Rear axles on a working Defender do not usually fail dramatically. A boot splits somewhere you can't see it, grit gets into the joint, and a few months later there is a click on turns that becomes a clunk under load. By then the joint is finished. The 4XPRO Can-Am Defender / Traxter HD5 HD8 HD10 Rear Left/Right Axle is the straightforward fix — a heavy-duty replacement rear CV axle built for hard trail, mud and work use, at $129.
Fully assembled means fully assembled
The 4XPRO rear axle arrives complete with inboard and outboard CV joints and neoprene boots, so it installs straight out of the box. There is no pressing joints onto a bar, no packing grease, no boot clamps to fight. You pull the old shaft and put this one in.
That is worth more than it sounds on a machine you need back in service. The alternative — rebuilding a joint on the bench, or buying a bare shaft and sourcing joints and boots separately — turns a two-hour job into a weekend and rarely ends up cheaper.
The numbers to check against your machine
- Replaces OEM #: 705502406, 705502451
- Inboard splines: 24
- Outboard splines: 29
- Compressed length: 26.5"
Can-Am used several rear shafts across the Defender and Traxter run, so the OEM number on your old axle is the fastest way to confirm you have the right one. If the part you pulled reads 705502406 or 705502451, this is a direct replacement. The spline counts and compressed length are there so you can verify it a second way if the number on the shaft is unreadable — which, on a shaft that has been through a few mud seasons, it often is.
One useful detail: this is the left or right rear axle. The same part covers either side, so it is also the right thing to keep as a spare rather than stocking two.
Fitment
4XPRO lists this axle for:
- 2018-2021 4x4 Can-Am Defender HD5 DPS/BASE
- 2016-2021 Can-Am Defender HD8 XT/DPS/BASE, 2021 HD8 XU, 2019-2020 HD8 PRO
- 2017-2021 Can-Am Defender MAX HD8 XT and DPS, 2018-2021 MAX HD8 BASE
- 2022-2026 4x4 Can-Am Defender HD9 BASE/DPS/XT and Defender MAX HD9 BASE/DPS/XT
- 2016-2019 4x4 Can-Am Defender HD10 STD/XT-XTP, 2017 Defender MAX HD10 STD
- 2018-2020 4x4 Can-Am Traxter HD5 Base
- 2018-2021 Can-Am Traxter HD8 DPS and STD, 2021 HD8 XU, 2018-2020 HD8 PRO
- 2022-2025 4x4 Can-Am Traxter HD9 DPS and Traxter MAX HD9 DPS
- 2018-2019 Can-Am Traxter HD10 XT, 2018 Traxter HD10 DPS, 2019 Traxter HD10 XMR, 2020 Traxter HD10 DPS
That is a decade of Defender and Traxter on one part number, which is why verifying against the OEM number is the right habit rather than going by model year alone.
Who should buy one
- Anyone with a clicking or clunking rear end on a Defender or Traxter — the joint is telling you it is done
- Owners who work the machine in mud, where a split boot is a matter of when
- Anyone who found a torn boot at a service and wants to fix it properly instead of repacking it
- Anyone who keeps a spare shaft in the shop, because a rear axle strands a working machine
Order it at SxS Outpost
The 4XPRO Can-Am Defender / Traxter HD5 HD8 HD10 Rear Left/Right Axle is $129 and is backed by 4XPRO's two-year fault-free warranty. It ships direct from 4XPRO's Florida warehouse. Verify the OEM number on the axle you are replacing before ordering. See the rest of what fits in the Can-Am Defender HD10 and Can-Am Defender HD9 collections, or browse the full Axles lineup for front shafts, boots and CV joint kits.