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How often should I grease my shaft and what type of grease should I use?
Any Tom Wood's drive shaft is fully greased before we ship it out. So initially, all you need to do is install it. Down the road however you will need to grease your drive shaft to ensure a long life. A good guideline to start with is to grease your shaft every oil change. If you go wheeling and drive through a lot of dirt or water, grease your shaft as soon as you get home. This will flush out the contaminants before they have a chance to do much harm. We recommend a good quality grease with calcium sulfonate...
How much of my spline should be showing?
More specifically people will ask "How much of the blue should be showing?". The blue doesn't matter, it doesn't always start in the same spot so you should really be looking at how much spline is showing. The answer though depends on the type of spline you have. For Tom Wood's drive shafts there are mainly two types of spline; the S spline and the X spline. If you have the S spline, there should be about 1.5" of the smooth bar showing. For the X spline you'd measure from the dust cap to the center of the weld, this...
Greaseable vs non-greaseable joints, which is better?
In the past few years, this has been become quite a hot topic for debate. I'll get to the bottom line first, then explain the basis for my opinion. Bottom line on strength: The non-greaseable joint is slightly stronger than a greaseable joint. The exact number, how much stronger, is unknown and we do not believe it to be very significant. Bottom line on wear life: A regularly greased greaseable joint will outlive a non-greaseable joint. But a non-greaseable joint will outlive a greaseable joint that does not get greased properly. Now I will elaborate. We have asked two of the major...
Why do I keep wearing out and/or breaking u-joints?
From Overloading to Over-Flexing: Common Causes of Drive Shaft and U-Joint Wear Drive shafts are critical components of a vehicle's drivetrain system, responsible for transferring power from the engine to the wheels. Universal joints (also known as u-joints) are an integral part of the drive shaft, allowing it to flex and move as the vehicle's suspension changes. However, universal joints can break or wear out over time, leading to a number of issues. Here are some of the most common causes of u-joint failure: Overloading and Overworking the U-Joint: Overloading and overworking the u-joint can occur in a variety of...
What is difference between 1310 and 1350 joints?
The main difference between 1310 series and 1350 series is size and strength. The 1310 series joint is what you would expect to find stock in most Jeep or small trucks. A 1350 series joint/shaft is what you might find in many full size trucks. While it's not 100% accurate, you could say that a 1310 is a "half ton" joint and a 1350 is a "one ton joint". What are U-joints? U-joints are flexible connectors in the drivetrain that allow the driveshaft to rotate at different angles while transmitting power. Upgrading the u-joints also means that all of the...