ball joints, bearings, seals, sensors, Artec swap kits, etc... I was right at $6500 on the axles, and sold my mildly built Rubicon D44s for $4000. Plus wheels, tires, and driveshafts of course. I used my SuperChips TD2 to enter 4.46 gears (5.13s) and 33" (40s) tall tires, and everything is happy on my 2017. I've since had to replace one hub bearing and upgraded to Warn Black lock outs for another $600. With my 3.6, CAI, Borla exhaust, and TD2 tune, the Jeep runs great. I can cruise at 80 with no problem, and average about 13mpg. Definitely a lot of pride in this swap over just writing a check to a shop.

[@TheRamie]

i was entertained the whole time, i learned alot , dont doubt yourself!!!

[@bf8440]

Very informative. Thanks for making these videos.

[@judahfindley]

These vids weren’t exciting but that’s not why I watched them . Your super informative and now after watching them all I can take this project up on my own 👍 thanks for the knowledge

[@m2003h]

Ben Your Axle swap is the Best. You have shown Me that A. I need a Jk in My life. B axels Are going to be a Consideration. So Thank You.

[@erikvanmeter222]

Loved the entire series. I have an 08 JKU - running 37"/5.13/3.8L/RCV/Chrome Alloy axles/FOX coilovers (front) - basically same as you have there. My son is getting ready to get an '14 2D JK Sport and I want to give him my axels and upgrade my rig to run 40's. You have given me a lot to think about. Obviously the cash side is key but I've done my own upgrades from here and the "pride" side says I need to go for it. Thanks for this great series, you have no idea how much it has helped and I have enjoyed.

[@swarbrickjesse]

I agree with you Ben. 16,000 dollars is nothing to blow your nose at. You did a phenomenal job and I really enjoyed the series.

[@joelhebert2246]

Man very informative!!! Keep them coming!!

[@jabbagna4237]

Great Job..... Thank you for all the great info

[@RocHopn]

Thanks for the info!! No matter what you will always spend your time or money. Sometimes both, but it depends on what you want to spend and how much is your time worth to you. That's a pretty good upgrade for 9.5K.

[@justinmartin1813]

I watched the series from the beginning, great work and detail man. I was waiting for you to start crying at the end of this video. Lol ready for more videos, let’s see em.

[@thanoschimonas7615]

Right on Ben. Just bought my first jeep, an '07 with a 180k miles. Got it for 8k. I am planning the ls swap and 1 ton axles. Ill keep you posted. Thx for all the videos. THANOS

[@newkey1106]

And is the best video I have seen in detail thanks

[@MH-kv2hj]

I love your videos man! Jeep looks great. I am from North Carolina as well🙂

[@JLLIFEOFFROAD]

Great work on all of this! 🙌🙌

[@l84jk31]

Thanks for the series. Now it's time for a LT swap

[@larrycudd695]

Just picked up a set of 2008 f250 axles with brakes for $800 and I'm loving the video series I've watched all the videos 2or3 times now

[@sinjin667]

Totally enjoyed the build and the break down , Lotta Work . I just dont know if i could pull it off, Cant weld Ben , Tooling not the issue or $$ , just the time needed to make it happen , but i love the passion. Thanks

[@joesigrist633]

Doing a junkyard swap for my front axle but i did buy a UD60 for the rear. When I bought it (5.38 gears and elocker) it was 4k bolt in. Had to get a new driveshaft. In 2022 it would have costed me 6k!!! The UD60 front is about 10k right now! Insanity! It was 6k in 2018. Just running the Teraflex 8 lug locking hub conversion for now with 40s and it works but thanks for these videos - going to be absolutely invaluable when I do the front here soon! Nice job.

[@bobrussell7644]

Thanks Ben. You have given me a lot of food for thought. I have opted to build the rear 14 bolt and buy a store bought front ultimate 60. That front axle swap seems beyond my capability.

[@JKGearandGadgets]

That is a great option! I wanted to mention that in this video but forgot to talk about that

[@chrisrouse3676]

If one cuts deep,, in then open it up ,bevel it out, as it will leave a void , proper weld techniques still apply , awesome video, thanks for your effort and knowledge

[@frankmartin806]

Very cool and down to earth love it

[@bayouboattrash]

This is so cool. I need to build a Dakota on one tons. I already have a full float Dana 60 sitting in my back yard.

[@MangoTangoJKU]

Great job!

[@PhatboyHD88]

Awesome buddy thanks👍

[@utopia.exploring]

I disagree with your comment "this wasn't entertaining". I found this completely awesome, and entertaining, because it's someone doing this themselves. Giving us, the community, a really nice HowTo and very followable series to do something like this. Great job! ....I wish I had 9k, and a welder, to do this as well! Cheers

[@4LowConcepts]

Great job brother!!!!

[@IFHSP2]

Loved the auto locker on rear of my 09 JKU. when I swapped the axles to my 2014 JKUR, it was a mess. Newer JKs don’t jive with auto locker in the rear. Definitely go with selectable of your get put in limp mode every time you turn a corner too fast.

[@scottlee8198]

awesome job very informative

[@TriggerHapySheep]

I for one thought the whole series was entertaining lol I’ve been wanting to do tons on my 2010 for so long lol

[@adamseaman7306]

Thanks Ben!

[@andreapiutti]

Well done!

[@mksaurus5277]

I loved the video series and want to tackle it myself now. You may have mentioned already and I probably missed it, but what was your final track width on the 60 with those 40’s Again, great and informative series. Thanks!

[@luismelendez5982]

Thanks very much for showing us how to make

[@singletrackftw]

Great video for those that have NO idea how much this stuff costs to DIY

[@scentedpinecone]

Cool setup, any ideas to make your ram assist parallel with the tie rod? Looks like it makes contact

[@wheelinnut1612]

Good vids dude. I spent about 12k but thats including tires/beadlocks, driveshafts and arbs(i paid for install on gears). I did spend some time with the jscan developer, and could not make the 60 tooth option work.

[@fuzzycatadventures2895]

Nice build. Looking at a similar option. What did you do about the mismatched wheel bolt pattern from the 14 bolt to ford dana 60? One is 8x6.5 and the other 8x170.

[@ifp123]

Labor (time), mechanic skills (zero) is the issue (for me) - especially since it's my only vehicle. My daily driver is a police Interceptor. Parts costs = 👍🏽. You have opened my eyes extra-wide.

[@Raskel8274]

Man, glad to have found your videos. I actually just finished up my front 08 superduty axle in my orange '15. I did the artec kit. I actually am driving it with still the 44 in the rear and one sensor unplugged on front axle which seems to force the computer to read the rear. ABS error, but I can drive fine. Did you ever change the trackbar mount frame side? I think I will need to change mine. I am already building the 10.5 for the rear - but for anyone else considering it, I think the 14 bolt is easier. To do the 10.5 you have to modify the tank and skid to get it to fit right. Cheaper to do a 14 bolt + adapters to get you to matching lugs Edit: Just checked out the jscan app you mentioned. Wow, it can program tone rings PER AXLE. That is insanity. Just grabbed a license. Makes my 150 dollar programmer, and 130 abs code reader osbolete with 20 dollars ( already had an ELM scanner from a few years ago, seems to work fine)

[@ahndajong]

Good video. I like your front and rear bumpers. Who makes those?

[@horaciolopez7721]

Damn and I am over here trimming my ZR2 to fit 34's with no lift. Holy smokes I have alot to learn.

[@derekdean2614]

I know these are old videos but just bc I’ve watched these a few times make me decide to do my own one tons on my two door an just picked up my rest for 250 bucks

[@jimvines5589]

Ive got a dana 60 9.5 14 bolt set up on my suburban. Sticking with what I've got. Lol

[@XXHelloXXx3]

Wish he wouldve included that itemized list like he did for his v8 swap video. Nonetheless super helpful and informative video/series!

[@jackrabbitjeep5954]

I do like your JKU and the videos, I also have the Adams driveshafts on my 2008 JK with 4.88 gears and powerstop brakes. I should have had lockers installed at the same time. I don't have a garage with a welder and tools. So, have to go to a shop. What would you recommend next?

[@ivanfromtheeast4709]

Henry Belk buying a welder is probably cheaper than a shop

[@moejr14]

Dude man that thing is gnarly. What sway bar end links are those?

[@l84jk31]

I was wondering what lift you run? I am doing the exact same thing to my jeep along with a ls motor

[@segwolfxviii2919]

Looking good man. Think you should go up an inch on the lift.

[@seemslegit191]

For the diff cover you should go with a ballistics shave kit

[@Castle_Bravo_SQ]

No part of this swap was boring. The nore info the better. I just wish i could do this swap in Australia.

[@anthony4x477]

Hi, JK Gears and Gadgets i just started to view you videos and you did a big big job basically at home garage. I have a yj with 4.56 locker on 38.5 i do mild offroads. and i will like to upgrade to a better jeep, thinking about a jku redy to ultimate offroad i dont want to bother oyu but i will lile to hear some tips from you to spend my money in the right way. I understand this is a process of time and money. Thanks

[@carsonfogleman8285]

this series is literally going to be my one ton bible