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REALLY STRONG ½TON REAR END?

Yeah, but Jeff, yours is a mutant. what are all the specs and prices on your 12B as it sits?
 
zakk

read this post i say some where neer 4000 to 4500 for the front and rear. but like i have said i built these 3 years ago when nobody was running 1ton. even mr watson we was the one who told me how to build them right. but the point is this idiot keeps stating 1/2 tons wont hold up. you have seen me my rig and you have seen the video of me . my junk is built right even if it is 1/2ton.
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Wow... some fast movin' discussion here... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm still 1/2 ton.... and although I used to be able to brag about not breaking by 12b rear, I can no longer. Snapped a rear axle shaft and did the "trail rebuild" on the spot to get back home..... (thanks again to all Zonies on the ill-fated Upper Ajax run /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif) Still, I'm not planning to go 1 ton..... After seeing the pieces of the axle, and looking at the pickle I was in, I think that I would have broke with any SF axle, and if I was converted to FF - I think I would have been fine.

But the discussion here is loaded w/ good points on both sides of the issue. Here's what I see:

* Lotta guys feel better knowing their axles are tougher than what their gonna subject them to..... and don't care about extra weight.

* Other guys do wheelin' types where it helps if you're weight concious (sp?).

* 1/2 ton axles can be built up.

* 1 ton axles are relatively cheap and don't need to be built up.

* FF'ers are mo' betta than SF'ers.

* ....most importantly - to each his own...! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
:can't we all get along?!:

Marv
 
Marv comes in and e-slaps everybody!

Again, a 12B can be made to live, but it really comes down to why bother, IMHO.

Shaggy spent almost as much keeping a D44 alive as he did on the D60 w/ 5.13’s and ARB. Marv has busted a 12B, the gov-locks in them stink. I mean, Ford guys sling 14BFF under their rigs!

I went 1-ton cuz it was easier and more cost effective then making ½ ton live. I’d rather tame a tiger than paint stripes on a kitty-cat.
 
I think it all depends on your driving style, what you use your K5 for, and the fact that if its going to break than its going to break, plain and simple. I am not even going to try and break down what usage requires this axle and what condition determines this axle because everybody's definition of usage and condition differ. I found by in the first year of driving my K5, I pretty much know its limits and then it even sometimes amazes me, even if it is stock. I guess my point is YOU need to determine how and under what condtions your K5 is going to be under and then make the best logical conclusion from that as to what axles YOU think will satisfy.
 
Bubba Ray and Crawlin70. I carried the 1/2 ton torch for many years, I gladly sold my 1/2 ton junk and installed a cheap set of 1 ton axles with no modifications (other than disks and a locker up front). Stock, factory axle shafts. I can HAMMER the throttle everywhere I go.

I had axles which were the exact same as Watsons. Numerous parts:

Warn Full Floater Kit, Detroit Locker, 4.88 gears, 4.10 gears, 3.73 gears, 3.08 gears, Moser Shafs, Warn Premium Hubs on the full floater, Warn Shafts in my D44, Detroit in the 44, 760X joints, and more.

Now heres what theBigdaddyof2 and I are basing our opinion on. I have broken my 1/2 ton stuff so many times, I cant count anymore. Im running 38" Trxus STS tires with Beadlocks. They weigh about 150 pounds or more each. We are not saying your axles dont work with your driving style, we are saying the dont work with ours. The trend is to go with bigger tires and lower crawl ratio. These will not go hand in hand with a 12 bolt and Dana 44. How many 12 bolts do you see holding up to 44" Swampers and a 6000 pound rig with the trottle applied? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Im not talking about babying it around in the rocks or in the Jamboree Truck Show.

If you want "really strong", go bigger than 1/2 ton. Dont waste your money.

12 Bolts aside - How many Dana44 axle shafts have you broken? U-Joints? Dont give me the - I havent broken any line. If you're running stock axle shafts and not breaking, then you must not leave the pavement very often because I broke mine every time I locked in the hubs.

The Dana44 is a rediculous looking piece of junk sitting next to any Dana 60! Its probably the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

I might buy into seeing Crawlin70 running his 12 bolt and drilling the hubs out for 8 lug, then installing a D60 up front. But, run any bigger tires than you have or add a Doubler and say "Goodbye Ring Gear"!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

One other thing I just remembered - How many of those Warn Full Floater shafts have you replaced? You pulled them and checked the splines? I twisted the splines on mine! Also broke the D60 Warn Premium Hubs on the rear. I see you have drive flanges - better choice.
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I blew the spiders out the cover.

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/forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif

That's what happened to my old '66 C10 when I laid into her with my 250 straight-six! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

(okay, okay... it was on the 1-2 shift on the SM420 /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif )
 
as i say once again i have not broke any axles. no fronts or any rears. i am running the warns in the front also. nor have i broke a joint. my truck is not a show truck i have ran the rubicon and a few others if you would have seen me and frizzlefry 3 weeks ago you would have seen a show. and yes frizz is running a d44 front also. i had my truck in some nasty places and further more how can i justify pulling these out and changing them? yes they will be going in my coil sprung s-10 hybird but i have been running them in my 70 chevy stepside that weighs in around 5600lbs. and the 39.5 ground hawgs. i understand your point but dont go saying 1/2 wont hold up. i have not broke anything on mine my rear axles are fine and so are my fronts. no twisting or breaking. if i would have known then what i know now yes i probly would have went 1to but i have too much in these to get rid of them and they work. likw i said i beat my truck maybe bubba will post up a nice pic of the drivers side /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
put it this way 3 weeks ago was my last trip in the 70 as i am building my hybird and using my axles and eng. i tryed to break it and guess what. it did not.
 
I can see your point on keeping your 1/2 ton axles. Hell, if I had that much invested in a set, I sure wouldn't pitch them either. But what I'm seeing as a flaw in the pro 1/2 ton axle arguement is the cost factor to make them as strong as the 1 ton axles. Weight factor ??? I really don't see that as a big issue in a vichile as heavy as a K5 or Burb. Compair stock 1/2 ton axles to stock 3/4 ton axles to 1 ton axles. If we're dealling with stock, keeping prices in mind as a factor.
 
ya know...everyone could argue all day and all night ...and the rest of the year and still get to the same point..1/2 tons can and will hold up to abuse (to a certain extent but where do you draw the line) and 1 tons of course will take a little more...but why argue about it...the only reason i went one ton is because my rear axle i blew out 3 times...just driving on the street...it was a 10 bolt...as for the front...i went with the 60 sure i prob dont need it, i never broke a axle with my 10 bolt front and more than likly it would have held up even with a few brokin axles/stub shafts...it comes with the territory....i dont mind changin a axle...its a hour job if that...the 60 for me is more of a peice of mind...if i would have built up my half ton i prob would have been more than fine with that...i think jeffs axles are fine for what he plans on doing with thim...most of the comp rigs that are in calrocs are not running one ton...yea sure a few are..but there are more Dana 44's out there than anything else...and a 12 bolt it prob equal strength to the 44..but in conclusion...
opinions are like a@@holes...everyone has one..just leave it at that and be done with it...
 
I will state it again.
Really strong 1/2 ton rear ends don't exist!

blah, blah, blah....upset are we????

Run your half ton junk....spend all the money in the world on it.....who cares!

Don't cry too loud when it breaks.
 
If everyones' Blazer or Truck was exactly alike and used for the exact same thing, why would we all be on this website. Let it be, to each their own!
 
<font color="green"> Wow, I was avoiding posting in this thread, but since Zakk brought my name up I'll chime in. I ran 38" Radial TSLs on a D44/12 bolt ocmbo for 2 years. I was busting a fair amount of joints and shafts in the front so I went for the Warn shafts and added the Premium hubs to it. I also had a full-case L/S in it to keep the carrier from being the weak link. I still busted joints, broke a couple of the shafts to but it cut down on the breakage a good bit. That is until I started breaking ring gears. I replaced one , when the second went 8 months later I threw in the towel and parked the truck until I could go 1 ton. I was not about to put any more money into it. As a sidenote, I sold the Power-Lok L/S to someone, and ended up paying for a new side gear for it since he emailed me to tell me that one of the ones that was in the unit was broken. This L/S had less than 10,000 miles on it.

The 12 bolt faired much better. 1 broken stock shaft and a broken Auburn L/S, but when I pulled the cover after the front end puked the second ring gear, the gears in the rearend looked worn pretty badly. These were the factory 4.10s.

I put about $1600 into the 44, had I continue on the path that I was planning on at the time, beefing the 44, I would have been into it for alot more. CTM joints and all that stuff, although the CTMs weren't available when I parked the truck. I was into the 12 for much less, basically just Moser shafts and the Auburn, so around $700. I bought my D60/14bolt for $1200, but put another $1700 into them right away. That does include a better gear ratio for my needs and an ARB. So the final tally for me was about $2300 into my 1/2 ton stuff before I gave up on it, and about $2900 into the 1 ton junk so far. It cost me more now, but should last longer and give me less frustration.

Jeff, have you ever measured out those Ground Hawgs? I didn't think they were 39.5, they look more like 37s or 38s. Maybe the reason that you've had such good luck is because the Hawgs don't offer quite the traction that a Swamper does? Just a thought... I was pretty smart with my 1/2 ton stuff, they were built as well as possible at the time and I am not throttle-happy at all. I tend to wheel with finesse.

By the way, I can testify that Jeff does get it with his 1/2 ton stuff, I was there a few weeks back and he certainly didn't baby it. Not alot of traction out there either though, to be fair. It was a creekbed so the tires were wet ALOT. [Forrest Gump]And that's all I have to say about that.[/Forrest Gump]</font color>
 
yea they probly do measure a 37 or 38.this was the only time i ran those tires i has 35 tls/sx on it before and they where the only think i had to run. oh well guess we will have to see how they hold up in the s-10 as it will be competing in the cal-rocs rock crawling sieres
 
<font color="green"> Cal Rocks will definately put them to the test! I hope you continue to have the same luck as you've had for the past 3 years. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif </font color>
 
But the REAL question remains "What size tires can I put under a 4" lift?" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Im with ya on yer half ton axles,if they are workin for ya thats all that matters.

I ran a 10 and 12 bolt for a long time and later a 44 and 12 bolt,never broke anything other than front axles and joints.The only reason I have a 14 bolt now is because it came in my body donor truck.

Look at Marv Springer and Robzilla,both run half ton axles,and both do more hardcore wheelin than 95% of the wheelers on this board.

Its ok to throw out the 14 bolt as an option to people looking for axle advise,but I see more and more people saying,and I find it quite irritating,that you will blow up yer half ton axles if you wheel at all and that you MUST HAVE 3/4 or one ton gear to go out and wheel.

That kind of thinking sorta pisses me off cuz it makes people that are new to the wheelin scene think that they cant wheel their junk because they think their $hit is gonna spontaneously combust as soon as they touch dirt.

Ok,Im done


for now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Its ok to throw out the 14 bolt as an option to people looking for axle advise,but I see more and more people saying,and I find it quite irritating,that you will blow up yer half ton axles if you wheel at all and that you MUST HAVE 3/4 or one ton gear to go out and wheel.

That kind of thinking sorta pisses me off cuz it makes people that are new to the wheelin scene think that they cant wheel their junk because they think their $hit is gonna spontaneously combust as soon as they touch dirt.

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<font color="green"> I agree 100% on that thought. On the same note, people should really go wheel in near stock rigs on 31s or 33s before moving up to 36+" tires. Wheeling on the smaller tires with open diffs definately does alot for the skill level. A kick-ass truck is nice but won't make up for a lousy driver, and you look like more of a dork when you can't make it through something that's fully set up than if you can't make it in a stocker.

There's also something to be said for finding your weak points through experience rather than through web-wheeling.

For those that have stock trucks and don't wheel them since you think you aren't set up for it - GO WHEEL IT! You'll be amazed at what it can do even in stock form. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif</font color>
 
frizz put it better then i did. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif thats my point also just go use what you have and have fun. isnt that the point of wheelin? i know i do. ecpectialy when i hear the sheet metal scrapin the rocks /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
 
Oh and another thing,

How many of the people that run around sayin "Iv got a 3/4 ton Dana 44" are realy runnin a 1/2 ton 44 with 3/4 ton outers,or even 3/4 ton outers off a 10 bolt. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Iv got a 3/4 ton D44 axle (I know cuz I checked the #s on the tube)and from the knuckles out is 3/4 ton 10 bolt.

I hope the 10 bolt junk dont explode /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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