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Drive shaft safety?

TJ1978

TJ1978

I have MANY questions
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A guy I follow on instgram had this for a drive shaft. It appears to be a limiting strap used to keep the shaft from going wonky if it should do loose, I guess.
I browsed the site but see this specific product and figured it was a limit strap being used.

Any thoughts and how necessary is something like this?

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1. Unless you’re making big time power and have unlimited traction, you don’t need it

2. If you need it, you sure as **** want an upper loop too. That driveshaft will cut the floor board and come inside. As me how I’ve tested this theory...
 
Bent77 said:
1. Unless you’re making big time power and have unlimited traction, you don’t need it

2. If you need it, you sure as **** want an upper loop too. That driveshaft will cut the floor board and come inside. As me how I’ve tested this theory...
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So this contraption is almost pointless how he has it used? When I searched "drive shaft safety" everything that came up was how you described.

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look up drive shaft loop
Not too sure full enclosure isn’t required per rules in most sanctioning bodies
 
The primary purpose of loop is to keep the driveshaft from hitting the pavement while the vehicle is moving.

However what usually happens is one of the U joints break, causing the driveshaft to play angry flying hole saw around underneath there till everything clearances it’s way out
 
Yeah I don't see a rubber or nylon strap containing a driveshaft at full whip highway speeds. If anything it redirects the driveshaft back into the sheet metal.
Thankfully most driveshaft failures off road/crawling happen at low speed where you get the pleasure of listening to the shaft get ripped open when it breaks after bouncing it off a rock. Been there.
 
TJ1978 said:
So this contraption is almost pointless how he has it used? When I searched "drive shaft safety" everything that came up was how you described.
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You are correct. I have seen many broken driveshafts and axles from front wheel drive cars that were somehow let loose during collisions. They can do quite a bit of damage, especially if they are still connected to the drive end. That strap won't do much unless you are driving slowly, in which case, as was mentioned, it will keep the rotation off the pavement and into the floor of the vehicle. There's a reason the manufacturers don't put one on...the safest place for the driveshaft to go when rotating is down.
 
And where is the driver in relation to the shaft in the vehicle? I'm not sure how those cars are set up...but I would imagine the goal is to protect the driver.
 
anwat said:
You are correct. I have seen many broken driveshafts and axles from front wheel drive cars that were somehow let loose during collisions. They can do quite a bit of damage, especially if they are still connected to the drive end. That strap won't do much unless you are driving slowly, in which case, as was mentioned, it will keep the rotation off the pavement and into the floor of the vehicle. There's a reason the manufacturers don't put one on...the safest place for the driveshaft to go when rotating is down.
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No

ever seen a car where the driveshaft hits the surface after breaking at the transmission?

OEM doesn’t supply these for the same reason they don’t supply helmet and roll cages
Cost
 
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Had a buddy from College loose the front joint on the rear shaft of his '86 short box 4x4 square. He was going highway speeds when it let go. Yoke tried to pole vault but at that speed it didn't catch. Ended up beating the living shit out of the bed, exhaust, park brake cables and anything else in it's path.

Probably took a quarter mile to get it pulled over and shut down and the carnage was massive for such a short duration.
 
I remember Mythbusters doing a segment on the pole vaulting driveshaft. They had to go thru great lengths to get it to catch and do anything exciting. Otherwise the driveshaft just skipped around.
 
I've seen the carnage of dropping a shaft on the street and that mythbusters episode. That episode had to have something else going on because it is absolutely not that peaceful when a shaft comes undone.

The limiting straps in your photos look more like suspension limiting straps and not driveshaft safety loops.
 
centexk5 said:
I've seen the carnage of dropping a shaft on the street and that mythbusters episode. That episode had to have something else going on because it is absolutely not that peaceful when a shaft comes undone.

The limiting straps in your photos look more like suspension limiting straps and not driveshaft safety loops.
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They are, that's what was confusing when I saw the posts on Instagram.
 
Yes but internet heroes keep us entertained and EMTs busy
 
My buddy had 56 f100 hopped up 302 in it from a mustang, Ford claimed 320hp, small block c6 original modified driveshaft and rear end.
Making a spirited left turn the front u joint let go, it stuck in the asphalt, and I was looking at the ground in front of the truck. Very fortunate that the truck settled back on the rears quickly, no seat belts so I almost went through the windshield.

Fun times, fixed that then blew the ring and pinion. Old trucks why we love them
 
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