Tom Woods Driveshaft

[Gsxrdoug]

You said nipple.

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[Josh.B]

So why did ford do a two piece instead of a one piece, seems like a one piece would be cheaper.

I believe they do a two piece for clearance, but I could be wrong. The Tacoma is the same way and they have the same problems as well.

 

[taildraggerpilot]

I’m interested…..

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I believe they do a two piece for clearance, but I could be wrong. The Tacoma is the same way and they have the same problems as well.

Hi Folks,

I have written this more than I can remember in several threads. A driveshaft has a critical length where it becomes a jump rope so to speak....the longer the shaft for the material and the diameter enters the equasion....The longer the shaft the lower the critical speed...so how to solve if the critical length is in the driving range of the vehicle.... Two piece driveshaft raised the critical speed. Aluminum or Carbon raise critical speed..shaft diameter affects the critical speed....so choose your poison or a couple of options. The past version of Ranger had aluminum shafts made at Sterling Michigan Axle Plant....the process to join the aluminum shaft to the rear U joint and front slip yolk was a process called Magnaform. A huge clamping fixture with a electromagnet joined the ends of the driveshaft.... This tool was scary as it hummed and vibrated.... Then it exploded, severely injuring the operator.... So it haulted producton for a few weeks as another tool was created.... and a back up was also made...More shielding around the operation was also created....we were stuck with this process and hoped to God it did not happen again... It did and the back up tool was in place to keep up with production but we wished to move to other designs.

So for the 5G Ranger....a two piece was decided to contain package as the single piece driveshaft was the diameter of a sewer pipe... Aftermarket vendors do not have to meed Ford testing requirements and can make undersized single piece shafts, and hope there are no failures to tear off the back end of the transmission when they fail, If they fail....which is remote, but Ford has to test in and pass the all the design conditions and testing.

Sheesh....This pontificate is lengthly, but I hope you realize that Ford tested Ranger to ensure the driveshaft failure does not result in a Pole Vault condition. In racing my Pinto, I had to have a driveshaft loop to catch the driveshaft if the front U joint failed... Similar to drag racers...
Well at Mid Ohio I was dicing with a Lotus and its shaft let go...The rear of the car pole vaulted to the point of almost flipping the car....I drove under the air borne car, the car slammed to the ground behind me barely missing me. Next lap I glanced at the car...hurt pretty bad. The tech people were called on the carpet for not catching the fact this Lotus did not have driveshaft loop. When I dumped the Pinto for the SuperVee....this became a moot point for me...

Best,
Phil

 

[pbethel]

As a teenager I was in a forty passenger school bus that dropped its driveline going about fifteen to twenty mph. Kids in the back slammed into the ceiling when rear of the bus launched several feet into the air.
Driveline hoop was my first thought when I saw the pics.

 

[landiscarrier]

The Tom Woods Drive shaft appears to be about the same diameter as stock if not larger. I 100% understand that Ford has safety aspects to follow, meet and be aware of....but it also seems like the 2-piece drive shaft is causing an annoying vibration that Ford was or was not aware of..but seems to feel is an acceptable annoyance.

 

[Josh.B]

The Tom Woods Drive shaft appears to be about the same diameter as stock if not larger. I 100% understand that Ford has safety aspects to follow, meet and be aware of....but it also seems like the 2-piece drive shaft is causing an annoying vibration that Ford was or was not aware of..but seems to feel is an acceptable annoyance.

The factory drive shift OD is 2.5” and the Tom Woods is a 3.5” OD

 

[kieefer]

Looks like the original center carrier location would be a good spot for an accessory driveshaft loop if anyone wants to add one.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

so, is the larger diameter a hindrance or a positive of the critical driveshaft speed?

I may have missed the material in a post above.

Do any of the aftermarket shaft makers offer any data on the critical speed?
does this one have it?

I'm sure many make them for off-road categories of use.
And I'm sure they are bullet proof for that. but are they ideal for highway speeds?

Hi RP,

Bigger diameter raises the critical speed. It is not a difficult calculation with CAE analysis So Bigger diameter, shorter length and lighter weigh materials all raise critical speed. Make sense?

Best,
Phil

 

[VegasRanger]

I’ve had my Adam’s one piece on now for over 6,000 miles. No issues. It’s seen a lot of off roading too since install.

 

[Samsquanch]

I still find it odd that this truck has a two piece DS. It’s going to be really interesting to see what they do on the 6g.

 

[OFC Ranger]

Every time I see the title of this thread pop up on the front page I think of some dirty sex position.

Like The Cleveland Steamer or The Stifler.

I'm sorry I have nothing really of value to add to this thread.

 

[kieefer]

I still find it odd that this truck has a two piece DS. It’s going to be really interesting to see what they do on the 6g.

Nothing but more shims under the axle would be my guess.

 

[fortywater12]

The yoke doesn’t get covered in grease, it’s just the splines. This style obviously works because all Tom Woods drive shafts and Adam’s are like this, even JE Reel drive shafts don’t have dust boots on them.

No more slip yoke clunk I take it?

 

[Langwilliams]

Back in the fox body 5.0 years there was a "cheap upgrade" for an aluminum drive shaft for the mustang. Ford recalled the all wheel drive Areostars an replaced the steel drive shaft with an aluminum one. Some one not only realized this they also figured out it was the right length for the fox box mustang. I found one at the local salvage yard for like $40.

How safe it was or any other engineering aspect of it is unknown to me, all I know is I ran the snot out of one on my 87 notch back without a problem an on the forums back in the day I don't recall anyone posting a failure. I did run a safety look up front. The aluminum was thicker in diameter but shaved several pounds off the rotating weight. The tubing wall thickness is also a factor in strength.

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