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Three universal joints of different sizes | Driveline Services Australia

Universal Joint Solutions

Driveline Services Australia manufactures, imports and supplies a broad range of universal joints for most types of vehicles, machinery and industrial equipment. The universal joint is the heart of your driveline. Selected to match the torque, speed and angle of your application, the right universal joint is the defining factor of your driveshaft. Whatever your application, our automotive workshops across Australia can specify and install a universal joint to keep your driveline moving.


Our expert team partners with OEMs and OEM-quality manufacturers from across the world. We import, export, manufacture and supply a wide range of driveline replacement parts for customers throughout Australia. With a catalogue that includes joint solutions for cars, 4WDs, on- and off-road trucks, mining equipment, industrial and material handling machinery, marine, rail plant and more, Driveline has a universal joint for every application.

If the parts you need can’t be found in our extensive universal joint catalogue, we’re also equipped to manufacture custom universal joint and driveshaft solutions. Contact us today for help selecting a universal joint from our catalogue. Or talk to us about our universal joint replacement, universal joint repair and custom manufacturing services.

Driveline Is a Universal Joint Manufacturer

The Driveline team stocks an extensive range of driveline components and universal joint solutions. Working with leading suppliers, manufacturers and brands from across the globe, we’re able to provide a universal joint and driveshaft solution for almost every application and environment. To ensure we’re providing parts that maximise equipment uptime as well as convenience, most joints in Driveline’s universal joint range are available in greaseable and sealed configurations. Many also feature protective thrust pads and triple lip seals for superior protection and longer service life.

If you can’t find the universal joint and driveshaft solution you need on our shelves, Driveline is also equipped to offer alternate solutions or even manufacture custom components. With a team that boasts more than 40 years of manufacturing and fabrication experience, we’re prepared to work with you to deliver a universal joint service that matches your specifications.

All of our custom manufactured components are designed to our exacting standards with quality materials and state of the art production processes. Our experience working in some of Australia’s harshest environments means we can design and recommend universal joints for any application. Talk to us today to find out more about the universal joint service you require.

Explore Our Universal Joint Catalogue

Driveline is Australia’s leading independently owned and operated importer, manufacturer and supplier of universal joints. To ensure we have a universal joint for every application, we work with many of the world’s largest OEMs, including Spicer, Meritor and Neapco. With their support, Driveline is able to stock thousands of unique components and supply universal joints and driveshaft solutions to customers across the country.

With the universal joint being the heart of every driveline, our experienced team is ready to match your application to the parts you need. Our catalogues include a wide range of universal joints to suit passenger vehicles, on- and off-highway transport, mining, industrial, materials handling, marine and agricultural equipment. We support all public and private clients across Australia with universal joints for:

  • Passenger and performance vehicles
  • Light fleets and 4WDs
  • On and off-highway trucking
  • Mining fleets and processing equipment
  • Industrial machinery
  • Agriculture, harvesting and processing machinery
  • Defence force applications
  • Boats, ships and marine craft
  • Locomotives and track repair machines

Complete Universal Joints

Got a question, feedback or an enquiry? We’re keen to hear it.

Universal Joint Replacement and Repair

In addition to our custom and off-the-shelf universal joint range, Driveline provides extensive repair and replacement services. Through our workshop services, our repair and manufacturing team is equipped to restore or replace worn and damaged components. We’re happy to perform universal joint replacement on both factory and custom-manufactured components. As long as the part is in a repairable condition, Driveline has the capabilities to rebuild driveshafts to meet or exceed original specifications.

All universal joint replacement and repair services are carried out by our experienced workshop staff. With branches throughout Australia, our workshop services are always nearby if you need to restore a driveshaft or replace a universal joint. Our driveshaft repair services are performed by experts with access to state-of-the-art machining, metal reclamation and balancing equipment. Together with our extensive catalogue of new and OEM parts, Driveline is equipped to handle all repairs and replacements for vehicles, machinery and equipment across Australia.

Staked Universal Joint Replacement

Many OEMs are now producing vehicles with non-replaceable, or “staked”, universal joints. This is done with the intention of securing future sales of complete shafts when the joint wears out or fails. Driveline can help. Through extensive product development and global procurement, Driveline has developed a reliable supply and quality process that allows us to reliably remove and replace staked joints to give this style of driveshaft a new life. With staked joint replacement costing thousands of dollars less than complete shaft replacement, talk to Driveline today about our non-replaceable “staked” universal joint services.

Universal Joint Solutions - FAQs

The main components of a universal joint are:

  • U-joint cross (also called a journal cross)
  • Needle roller bearings
  • Bearing caps
  • Seals
  • Retaining clips (circlips)

The journal cross is a cross-shaped hinge. Each of the four arms of the cross are called trunnions. The trunnions are machined faces around which the roller bearings rotate.

Bearings are fitted to the trunnion with a seal that retains lubrication, as well as a bearing cap that is mounted to the yoked end of the drive shaft. Circlips are used to retain the universal joint in the drive shaft.

Some universal joints are also fitted with lubrication valves that allow for easier universal joint service.

Universal joints do not provide a constant velocity output, so they do not function the same way as CV joints.

An output shaft from a universal joint rotates at a variable speed, even when the input shaft is rotating at a constant speed. This is because energy is lost due to the jerky motion that can be produced by a single universal joint connection.

The output shaft from a CV joint rotates at a constant speed by capitalising on the way energy is transferred between the input and output. In the CV joints found on most passenger vehicles, this is achieved using tripod bearings that provide angular degrees of freedom that a universal joint cannot.

With a CV joint that uses tripod bearings, the input and output can shift independent of one another with minimal loss of rotational speed

You may need to identify a component for universal joint replacement. You can identify a universal joint by determining whether it has internal snap rings, external snap rings, or a combination of the two.

For joints with external snap rings, u-joints are identified by the diameter of the bearing cap and the width of the joint (measured from the outer face of one bearing cap to the outer face of the opposite bearing cap).

For u-joints with internal snap rings, measurements must also be taken between the snap ring grooves.

This process can be handled by a specialist. They will identify the part and supply new components for universal joint replacement and repair work. It’s important that universal joints are exactly the right size, so you should let a professional handle the measurements if you are unsure of what you need.

Universal joints connect the drive shaft to the differential in most vehicles. If the uni joint is broken, the drive shaft can’t deliver power to the rear axle and the vehicle won’t operate.

Universal joints rarely fail suddenly. They deteriorate during normal use, and you may notice symptoms such as clunking sounds and excessive vibrations as the joint wears out. You should book your vehicle in for universal joint service or replacement before the joint breaks.

Universal joints wear out and can require a universal joint repair or replacement at regular intervals. As the joint wears out, the bearings become loose and can produce signs like:

  • Excessive vibration, especially in the centre or rear of the vehicle
  • Clunking sounds while driving
  • Jerkiness while driving
  • Difficulty changing gears

A loose or damaged universal joint can place additional strain on drive components such as the differential. To avoid damaging other parts, it’s best to speak to Driveline Services Australia about universal joint replacement as soon as possible.

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