MaxPF
1/2 ton status
Chaddy said:
Yeah, the roads are littered with broken SF shafts. Why, I have to dodge 'em on the way to work!
CK5
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Whoa!
- Thread starter rigez
- Start date
Yeah, the roads are littered with broken SF shafts. Why, I have to dodge 'em on the way to work!
used 14FF in decent shape (runable): $100
Set of 4 15x10 8 lug wheels (and be ready to convert to that 60 later
):
$100
Hermorphidite u-joint: $25
Not loosing an axle on the road: Priceless
Just givin ya a hard time but seriously I bet you could do it cheaper than that if you are resourceful enough and you will have something to show for it.
Set of 4 15x10 8 lug wheels (and be ready to convert to that 60 later
): $100
Hermorphidite u-joint: $25
Not loosing an axle on the road: Priceless
Just givin ya a hard time but seriously I bet you could do it cheaper than that if you are resourceful enough and you will have something to show for it.
MaxPF
1/2 ton status
Well, I was with a group this weekend that wheeled a seriously hardcore 5+ rated trail, and most of the group were on 1/2 tons or 3/4 tons. There were plenty of SF rears in the group, and lots of 10b and D44 fronts. One rig had 35's, a few had 37's, and the rest were 38+. All were locked front and rear. Does anyone want to guess how many axles and/or u-joints we broke? Anyone? C'mon, half ton junk and semi-floaters on a trail consisting of nothing but boulders and waterfalls, there had to be major carnage, right? So, how many axles and u-joints did we break? ANyone?
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Brians89K5
1/2 ton status
MaxPF said:
None?
i saw a 10bolt for sale on craigslist for $75 yesterday. i'm sure you could find one like that and get the seller down to $50 - that's definitely cheaper than buying a new car.
someone say 10 bolt?
Actually this axle was already fubared and had a stripped out side gear so figure heck its junk lets weld it completely. Yeah backed it out of the shop and put the foot on the big block and well, she made it about 10 feet.
All these pics were taken in about an hours time...
Actually this axle was already fubared and had a stripped out side gear so figure heck its junk lets weld it completely. Yeah backed it out of the shop and put the foot on the big block and well, she made it about 10 feet.
All these pics were taken in about an hours time...
All busted?MaxPF said:
i've wheeled with those guys, and for sure they're all on 1/2 ton stuff and do just fine. it all has to do with how you use your throttle.
that being said, i understand why parts are rated for certain size tires and loads and i have a problem with people running anything much bigger than a 35" tire on the street. see pics above - that's not even a 35" tire. engineers build a safety factor in, and to me i just don't think it's socially responsible to go above that safety factor.
that being said, i understand why parts are rated for certain size tires and loads and i have a problem with people running anything much bigger than a 35" tire on the street. see pics above - that's not even a 35" tire. engineers build a safety factor in, and to me i just don't think it's socially responsible to go above that safety factor.
So you imply that all SF axles are just a ticking time waiting to break and kill innocent bystanders? But seriously in this case where it is already broken I would argue that a better axle should be sought out. At least the cost should be weighed with all the alternatives.jekbrown said:
What gets my ire up is when it is just dropped casually oh just pick up a 14bff. I see them all over the place around here. They practically grow on trees! Implying that it is very cheap to do. Okay you get lucky enough to find a 14bff for $100, which I've never seen around here that cheap. And let's remember it's gotta have gears matching the front axle, so let's hope we can be patient and this isn't our DD.
Okay we also get lucky and there happens to be 15" 8-lug wheels on craigslist for a tank of gas, what $50. Wish it would have been that easy when I did my swap.
Oh yeah, and that 14bFF has gotta be out of a 3/4ton or we need to figure in another $40 for new perches. And let's say we can get the old ones off in good enough condition to reuse, you still gotta have an welder to reweld them. And the shock tabs, too.
Let's see, can't forget the conversion joint which are more expensive than regular joints, what about $30?
Wait a minute, are we forgetting something? Oh yeah, the front is still 6-lug.
Hmm, carry one spare and take a chance I guess. Or how much is it going to cost to convert the front. Guess that does save us a little money on the wheels, we only need 2!Is the 14bFF far superior to a 10b or 12b, hell yeah! No one in their right mind disputes that. Just don't friggin' misrepresent the costs involved. A lot of guys posting these problems up are new to all this, and it's only fair to them to give them the full story. Before they get in over their heads and get chit on for posting their noob questions because they didn't know better.
mrk5 said:
No, there are some good semi-floaters out there. Toyota rear ends come to mind. Chevy 10-bolts however, are probably the worst rear axle ever put in a truck in the last 50 years. I mean, these things are not only notorious for breakage... but for the breakage resulting in the wheel flying off. Are they "ticking time bombs" waiting to kill bystanders? No, I wouldn't describe them that way.... at the same time if a wheel comes off on the road you very well could end up in a **** sandwich and get someone killed. Doesn't seem farfetched at all to me. Is it common? Of course not, but as these axles/rigs get older and older, the cheap POS steel in those stock shafts is only getting more stressed and more likely to break. Decades of use under a fullsize truck is going to wear them down and over time, on-road failures like the one in this thread are going to become more common.
In the days before to glorious internet... a truck newb who had a 10b rear blow up would probably go to a mechanic or rear-end specific shop and have things repaired/replaced there. How much do you think that would run ya? I think we are helping quite a bit by offering an upgrade that is inexpensive compared to many upgrades and an infinitely better design. Other posters told the guy to just throw a new shaft in there and run it. Its not like both sides weren't represented here... the guy has received a full range of options and can consider them at his leisure... chose one or tell all of us to go to hell and do something else.
j
I think we mostly agree. Especially since most people don't do the proper maintenance on these older axles. Or treat them appropriately.
Like I said I don't disagree with recommending he swap in a 14bFF. It's just that I feel we should be upfront with some of the hidden costs. I mean we haven't even touched on parking brake issues involved with swapping in a 14b.
And just to prove my point and be upfront with costs, I called the mechanic I use when I have something over my head. The labor he'd charge to swap out a broken axle shaft would be $100 including fresh gear oil. And I don't use the cheapest guy in town - for a reason. Now you tell me how much you'd have to pay for a spare 10b shaft here on CK5.
Like I said I don't disagree with recommending he swap in a 14bFF. It's just that I feel we should be upfront with some of the hidden costs. I mean we haven't even touched on parking brake issues involved with swapping in a 14b.
And just to prove my point and be upfront with costs, I called the mechanic I use when I have something over my head. The labor he'd charge to swap out a broken axle shaft would be $100 including fresh gear oil. And I don't use the cheapest guy in town - for a reason. Now you tell me how much you'd have to pay for a spare 10b shaft here on CK5.
a spare shaft would be pretty cheap. Of course there is a certain $-value in the fact that the ff14b will never fail in a similar loading situation and break also. Who knows how many times you might have to pay $100 + used spare shaft prices before its all said and done?
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MaxPF
1/2 ton status
colbystephens said:
Actually, this was a different group. About the only vehicle there that was also on your Martinez trip was the Marvzda, and Marv was having a really hard time on some of the obstacles. Most of the vehicles ended up winching or strapping at some point as well (keep in mind most guys had 38+ tires and all were locked at both ends
). That gives you an idea of how tough this trail was. Anyway, nobody broke an axle. Not even Allan with his BB-powered K5 truggy and a D44 front The guys with 14bff's got hung up plenty of times though 
garlicbreath
1/2 ton status
MNorby said:
Thats what you get for trying to play tug-o-war with a front end loader!!!
doh... yeah just need some more traction and I think I can pull it.....
For tires/rims, check your local used tire shop... I had a car hit my 10b in the rim pretty hard and it shattered the spider gears. Luckily I had my $100 14b ready to go for a swap someday, so I basically just had to find some tires and rims. I picked up a set of four 35x16.5x12.50 with good tread for $250. The local shop mounted/balanced them on some rims in the yard for under $50. I think I'll keep these 16.5"s for highway/street and save up for a 15" set or beadlock kits for the trail.
Speaking of which... free 10b needing spider gears and probably a brake job on one side in Fort Collins CO... drop a PM.
Easy swap... just do it!
Speaking of which... free 10b needing spider gears and probably a brake job on one side in Fort Collins CO... drop a PM.
Easy swap... just do it!
Hey you need to be hitting some trails with the Colorado Crew this year! We need more NoCO members keeping these guys honest.SnackPack said:For tires/rims, check your local used tire shop... I had a car hit my 10b in the rim pretty hard and it shattered the spider gears. Luckily I had my $100 14b ready to go for a swap someday, so I basically just had to find some tires and rims. I picked up a set of four 35x16.5x12.50 with good tread for $250. The local shop mounted/balanced them on some rims in the yard for under $50. I think I'll keep these 16.5"s for highway/street and save up for a 15" set or beadlock kits for the trail.
Speaking of which... free 10b needing spider gears and probably a brake job on one side in Fort Collins CO... drop a PM.
Easy swap... just do it!
I'm down! I've got some work to do before I want to take it out this year... the front axle and shackle flip. After that I'm off to the hills!mrk5 said:Hey you need to be hitting some trails with the Colorado Crew this year! We need more NoCO members keeping these guys honest.
How exactly did you genade your axel? Did you try to do a brake stand like me?
anyone else see the "opps" pic in the recent Petersens? Showed a K5 hanging off the edge of a trail with a busted semi floater and the axle/wheel hanging off. Think what might have happened if that innocent trail (gravel road?) the guy was on had instead been Lions Back. Semifloaters own all!!!! 
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