Flange or yoke? Which is stronger?

[Vombrown]

Giving some thought to some peripheral things that I need to get sent off to shops to have rebuilt. One of those things is driveshafts. Since I am using Superduty axles, I will be using the stock VERY HD driveshafts from the f-450 that I pulled the axles out of. Factory ford transfer case has flanges on the outputs to flanges on the axles. I can go and pull these flanges and install them on the NP205, bolt on. Now then, I am using an NP205 transfer case that has yokes. I can easily change these over to flanges and bolt the driveshafts up but I wonder about the strength comparison. Both front and rear driveshafts have double cardan joints in them at the TC side. Joints are all 1350 I believe. So the question is this: Remove the flanges from the driveshafts and go straight to the yoke on the NP205 or add the flanges to the transfer case and run the driveshafts as factory.


One thing to keep in mind, I will be sending them out to have them completely rebuilt as soon as I have a hard length on them. The rear shaft will likely need to be extended, the front will likely be ok length wise but I am having all new joints put in and reconditioned/rebalanced. So it wouldn't be an issue having them converted while they are out at the shop having the other work done. Gimme some input here.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

No strength difference, just different.

 

[imiceman44]

Giving some thought to some peripheral things that I need to get sent off to shops to have rebuilt. One of those things is driveshafts. Since I am using Superduty axles, I will be using the stock VERY HD driveshafts from the f-450 that I pulled the axles out of. Factory ford transfer case has flanges on the outputs to flanges on the axles. I can go and pull these flanges and install them on the NP205, bolt on. Now then, I am using an NP205 transfer case that has yokes. I can easily change these over to flanges and bolt the driveshafts up but I wonder about the strength comparison. Both front and rear driveshafts have double cardan joints in them at the TC side. Joints are all 1350 I believe. So the question is this: Remove the flanges from the driveshafts and go straight to the yoke on the NP205 or add the flanges to the transfer case and run the driveshafts as factory.


One thing to keep in mind, I will be sending them out to have them completely rebuilt as soon as I have a hard length on them. The rear shaft will likely need to be extended, the front will likely be ok length wise but I am having all new joints put in and reconditioned/rebalanced. So it wouldn't be an issue having them converted while they are out at the shop having the other work done. Gimme some input here.

Strength no difference, ease of installation go with flange

 

[Vombrown]

Ironically, the flanges from the Superduty transfer case are a direct bolt on for the NP205.

 

[nvrenuf]

Imo, the flange set up would be better. Yokes have more opportunity for problems; straps & bolts have a finite amount of clamping effort and u-bolts can be over tightened to the point of crushing the u-joint caps. The opposing yoke(?) to a flange also has more material surrounding the u-joint cap.

Of course, all of this is fairly irrelevant if all the parts are in excellent condition and installed correctly.