Touring - shimano xt m730 replacing freehub body

I'd like to replace shimano xt m730 freehub body with at least an 8 speed hg, any suggestions as to a model freehub body that is known to work well? I've heard that there can be issues with replacing the cone etc. that I would like to avoid.

I have done such thing with an XT 730 but I used a Deore as a donor because a Shimano replacement freehub body would have cost me almost the same as the whole hub. I also got the drive side cone for the new Hyperglide body, which is different to the original Uniglide of the XT 730.

any ideas where to find these items?

A couple of years ago, I replaced the FH-M732 7-speed freehub on my tandem with an 8/9/10-speed freehub following Sheldon's instructions here (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#transplant). I bought an XT freehub from Harris Cyclery here (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/k7.html#bodies).

Bear in mind that the new freehub is wider and you will likely have to re-space the axle and/or re-dish the wheel. Good luck!

New freehub bodies are not cheap, so I would get a complete rear hub and strip it for parts (the spoke hole count is irrelevant here) so you get the FH body and the correct drive side cone. Deore is fine, but Alivio is too (I've had a rear 7sp Alivio on a road wheelset for years and is still going strong). Road rear hubs are also a possibility: 105 is LX quality and a 130 OLD axle can be re-spaced to accomodate a 135 OLD, if this is your case.

thanks, good thinking

That's what I did to upgrade a 7-speed rear wheel to 9-speed: swapped out the freehub for one from a donor hub I got cheap on Ebay, and then had the wheel redished.