Front Drive Shaft Update

[MK898]

Is there a neutral position in the transmission for towing, or am I misunderstanding something right now?

 

[Shopkeep]

Is there a neutral position in the transmission for towing, or am I misunderstanding something right now?

You can’t tow using the neutral selected from inside the vehicle, the towing neutral is only accessible from outside underneath the vehicle so not suitable if under water or mud bound.

 

[Dokatd]

Is there a neutral position in the transmission for towing, or am I misunderstanding something right now?

There are multiple ways to hit neutral. If the truck is operational then of course you can put trans in neutral. You also have the option of putting the at-case in neutral via the hi/low lever. It can be tricky on some trucks to find but it's there for sure. Then there is a lever under the truck on the side of the trans that if pulled and held in place will hold trans in neutral. And the final way is to turn a selector nut on the transfer case underneath the truck to lock it in neutral.

All are acceptable for short recovery or maintenance work, but only the selector underneath on the transfer case should be used for any towing at speed or considerable distance.

 

[Ovrland Bill]

You can’t tow using the neutral selected from inside the vehicle, the towing neutral is only accessible from outside underneath the vehicle so not suitable if under water or mud bound.

Also difficult/impossible to access with (Rival) skid plate in place.

 

[255/85]

Also difficult/impossible to access with (Rival) skid plate in place.

Darn, I was considering the Rival transfer skid.

 

[GN4HIR]

examining my spare, and the location of most of the tears doesn't seem to be in an area that could pinch. They all seem ragged like a fatigues rubber band. I'm not sure what can be done to increase the droop by making that lip a greater diameter, but as far as the rubber goes, its formed with a curve, so it seems a larger bellow that would have more material and less overall opening and closing as the unit rotates, would cut down on the fatigue and maybe less tention on the rubber in the droop. rubber bands don't fail from flexing them back and forth, they fail from stretching.

Just an observation.

Ok, here is my simple caveman answer. I was looking at the plate and boot on my new backup Teraflex. When my prior boot tore, it was midpoint down the shaft area of the rubber boot. I thought to myself "Hey self, what if we took a piece of rubber (like a section of bicycle inner tube,) and using some industrial rubber glue, stretching it over the rubber shaft, essentially increasing the thickness. It's like patching a tire before the blowout.

 

[ShaleRenadier]

Ok, here is my simple caveman answer. I was looking at the plate and boot on my new backup Teraflex. When my prior boot tore, it was midpoint down the shaft area of the rubber boot. I thought to myself "Hey self, what if we took a piece of rubber (like a section of bicycle inner tube,) and using some industrial rubber glue, stretching it over the rubber shaft, essentially increasing the thickness. It's like patching a tire before the blowout.

Great, Which glue stretches the most? I love the idea!

 

[ADVAW8S]

Great, Which glue stretches the most? I love the idea!

Your going with silicone, probably sikaflex 221

 

[C-Mack]

Gluing on a extra layer of rubber sounds interesting but would be concerned the glue itself would introduce more problems as the boot and rubber rotates together. Areas where the glue is slightly thicker or has adhered better would introduce pockets of greater tension or conversely not enough flex which might concentrate forces or friction between the two layers resulting in a quicker failure?

 

[bamanuke]

Owl just put out a Youtube video on the DS issue. Informative but not my personal experience on the longevity of the Rzeppas.

 

[linksK9rig]

Here it is.

View: https://youtu.be/D0knEKuvBck?si=vWJBgBskSuKlude9

 

[TD5-90]

Very good video, in my view.

He claims that putting larger tires on in general increases wear. Given the same driving conditions, with bigger wheels the torque on the driveshafts goes up, but the average rpm goes down.

As far as I understood not the joint itself is the problem, but the boot. But, IMHO, the boot lifetime should profit from reduced avg rpm(?)

EDIT: The other thing is: He doesn't appreciate that there has been at least one truck burnt out because of a failed joint. If you drive fast for ~500kms between filling up, you hardly have a chance to identify a failure, even if you look under truck every time you fill up...

 

[Logsplitter]

Very good video, in my view.

He claims that putting larger tires on in general increases wear. Given the same driving conditions, with bigger wheels the torque on the driveshafts goes up, but the average rpm goes down.

As far as I understood not the joint itself is the problem, but the boot. But, IMHO, the boot lifetime should profit from reduced avg rpm(?)

EDIT: The other thing is: He doesn't appreciate that there has been at least one truck burnt out because of a failed joint. If you drive fast for ~500kms between filling up, you hardly have a chance to identify a failure, even if you look under truck every time you fill up...

Agreed
I expect to get under my Grenadier and check regularly, if off-roading or overlanding on dirt or rough roads. I do not expect to get under it and check on a daily or even weekly basis if just using for just regular road work on paved roads.
Six years of ownership of my Skoda. It’s not broken down once and I’ve never looked underneath it. The main reason for that though is it’s too low to get under. I don’t have a jack or vehicle ramps that are suitable for it.