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Pulling Carnage!

9K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Corey@CNCFAB 
#1 ·
I have brought this up before but, every good running Ford I see breaks its drivetrain at every Pull. Yesterday I was at a pull in Muntua OH and there were 78 Trucks. One of those trucks was the "2013 Diesel Power Challenge Winner." I took a picture of his truck with the banner on his window but very blury.

Either way... He pulled 284 and broke his rear drive shaft at the splined portion of it. Super Clean break to wear it look machined. Then I pull... 279 and bang. Hopped out of the truck and nothing hanging. My left rear wheel was making crazy noise when driving it slowly in the pits. Both trucks broke within the last foot fo the pull. Oh and obviously he didnt spray his nitrous... Pulled the left rear shaft and oh yeah.. its broke. When it broke, it was like a spiral fracture and left alot of debris in the axle tube and the axle is stuck in there. (Super Stuck)

I am hoping that the center of my detroit locker is open and it doesnt have a pin down the center of it so I can hammer it out from the other side.

Questions:
-Any input on getting out the broken shaft?
-Has anyone ran Yukon Axle shafts? Good or Bad?
-Is it worth spending $560 on shafts or try to find a Dana80 and make it fit or...One of those AAM1150's out of a Dodge or Chevy and change my rear wheels.

Just a side note. This is 4th gear set and now this happens. I have lost faith in this rear end. Just venting
 

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#2 · (Edited)
I've pulled my truck a dozen times or more and never had an issue with the rearend or drive shaft. Only trucks I've seen break the drive shaft or rearend around has been either a Chevy or a dodge. I think the ford rearend and shaft can take a beating. My truck is only making 525 tops...however once you get over that 600 mark then I'd start beefing it up. Another thing...lifted trucks with big tires don't do good truck pulling....chit breaks then. The lift and big tires are a big downfall
 
#3 ·
Notice where it was happening. It all has to do with wheel hop and traction induced over-torque. I don't know if you are using traction bars to prevent axle wrap and what the front end was doing, but either of those will vary the load enough to snap axles.
 
#4 ·
The Dana 80 is stronger, then a 10.5 Sterling / Ford rear. Even the dana 80 can grenade. many guys swap the axles out asap on the 80's.
The 11.5 is supposed to be stronger or as good as a 80. Coprate 14 and 80 are good too. Read up in some of the pulling threads at Comp Diesel. Lots of 800 plus hp Cummins and Duramax puller over there.

AAM 11.5 VS Ford 10.5 - Competition Diesel.Com - Bringing The BEST Together
 
#5 ·
I will agree that the 37" put a ton of load on the shafts but once I swapped in those 4.56's, man it pulls good. it also made it alot better once I built rear suspension stops. As for wheel hop, it doesnt hop at all. I am running stiff bars in the rear and a front 4 link. I thought about dropping it 2" and running 35's but I would have to do another gear swap down to a 4.10 because I am running 2300rpms on the highway as it is. Im not sure if you saw my last post but I have seen guys roll the rear diff on the axle tubes last year and this year with the Sterling. I was just thinking that the Yukon Shafts may make the difference. I always seem them break with in the last 3-5 feet when the truck is really digging and the converter is locked. I have never seen an AAM break but I have seen a couple Dana80's Break but that was in a 3.0 truck that is probably making 1000HP when I would be lucky to hit 450-460.
 
#6 ·
Strokin6L, Do you remember if the middle on your detroit is open or is ther a pin in the way. I am really sweating getting that broken shaft out.
 
#11 ·
other han the hubs/lug-pattern, i wonder if the ABS sensor in the top would work in the ford. assuming it being 1" bigger i would think it would throw off the speed calibration quite a bit.:dunno:
 
#7 ·
I have seen a Sterling rear twist on the tubes and it was at the end of the pull and was hopping a Lil bit with 40" tires. I never had an issue with the Sterling in my 97, but i wasn't pushing the power y'all are talking about. I just had some stage 1 sticks and an h2e turbo kit with citation tunes. But i did have 37" iroks with 4.56 gears and wrap bars and I beat the piss out of that truck when i was pulling with it.

I really wish someone made a conversion hub for the aam 11.5. That rear end i had in my dodge was far superior to these Sterlings, the pinion and ring gear is just massive.
 
#8 ·
Those AAM's are huge! You see the 2.6 guys who are making a 1000hp running stock shafts and gear set. when you lay them side by side to a Sterling, it makes it look tiny.
 
#12 ·
Yeah that was Wes Beech that broke his drive shaft. Coincidentally I broke mine also last night in 2.6 class as well as a few other trucks in MD. One Dodge broke his rear pumpkin. One other obs broke his rear taking off too hard. I don't have my new puller setup right yet so I knew I could have trouble. I have broken my driveshaft primarily at the double joint on my other 2.6 puller twice as well as a rear axle and cracked my rear pinion at the same time as my axle. Then I did 4.56s and Mitchell Diff axles. I was on 37s with a 6" lift at the time of the axle. I've been on 33s since.
 
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