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How strong is a 10 bolt,realy?

Manch

Manch

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South Dakota
I'm starting on my 88 k5 and im debating on what front axel to run.I con either go with an 8 lug 44 or an 8 lug 10 bolt, both of wich I have.The onely problem is my lack of 44 shafts,and my H1 wheels and tires.I'm concidering the 10 bolt because I've got a ton of them,bennifits of working at a salvage yard.I've just never run a 10 bolt,and I dont know how it will handel 36s.




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All trucks run on reckcled parts!
 
have you run a d44? same animal basically.
the H1s are heavy sumbucks so i would stick to 36s and carry some spare shafts and whoop up on it.
 
The BIG snow we just had- got my suburban plow truck stuck and went to pull it out with my 85 K10 first tug with the strap and snap. no more spider gears.Oh by the way I run a whopping 225-75/16 on the K-10. The suburban has a sf14 and 8 lug 10 and i've beat it MUCH harder and have never had a problem,even with 35's
 
It will handle ( depends on who you ask for what size ) tire size based on how you use it . Some guys its 31's , some guys its 37's . And we all change a shaft or spider once in awhile .

Some good aftermarket shafts and joints will help to a point .

Anything over 38's even I the 1/2 ton guy would tell you to find and rebuild a D60 ( you have to rebuild it , and get bigger badder stuff in those too :deal: ) , or save for a Dynatrac ( which you can get six lug BTW ) in a heavy full size :thumb:
 
Now is that locked or open,or does it realy not matter. I had planed on runnin a lsd.
 
obijuan said:
correct, and locked usually amplifies the problems. a spool, its toast.
Click to expand...

Spool its toast yes but locked actually helps. A major weak point is the spider gears. If you replace them with something stronger, IE a locker then you just eliminated a weak link.

Onto the locker affects on shafts. Its totally untrue that a locker busts shafts fast, especially in the rocks. You have to think about the fact that you can completely control your wheel speed. You'll never have a wheel floating up in the air completely spinning and coming down and slamming into traction with a locker. Thats what breaks U joints and ears.

Just another way to look at it. I'm running a d44 with a lockrite, 36x12.5 TSL's on steelies. They are much much much much lighter than the tires your talking about though....
 
Stomis said:
Spool its toast yes but locked actually helps. A major weak point is the spider gears. If you replace them with something stronger, IE a locker then you just eliminated a weak link.

Onto the locker affects on shafts. Its totally untrue that a locker busts shafts fast, especially in the rocks. You have to think about the fact that you can completely control your wheel speed. You'll never have a wheel floating up in the air completely spinning and coming down and slamming into traction with a locker. Thats what breaks U joints and ears.

Just another way to look at it. I'm running a d44 with a lockrite, 36x12.5 TSL's on steelies. They are much much much much lighter than the tires your talking about though....
Click to expand...

You are right about a locker being better for shafts, weight of the tires however does not affect anything except the springs, and stability in off camber situations.
 
weight of the tires is rotational mass which can apply more torque to the shafts snapping them easier.
 
Stomis said:
Onto the locker affects on shafts. Its totally untrue that a locker busts shafts fast, especially in the rocks. You have to think about the fact that you can completely control your wheel speed. You'll never have a wheel floating up in the air completely spinning and coming down and slamming into traction with a locker. Thats what breaks U joints and ears.
Click to expand...

For sure, a spinning tire (say, with an open diff) that suddenly comes to a stop will break shafts.

But by the same right, if one tires bind up with an open diff, the power will go the tire with less traction and the axle will survive. With a locker, you'll pop a shaft or u-joint.


IMO and IME, a locker is much harder on shafts than an open diff.

Hopping and/or fast spinning tires that might come to a quick stop are really hard on axles, locked or not.
 
I blew up my 10 bolt rear driving up a small bridge last time home open diff 33's. Glad I'm building one tons for it. Not a big fan of breaking down period let alone inopertune places....Dave
 
38377k5 said:
For sure, a spinning tire (say, with an open diff) that suddenly comes to a stop will break shafts.

But by the same right, if one tires bind up with an open diff, the power will go the tire with less traction and the axle will survive. With a locker, you'll pop a shaft or u-joint.


IMO and IME, a locker is much harder on shafts than an open diff.

Hopping and/or fast spinning tires that might come to a quick stop are really hard on axles, locked or not.
Click to expand...


Well it's mostly up to the driver, I wheeled my D44 and 12 bolt both locked with 35" tires and a 5.9l Turbo diesel and a manual tranny for 5 years, went through rocks, sand, mud and snow, did the daily driving with it too as well as the towing, it was my everything truck and after all that time what broke on me was the frame, the K5 frame was not built to handle the torque of that engine, and those axles had 3.08 gears in them too...
 
i can say that i run a 10 bolt front axle all stock and run either 39.5's or 42's and i have never had any problems with it and i do everything in this truck whether it be flying across the sand. holden it pinned in the mud or just out crawlin a trail. its all on how you use it. i've been super hard on mine and had it in front wheel only hoppin the 39.5's off the ground climbin hills on the trail and never broke anything so i would think 36's should be fine
 
I broke 1/2 the ring gear teeth off my ring gear on my 10 bolt with 33s. Already had superior axles a detroit and 4.10s. Of course it isn't all the rear axles fault since it was tied to a 36,000 lb pulling sled. I still wonder why the stock u joint didn't go first. I also broke a u joint yoke on the left front drive axle. My new truck is a 73 3/4 and I already broke the 44. Now I am looking a 79 k30.
 
"what broke on me was the frame, the K5 frame was not built to handle the torque of that engine"

Not trying to change the topic, but that's kind of interesting...where did the frame break?
 
TheCaptain said:
"what broke on me was the frame, the K5 frame was not built to handle the torque of that engine"

Not trying to change the topic, but that's kind of interesting...where did the frame break?
Click to expand...

It broke where the engine cross member bolts up, where the tranny crossmember bolts up, at the front corner where the Prop. valve is, the steering box location (the frame completely broke and the front part flipped up 90 degrees) so pretty much all the weak spots of the frame where there was direct contact with the vibration and torque.
 
If stuck between a D44 and a 10 bolt, I'd go with the 10b every time. they are a good front axle, more chevy's came with them. I wouldnt spend a dime on fancy shafts or locker bla blah, just pillage some spare parts from another axle to take with you out there. I run one, its lasted me 3 years with 38.5's and 44's. I go through shafts every now and then, but big deal? Im not into it 1200, and i can go to any junkyard and get spare shafts cheap.

on the other hand, Ive had nothing but bad luck with D44's, two different styles of them, both lasted about 10 miles under the same abuse. and it was all bad breaks, ring/pinion stripping on one, sheared the pinion gear off the other.

it depends on the terrain too, I run mud pits and a little trail, but that truck is airborne pedal to the floor most of the time, havent seen many guys on here do quite what we do with our trucks:)
 
moneypit_K5 said:
If stuck between a D44 and a 10 bolt, I'd go with the 10b every time. they are a good front axle, more chevy's came with them. I wouldnt spend a dime on fancy shafts or locker bla blah, just pillage some spare parts from another axle to take with you out there. I run one, its lasted me 3 years with 38.5's and 44's. I go through shafts every now and then, but big deal? Im not into it 1200, and i can go to any junkyard and get spare shafts cheap.

on the other hand, Ive had nothing but bad luck with D44's, two different styles of them, both lasted about 10 miles under the same abuse. and it was all bad breaks, ring/pinion stripping on one, sheared the pinion gear off the other.

it depends on the terrain too, I run mud pits and a little trail, but that truck is airborne pedal to the floor most of the time, havent seen many guys on here do quite what we do with our trucks:)
Click to expand...
It's true that the 10 bolts gears and pinions are a bit stronger than the D44 and 12bolt, the shafts are pretty much the same.
I had a D44 and 12 bolt but I never ran anything bigger than a 35" tire
 
i have the 10bolts front and rear with a 37" tire. i have and will not do any hardcore stuff until i get bigger axles under there. i do beat up on her every now and then but i havnt had anything go boom on me yet. i do mostly street driving unless i drive out to my dads house but still no hardcore rocks or anything. its been a year with 37's and no problemos yet! cant wait to get a 14bolt with some 4.56:D
 
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