the yerf dog was a good design and the concept was sound. As Tom stated it was corporate decisions that caused the down fall. Too bad they could not stay in business long enough to digest the design flaws and get the chance to correct the problems. I bought my first yerf in 04' on a impulse from Sam's club. I recognized at the time some of the flaws but I knew I could fix the problems. So, after 6 years and countless miles of track and trail. l I have observed a distinct pattern of failure with the yerfs.
Wither it was a calculated design function or just plumb luck, most of all of the components will hold up well as long as nothing is changed or altered and the buggy is used as originally intended, YEA RIGHT!!!!
This axle failure is a perfect example. I call it the "trickle down effect" Every aspect of the buggy is only as good as the weakest part. The stock axle with the stock tires and shocks. limits the capabilities of the buggy so every thing holds up at an semi acceptable level. Improving the tires gives the buggy a better ride and more grip. This in turn transfers more strain on the axle. Which, in turn fails, usually twisting off at the hub. So the axle gets upgraded . The stress is now transferred to the the hubs themselves. I have literally twisted off the spokes of yerf hubs before! Up grade the hubs, now the wheels themselves start to go with the bolt holes getting beat up, another upgrade! Next axle bearings prematurely fail. The next link in the chain. After upgrading to another style bearing to take the load, the bearing mounts on the swing arm start to show stress cracking in the welds. The upgrade of one component directly effects another right down the line. The same pattern follows with the front end too.