Posted by Clint Dixon [172.70.126.237] on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 19:52:42 :
In Reply to: Re: Drive Shaft Yokes posted by Kaegi [108.162.245.97] on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 13:45:25 :
And the Detroit U-joint with the grease zerk positioned in the center intersection point of the cross is a superior design above others.
Competitors U-joints with the zerk positioned in between legs of the cross require the cross to be assembled with the zerk hole under compression during the normal rotational direction of the shaft. Assembled backwards (with the zerk hole under tension) can create stress cracks starting at the zerk hole and radiating out - causing the U-joint to detonate.
The location of the grease zerk in the Detroit U-joints also allows better distribution of the grease to all of the caps equally (assuming all of the seals are in good condition). Other U-joints with the zerk located in between two of the legs do not distribute the grease as evenly. Worse yet is the style of U-joint that has a zerk located in one single cap. These are better when each cap has its own zerk, but this design is notorious for zerks easily getting broken off on rocks, logs, etc.
One drawback of the Detroit design is that the components are very compact in proximity to each other which limits the maximum angularity of the shaft assembly. This lessens the amount that one can "lift" the vehicle for clearance of larger diameter tires before binding between the U-joints and yokes occurs.
Junior
Junior