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Spool?

firefighter184

firefighter184

Hippie Killer
Joined
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Liking the cost of a spool vs. a Detroit. I put about 5K miles a year tops on the Rig. Biggest tire size I'll see is 37s, probably sticking with 35s though. I know why everybody likes Detroits, but tell me what truly makes Detroits so superior to the spool for somebody like me, running 35s on a 14bolt.

Pros for the spool:

1) Cost
2) No moving parts at all
3) Constant operation, no unlocking/locking around turns
4) Cost
5) You tell me....

Cons for the spool: You tell me...
 
Tire wear. Having said that my front is spooled (well welded really) and I will be adding drive slugs in the near future and I drive to and from the trail here in SOCAL:doah: .

Ira
 
well, the only drawback i can see is that you have absolutely zero play with a spool. given enough power and traction, things could start breaking no matter how bulletproof they seem. spools also ride very rough in front diffs. however, in your circumstances, save the money and buy the damn thing. or, weld the spiders. thats even cheaper.
 
If you are doing this in a 14FF I would say save the money and weld a spider ball out of the internal gears and put it together. No sense in spending money on spool when the factory carrier is plenty strong.

Ira
 
I have a mini spool in my 14ff that I drive daily. when I had the stock steering it sucked really bad going around corners and in parking lots. but now that I have crossover steering I can't even tell it's back there now it's not a chore to steer the damm truck now. I manly got the spool because of the price since you can get it for under $200. the tire wear sucks so usually around fall I take it out and put the spiders back in there. then when spring/summer rolls around I put the spool back in there.
 
sandawgk5 said:
If you are doing this in a 14FF I would say save the money and weld a spider ball out of the internal gears and put it together. No sense in spending money on spool when the factory carrier is plenty strong.

Ira
Click to expand...


I agree. And if you have a spare carrier, you could weld one to see how you like it. If you dont like the "spool", then swap in the other carrier and get a detroit... Unless you have the 14SF.... And even if that is the case you could do the same...
 
I put spool from Yukon in my 14 bolt. I didn't want to have to worry about the welds breaking, or wearing down. I wanted my rig to be as bulletproof as possible and that was just one more area I would not have to worry about. I have not been able to wheel it since I did it, but have driven it around the block a few times. I did notice on pavement the tires will chirp a little if you try to turn to sharp. I don't think I would recommend it for daily driving, but I just drive mine to the trail and back. Like the other guys have said, welding seems like it would work if you are comfortable with it. I just decided a spool was a little cleaner and just as strong.
 
I'm welded front & rear. The rear is fine, but the front sucks. The traction is nice but I have to unlock a hub to negotiate a sharp corner.

The rear tires bark when I turn on pavement.
 
The front 10bolt will remain open for the foreseeable future. As far as daily driving, I really only drive it 5K miles a year tops, mostly back and forth to the firehouse (5 mile round trip) twice a week, and other than that it's to the trail and back. As far as tire wear, should I still be able to get at least 10K miles out of a pair of TSLs or maybe MTRs?

I'm also only on 35s, MAYBE going to 37 max. Breakage doesn't seem to be an issue here, I would think.

I like the idea of a nice clean spool designed and built by a pro instead of welded spiders done by ??? I sure as hell cant weld the dang things.
 
firefighter184 said:
The front 10bolt will remain open for the foreseeable future. As far as daily driving, I really only drive it 5K miles a year tops, mostly back and forth to the firehouse (5 mile round trip) twice a week, and other than that it's to the trail and back. As far as tire wear, should I still be able to get at least 10K miles out of a pair of TSLs or maybe MTRs?

I'm also only on 35s, MAYBE going to 37 max. Breakage doesn't seem to be an issue here, I would think.

I like the idea of a nice clean spool designed and built by a pro instead of welded spiders done by ??? I sure as hell cant weld the dang things.
Click to expand...

I have a detroit in my 14FF and I do not think it has ever unlocked unless I make it unlock while on jack stands. Having said that I have about 5000 Miles on my MTRs and cannot see any appreciable wear. I would recommend welding what you have and if you do not like it you can put a detroit in if you do like it you will have a spool and you will not be out any money.

Ira
 
Just welded a spider ball spool for a guy today. He blew the teeth off a set of 5:13's with a detroit in it. I'm convinced the detroit in some circumstances can be harder on things. Loading and unloading. BIG HP and BIG TIRES that really grab hard can make for a good slam.

I'd say weld'er up an go have fun.
 
John, my buddy just had his done by someone & he's wheeled it since then &
it didn't blow up so maybe that's an option. I'll find out if he can get yours done, or maybe Bo can find you a smoking deal like the one I got off craigslist:D
 
Pony up the money and get the Detroit. Trust me, I know from experience. I ran a welded rear in my K5 for 3 years with 35" tires and now I have a Detroit. The detroit makes the truck SO much nicer to drive on the street. For a trail only truck I might say go welded or spool but 5K a year is way more then enough to justify the Detroit for the 14bff.

If you drive 5k a year with a spool you will be buying new tires in 1-2 years, no bull****. Two 35" tires are going to run you at least $300 so the money you saved on the spool will be paid back in tires in short order.

The spool will also chirp your tires around corner and make the truck hop. This is ok at first but gets old REAL quick. Parking your truck in a lot will also become a bi*ch because your rearend won't unlock and your truck won't turn well in tight spots. A detroit will unlock and you will swing right into spots just like you do now.

If you ever listen to anybody about anything just once listen to me this time and get the Detroit. You will be much happer that you did. I didn't listen to my buddy Matt (az-k5) about it for 2 years and thought it wasn't that bad. I put the detroit in and i was shocked at how much better it acts on the street.

Harley
 
Detroits

Hossbaby50 said:
Pony up the money and get the Detroit. Trust me, I know from experience. I ran a welded rear in my K5 for 3 years with 35" tires and now I have a Detroit. The detroit makes the truck SO much nicer to drive on the street. For a trail only truck I might say go welded or spool but 5K a year is way more then enough to justify the Detroit for the 14bff.

If you drive 5k a year with a spool you will be buying new tires in 1-2 years, no bull****. Two 35" tires are going to run you at least $300 so the money you saved on the spool will be paid back in tires in short order.

The spool will also chirp your tires around corner and make the truck hop. This is ok at first but gets old REAL quick. Parking your truck in a lot will also become a bi*ch because your rearend won't unlock and your truck won't turn well in tight spots. A detroit will unlock and you will swing right into spots just like you do now.

If you ever listen to anybody about anything just once listen to me this time and get the Detroit. You will be much happer that you did. I didn't listen to my buddy Matt (az-k5) about it for 2 years and thought it wasn't that bad. I put the detroit in and i was shocked at how much better it acts on the street.

Harley
Click to expand...
You said it buddy! Detoits are the best locker in my opinion:deal:
 
Be patient and save for the Detroit. Your sitting pretty right now, no need to rush.
 
You have no idea how bad it really is. You will stop wanting to drive your truck. It is awful to park, that has to be the worst part. It also stresses the front end more since is is constantly getting pushed through a corner. I ran one for a year. Tore a set of MTR's up in 8K. The detroit is the way to go.

Harley (hossbaby50), Andrew (77ChevyK10), and myself all went through this and agree that we wouldn't want to do it on a street rig again.
 
I've had a welded 14FF in my K5 for probably 6 years now. Here are my comments about it:

- I personally think it's stupid to pay for a spool, especially if you have a friend or somebody to weld up for free (a buddy of mine has had several welded by a shop for $50). The nice thing about the 14FF is you can pull the spiders up and really get a lot of weld surface. Mine has lived through 2 broken D60 30-spline stubs, and one twisted one. My buddy's welded D70 rear (not as much welded surface as my 14FF) has also survived a broken 35-spline D60 stub.

- I drove mine to the trail with a welded rear for several years before I started trailering it. This was with both 35" MT/R's and 38" TSL's. I thought it handled just fine on the road, and besides for some tire squealing during sharp turns it was never a problem in parking lots or anything. Now granted I only really drove it to the trails, but I had no problems hopping in it and driving down to the store. My buddy also drove his 42" TSL equipped truck with the welded rear for years to the trail including out of state several times with no issues.

- I noticed some slightly increased tire wear on the back with the MT/Rs, but with the TSL's the backs wore a lot quicker. My buddy's truck with the 42's really don't seem to wearing too bad on the back.

- I will admit that if the Blazer was my daily driver I probably would NOT have a welded diff or spool, but for a mainly trail truck I think they are great.
 
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