Aluminum driveshaft on my 1/2 ton, whats up with that

Man i still cannot believe my truck. Whats up with that?

I get so much crap from my buddies with 1 ton trucks.

I'm into rock crawling and therefore know how easy it is to break a shaft. Even though I don't wheel my truck, it just sounds like a weak link in the drive train to me.

Guess this is one more reason to look at a 3/4 in a year or so.

 

3/4 ton dodge diesel...still an aluminum shaft. Most new trucks are gonna have aluminum. Unless you are gonna rock crawl your truck, or go to truck pulls with a 1/2 ton gasser, dont worry about it. Over on the TDR, I read about people towing 16000lb toy haulers with stock trucks.

 

As long as wall thickness and overall diameter is bigger an aluminum shaft is just plain better. Don't know of too many guys using mild steal driveshafts in their racecars, its all either aluminum, chrome moly, or carbon fiber. Talking about 7 second cars, all us "slower" guys use mild steal just because its cheaper and gets the job done.

 

Well i was under my buddies 04 2500 dodge4x4 and both shafts were steel.

I won't be winning any races with my light weight driveshafts.

Not like I got a torque monster either, its only a 4.3

 

crap I can't use the "whos will last longer through winter" since you live in florida

My 96 f250 has both steel, they're pretty damn rusty. thats the only downside, but they'll be fine. I'd be more worried about a u-joint going before a driveshaft, especially a 1310 u-joint.

Want to talk about silly, some of these 6 second cars are having to upgrade to 1480 u-joints (i think thats the number) because they're snaping them all the time. Shafts are fine, just the joints go.

 

In rock racing, If you cant afford heavy-duty drive shafts or replacing stock shafts you get cheaper u-joints and make them go first. Its much cheaper to replace them then a d shaft or axle shaft.

 

The only problem I can see is the ends are pressed into the shaft unless the yoke ends are aluminum too. Eventually the cast steel pressed into the ends of the shaft will get loose.

 

Its all aluminum. Pretty thin wall too. I know I won't ever have a problem because the way I drive it (like my grandparents), but its just another thing my friends bust on me and my Chevy.

 

The shaft on the 2500 is aluminum but it is ~5'' shaft. That is gonna be alot tougher to bust than you think. Havent seen any trucks at the dealer or heard of any with snapped aluminum shafts. Saw a truck pull on a site somewhere where this guys shaft busted and wow, whata mess it made outa the bed lol.

 

Just like any other kind of round tube is strong but once you put a dent into it then you comprimise the strength. I doubt you would ever break the aluminum shaft you might have someone steel it for scrap metal.

The only problem I can see if you say the whole shaft is aluminum is the yoke end bores will wear out if you have a U joint that will spin the cap and it will wear out the bore (tough to repair). Also trying to change a U joint that has been in the driveshaft for a long long time and the cap is corroded into the bore.