CV Unlimited is the leader in off-road CV joints and axles. George and Franklin Stuckey created the Newfield line of CV Joints and Axles when they couldn’t purchase an axle strong enough to take the abuse their Toyota Landcruisers were receiving during hardcore Off-Road Treks and Rockcrawling.
The Newfield CV joint for the FJ40 was the first Newfield product CV Unlimited introduced to the market. The Newfield has been called a birfield eliminator, a heavy-duty birfield, a heavy duty CV joint, and a high performance CV joint by numerous off-road magazines (including Toyota Trails). Our Newfield Technicians and Testers are a hard group to satisfy, and the Newfield CV Joint designed for the Land Cruiser has undergone evolutionary changes since its first design in 1998.
Why do I need to replace my Toyota’s Birfields? The problem with the O. E. design is that the joint is too small and much too hard. The O. E. joint is made to a Rockwell hardness of 70 RC, a design intended for long-term use and just getting’ around. This is great for running around town and taking road trips, but if you’ve put all the effort in modifying your truck for off-road use, why stop at the Birfields? The harder the Rockwell the better the material stands up to wear. Out on the trails, you have probably seen a birfield shattered like glass. This is the result of the metal being too hard. Getting the Rockwell hardness to a level that will not wear out too soon while remaining suitable for rockcrawling and off-roading is a fine line, but our Off-road technicians and testers didn’t mind a bit, especially when we sent them off on the weekends to test the joints and axles to failure. At CV Unlimited, we know we have built the ultimate Birfield, and we are still researching better materials and designs, so that we may improve upon the “Ultimate.
Rockcrawling needs to stand up to abuse and shock from large tires (like those 38 in size). We have solved this problem by manufacturing our joint from cryogenically stabilized aviation grade steel. The joint is then heat treated to accomplish the appropriate Rockwell hardness. The joint has been increased in size as much as possible. Some of the Land Cruisers require a little grinding to make the joint fit. The cages in the joint have been tested to be twice as strong as the O. E. parts.
We now make a joint for the FJ80 Land Cruiser that has gone through the same strengthening as the FJ40 joint. The joint is much larger than the joint for the FJ40. The size of the Newfield, when compared to O. E., is much the same, but a dramatic increase in strength has been accomplished by using stronger material, cryogenics, and heat treatment.