I'm digging this thread up to comment on this poor advice. 14 bolt semi float axles are not very strong at all. I broke a shaft on 35s. There is never an appropriate place on the trail for this axle.
CK5
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E-locker for 10.5 14 bolt? Tired of my Detroit Locker
- Thread starter Larry
- Start date
I'm digging this thread up to comment on this poor advice. 14 bolt semi float axles are not very strong at all. I broke a shaft on 35s. There is never an appropriate place on the trail for this axle.
So since I broke a shaft on my full float before does that mean I should never take it on the trail again? Maybe I should get some rockwells before I go out again?
Come on man, anything can break at any time. The 14b sf is a good axle. WAY stronger than a 10/12 bolt.
I don't know what kind of curbs you run over with your truck. Maybe rockwells would be a good move for you.
The 14 bolt semi float is not a good axle. Anyone who is putting one in their rig is throwing good money after bad. It is more difficult to work on and can not reliably get you out of a trail when you break. A semi float axle is not the correct equipment for anyone who wants to actually take their truck off-road.
A 14 bolt semi float is not an upgrade to a 10 or 12 bolt axle, because they can't even handle an increase in tire size.
A 14 bolt semi float can't handle 35 inch tires and a 6.2 diesel at 1200 rpms putting out at most 90 hp and 220 pound feet of torque according to this nifty graph.
The 14 bolt semi float is not a good axle. Anyone who is putting one in their rig is throwing good money after bad. It is more difficult to work on and can not reliably get you out of a trail when you break. A semi float axle is not the correct equipment for anyone who wants to actually take their truck off-road.
A 14 bolt semi float is not an upgrade to a 10 or 12 bolt axle, because they can't even handle an increase in tire size.
A 14 bolt semi float can't handle 35 inch tires and a 6.2 diesel at 1200 rpms putting out at most 90 hp and 220 pound feet of torque according to this nifty graph.
plenty of wheelers including members here on CK5 have used the SF successfully with a 35" tire. I wouldn't put it under a real heavy truck with a driver that likes skinny pedal but it can and does work for many applications.
@bent72 @Babaganoosh to name a couple
@bent72 @Babaganoosh to name a couple
Someone get Richard a snickers, he sounds hangry.
I don't know that Ben is the best example of proving 14 bsf reliability. He runs street tires and as far as I know has only wheeled once or twice on some mild trails in Moab.
Bent72s truck looks like it sees a lot of action though.
My truck doesn't have THAT many dents
those "street" tires have snapped a FF14bolt at moab.
Yeah, babas is a FF. @Deuling has a SF
Is it? I thought it was a govbomb semi in bangatrannys?
Every time I see those tires I wait for Paul Walker hanging on off a spoiler on the back of the car.
Yup I have the 10.5 aam new full floater out of a 05 Silverado with general grabber red labels.
Mall Crawler ftw!!!
Mall Crawler ftw!!!
Yea, but when you break a 9.5 you will have a hell of a time fixing it and getting your truck off the trail, especially if it's locked.
I have kicked the ever loving crap out of my 9.5" and haven't hurt it at all after 10 years of hardcore and high speed wheeling with it installed in various vehicles. I've never trussed it and have literally never had to do a single thing to it aside from change the oil from time to time. Mine has an ARB locker, a 10 bolt disc brake swap and a HD diff cover. Other than that it is 100% stock.
Most lately it was behind the LB7 Duramax / ZF-6 making over 700ft/lbs in my old 7800lb Tahoe on 37s which was frequently launched off of stuff. I broke the front D60 several times in the Tahoe but never the 14BSF.
Definitely can't say anything bad about them.
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That's a serious amount of money in a 14bsf.
I bought mine with a locker and wanted to save money on a wheel swap. In the end, I'll probably lose every penny I put into it.
A locker and disc brakes is a lot of money to spend on an axle? Usually gears, locker and brakes are standard fare for whatever axle you're putting in.
Obviously you're bitter about a bad experience, but one broken shaft doesn't mean it's weak by design. A used axle has an unknown history and it could have been abused or even been in an accident. If a GM 9.5 is weak, then a Dana 60 is weak. The right move is probably to just put a new axle shaft in there and wheel on. If you carry a spare shaft this situation isn't as bad. Now if you break a new shaft, it's safe to say this axle isn't working out for you. Disc brakes are also kind of a poor man's axle retainer. Yes, it will drag a lot, but the axle will stay under the truck to get off the trail, where the drum brake lets the whole thing walk out. If the break is near the wheel you're screwed either way, but for the more typical one closer to the splines, the truck can still roll on that corner.
Obviously you're bitter about a bad experience, but one broken shaft doesn't mean it's weak by design. A used axle has an unknown history and it could have been abused or even been in an accident. If a GM 9.5 is weak, then a Dana 60 is weak. The right move is probably to just put a new axle shaft in there and wheel on. If you carry a spare shaft this situation isn't as bad. Now if you break a new shaft, it's safe to say this axle isn't working out for you. Disc brakes are also kind of a poor man's axle retainer. Yes, it will drag a lot, but the axle will stay under the truck to get off the trail, where the drum brake lets the whole thing walk out. If the break is near the wheel you're screwed either way, but for the more typical one closer to the splines, the truck can still roll on that corner.
Investing over $1000 alone in a locker setup for this axle is definitely excessive. If you price out both axles, you can be in a 14 bolt full float cheaper.
The c-clip design in combination with my lock right locker makes the shaft almost impossible to change. I would with complete certainty tell anyone running a semi float to never run this style locker.
In total it took about 14 hours to fix my truck with multiple people working on it. If I had a shaft at the time this could have been cut down to maybe 6 hours. But, without the backhoe that dragged me off the rocks and the parking lot full of tools a broken semi float axle will leave you in deep shit.
I may be bitter, but I'm also trying to look at this debate logically. I'm speaking from experience. I will never go wheeling with my blazer on this axle again as it would be irresponsible and disrespectful to the friends I wheel with.
Keeping the wheel in place in the case of a broken axle shaft was the sole reason for my disc brake swap.
I spent way more money on my D60 than I did on the rear diff. I bought it for $300 with the ARB locker in it. Rebuilt the locker, bought a $200 diff cover and spent around $800 on the brakes. $1500 is cheap as far as axles go!
I am actually seriously considering pulling the full floater out of the new chassis I bought to swap the semi floater in. Gets me better ground clearance and an ARB locker vs the Detroit in the full floater. A truss and some tabs would likely be cheaper than an ARB for the full floater.
I wouldn't hesitate to wheel on your semi floater. They are very good axles. Sucks you had a failure in an inconvenient place that took a bunch of work to fix, but I would say your experience is the exception rather than the rule. There is a sand drag first gen guy putting 950hp through one of these axles and hasn't broken his either.
I spent way more money on my D60 than I did on the rear diff. I bought it for $300 with the ARB locker in it. Rebuilt the locker, bought a $200 diff cover and spent around $800 on the brakes. $1500 is cheap as far as axles go!
I am actually seriously considering pulling the full floater out of the new chassis I bought to swap the semi floater in. Gets me better ground clearance and an ARB locker vs the Detroit in the full floater. A truss and some tabs would likely be cheaper than an ARB for the full floater.
I wouldn't hesitate to wheel on your semi floater. They are very good axles. Sucks you had a failure in an inconvenient place that took a bunch of work to fix, but I would say your experience is the exception rather than the rule. There is a sand drag first gen guy putting 950hp through one of these axles and hasn't broken his either.
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I broke my sf14 then welded it so I can see if it will really break.. I broke the 6.2 first so now we thrash to get the 5.3 in and test its durability against the sf14...
