Wow, I'm still on my original oem one from 2008 without issue as far as I can tell. I have heard people having issues with Detroit Axle parts though. Dorman can be hit or miss at times, but generally their purely mechanical parts tend to hold up. I've heard some of the electrical or electronic parts, like blower fans or rebuilt abs controllers can be DOA though.

 

I have a Dorman throttle body in the past couple years seems to be working good. Supposedly metal gears in them. Supposedly.
Detroit Axle is actually in the city I grew up in in Michigan. So I had high hopes I guess.

Yeah shortly after I bought it I started the bad habit of log skidding with it. Stuff that is 10-12' long and foot and half diameter. All in the name of getting to remote camp spots that were blocked by storms. But the Patriot drivetrain is not really stout enough for that abuse.
I'm gonna try to break that habit with the next driveshaft. I had winches on other rigs and just used those. Probably time to build a winch bumper.

 

@Catflap1977, you may be demanding too much of your Patriot. A Patriot is basically a AWD Caliber wagon. It's good for light off-roading, like getting to a hunting lodge, and they are marvelous in snow. I think dragging trees around is a bit much. Patriots have a modest tow capacity and that isn't just for the suspension, it's for the drive train, too. I don't do too much off-roading, but I do have a come-along JIC. That might do for your purposes.

 

Oh yeah. Cutting things into smaller chunks would help, and I do when I can. I have a gas and electric chainsaw so number of cuts depends on which one I brought, nad how much gas/batteries I also brought for it.
I carry a come along but with 6' pulls they can be a pain. More of a emergency use item if I stuffed it in a snow filled ditch or something.

And yeah I do ask a bit much of it. I think I keep expecting it to do the things I did with bigger 4x4s. Kinda makes me realize that my needs didn't change as much as I think they did just because I stopped going to trails and wheeling all day. My general forest roaming and getting to remote camp spots year round seems to have proven to be just as hard on equipment. Maybe more so than the rock crawling was.

I still got a soft spot for it though. Have ever since they came out but I was just getting over having car payments on a new car and didn't want to start a new one. I remember going to the Jeep website and doing the build and price almost daily back in 2007. Until the CVTs started being CVTs and no one really knew how to properly care for them yet. I kinda stopped looking at them after that. Then I met the one I have and bought it right then and there. Had to leave it sit in front of the dealership until the next day since my motorcycle would not fit in the back. I had to find a ride to go back and pick it up.

I just gotta learn to be more gentle.

 

The driveshaft is tucked up pretty high and somewhat protected on our rigs. I'd guess so long as you cut off any limb stubs pointing up where you'll cross over, you'll rub the exhaust long before the driveshaft.

 

I think my problem is less that and more too much shock load on the small front Ujoint when I get a little too nuts pulling out fallen trees that I should have bucked up more. It is the one that keeps blowing out. I've had to get running starts and come up tight on the strap. Hits hard and the rear end squirms around truck pull style. Really surprised the tow hooks up front or the hitch have not failed yet.
I really should not do that with the Patriot. I already have a new rule that if I can't cut it small enough to move it by hand then I guess I just go somewhere else and forget that road.

But yeah the driveshaft is pretty protected on these. Not too worried about terrain damage. I have actually dented my front cradle on a rock though. Only realized I did that the last time I was under it. I might bend the brackets that hold that power steering hose up more to gain at least something for protection. I can see hooking that and don't want to hose down everything with steering fluid.... I'm just glad I added the steel skid plates right after buying it.