Topic: Drive shaft protection? Bending drive shafts

[87Fontana]

I was wondering who has done a rear traction bar setup to act as a skid plate to protect the drive shaft?  I have ruined 2 drive shafts from doing some aggressive rock crawling and it gets a bit expensive.  If anyone has done this did you fab it from scratch or buy a kit.  If someone has some really nice photos of how they set it up I would appreciate it.

There is a kit I was looking at from Ruff Stuff Specialties.  Has anyone had any experience with this?
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/AWKIT.html?gclid=CPO25f2O484CFYF8fgodG-4GHg

[Dingman.]

What tubing thickness is your driveshafts?

Stock is .065 wall.
My shafts have been .095 wall and held up decent over the years, but i didn't hit them all too often, usually if i hit my driveshafts it was on the slip yoke anyways.

[87Fontana [OP]]

I have .095 as well. The last time this happened it a really shallow dent in it. So shallow you can barely feel it, but it was enough to throw it out of balance. My local driveline shop said they couldn't rebalance it so I had to retube it and replace the ujoints and charged me $ 330.00.

As for the slip yoke mine is facing up towards the tcase. Should I rotate it 180?


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[Rockcrawlintoy]

I have .095 as well. The last time this happened it a really shallow dent in it. So shallow you can barely feel it, but it was enough to throw it out of balance. My local driveline shop said they couldn't rebalance it so I had to retube it and replace the ujoints and charged me $ 330.00.

As for the slip yoke mine is facing up towards the tcase. Should I rotate it 180?


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i have always run mine down. i had a 60 inch long driveshaft and it lived for quite a few years under an ex cab that wheeled all over.