Quote Originally Posted by ZERO THEORY View Post
Ease of use and durability, basically.

As it sits now, there's really nothing the Jeep can't do that a Tacoma with a 3" lift couldn't do. However, the ease and cost of getting the Jeep where it's at compared to coilovers, upper control arms, diff drops, diff armor, et. al. is significant. And in a couple of years when I'm in a position to buy another daily driver and use the JK as purely a trail project, there's no need to do a SAS and fabrication, blah, blah, blah.

And of course, the durability factor. I'm not going to be running out at the Hammers or anything over the summer, but it's nice knowing that on the rocky trails here in CO (Pickle Gulch, for example), I won't have to worry that if I miss a line I might rip the half shaft right off the truck, or bend the control arm. Not that a solid axle is impervious to damage obviously, but there is a obvious difference in durability.

I can carry spare shafts for the axles in the back and if I managed to spin one, replace it right there on the trail without wanting to jump off a cliff. I can add sleeves and gussets and increase the axle strength exponentially. I can find a Craigslist D60, build it, and mount it at home with just a bit of metalwork to relocate the mounts, new hubs, and a pair of driveshafts. Solid is really just a more forgiving and adaptable setup that saves a lot of headache down the road.
So in other words, beyond light to medium trail use lol. Either way, sweet rig!