Can a deuce be driven as a front wheel drive?

[porkysplace]

M-Series 2 1/2 ton Truck Specs

The above link shows they are the same 6.72 : 1

 

[Bob H]

As I understood it, the axle ratios are the same, but the front and rear outputs from the TRANSFER CASE turn at differing rates.

Can anyone knowledgably CONFIRM or DISPROVE this????

Thanks.
John

The Air shift transfercase turns them the same speed.
The design of a sprag under drives the front, that is what makes it work.

WM
The TM assumes you have a rear driveshaft installed.
Without the rear driveshaft, gear ratios and front to rear output differences don't matter.

Be cautious the steering is going to pull, and it is not going to be anything like driving a FWD car

 

[Cleptomaniac]

Yea it is not much fun! I drove mine home about 10 miles once (bobber) with a broken rear axle shaft! It acts real weird!! I think it is something you do if you have to!
Good Luck

 

[91W350]

Nothing should break on the front axle only driving. If it does you had a weak link. John, I think the drive difference you are thinking of involved when the spray locked into six wheel drive. Besides the wider track the front tires swing in a curve, most of our trucks s eat front tires. The difference in height would also bind it up. We get some of that on our tandems as they so not have an inter differential lock. You can feel them scrubbing hard in tight turns on pavement and they leave enough rubber on the street as well.

 

[MrM4]

I ran my bobber without the rear shaft alittle right afte bobbing it. It handeled poorly but it will get you from A to B. I can see it being a problem at low speed on a road that is not busy with traffic. Keep you fingers and thumbs out of the steering wheel like always but if you forget the bump steer will try to break them off.

 

[m16ty]

The hopping you feel on hard surfaces in 4X4 or 6X6 in a turn has very little to do with the front "fighting" the back. What causes the hopping is the velocity change in the axle u-joint. Whenever a standard u-joint is at any angle other than straight the velocity changes each revolution. the greater the angle, the more the velocity change. The reason front wheel drive cars don't hop is because they have constant velocity joints (CV joints) on the axle shafts instead of standard u-joints that most older 4x4s or 6X6s have.

You will still get the hop without the back pulling. It may not be as bad as if the back was driven though.

 

[mylo219]

do I haved to be stoped to put my M35A bobed in FWD. I'm very new on here..houres !

 

[sandcobra164]

Mylo219, Thread Highjack but so long as it's an A2 with an airshift transfer case, you can engage 4WD in the case of a Bobed or 6X6 in the case of mine on the fly. You can also shift the transfer case into low range as long as you're under the speeds that should be listed on the dataplate on the dash to the left of the steering wheel and in the appropriate gear detailed on that dataplate. I play it safe with that one. 5th high goes to 5th low only under 25 MPH. Sometimes when trailriding at low speeds, I split 2H and 3L back and forth.

 

[TehTDK]

It would be different than driving a front wheel drive car. They have CV joints on the axle shafts.

The deuce will try to hop in the hard turns on pavement and it's kind of hard on the knuckle u-joints but it can be done.

I was under the impressing that the air transfer case ONLY engaged the front axle, but didnt actually lock the axle making both front wheels turn at the same speed. I mean you can engage the two front wheels sure, but for the 2 front wheels to rotate at the exact same speed and achieve that "hopping" you talk about would require a differential lock on the front axle.

Unless you mean hopping in general and not "just" across the front axle.

 

[F18hornetM]

It does only engage the transfer case. The front axle turns all the time even without transfer case engaged its just not powered. Unless you have front locking hubs.

 

[MT4222]

I think the safest thing would be if you had a driveshaft made. Im shure there is a truck shop around you that could do it quickly.

 

[mudman]

Wreckerman;
That's for when you have both the front and rear engaged together. No fast or Highway speed driving with the front axle engaged!

 

[MT4222]

Wreckerman;
That's for when you have both the front and rear engaged together. No fast or Highway speed driving with the front axle engaged!

Its hard enough to maintain highway speed with the rear axle powering the vehicle!

 

[tco3129]

Don't mean to be cynical but it scares me to think people are driving around on public roads in a 14000lb vehicle with little or no knowledge of the mechanical workings of their vehicle. In nearly all instances, we are our own chief mechanic. As to the initial post, knowing it will handle differently, make short trips under mild conditions, be gentle and drive it till you get your driveshaft built. Many areas like mine don't have driveshaft shops on every corner. It took me nearly 2 weeks to get mine built. To my beginning comments maybe I was actually blessed to drive and maintain junkers for most of my life. Read, Learn, us any spare money to buy tools and ammo in reverse order.

 

[sandcobra164]

Don't mean to be cynical but it scares me to think people are driving around on public roads in a 14000lb vehicle with little or no knowledge of the mechanical workings of their vehicle. In nearly all instances, we are our own chief mechanic. As to the initial post, knowing it will handle differently, make short trips under mild conditions, be gentle and drive it till you get your driveshaft built. Many areas like mine don't have driveshaft shops on every corner. It took me nearly 2 weeks to get mine built. To my beginning comments maybe I was actually blessed to drive and maintain junkers for most of my life. Read, Learn, us any spare money to buy tools and ammo in reverse order.

Sir, It scares me as well but I do enjoy the fact that the OP came here to ask his question. I'm sure many other's operate these things without the friendly advice that can be found here on SS. I'm sure you know as I do the the "emergency brake" on these trucks does no good so ensuring you have a great braking system is a must.

I differ from you in thinking the truck would handle much differently in front wheel drive only mode. I could be completely wrong. I'd be willing to drop the driveshaft between the transfer case and the inter axle and try it. I don't see the value in doing such an experiment as I drive a front wheel drive car with an open diff and going down the road, it drive's fine. Sure the Deuce is alot heavier than my car but I think it could take it just fine on normal roads. All of the axle components in the front axle rotate for every tire revolution for every trip unless you've put lock out hubs or de-splined hubs on the front axle on the Deuce so there's no extra stress on the front axle components. Only reason not to leave the air switch engaged is the front tires spin at a different rate than their rear counterparts in a turn and that would create stress on the driveline if the rear driveshaft was present. With the rear driveshaft missing, I would have no problem driving the truck with the front axle engaged as many people are driving Front Wheel Drive cars do on a daily basis. Sure, Front Wheel Drive cars suffer from "Torque Steer" when you slam the throttle at lower speeds but you can adjust your driving habits to accommodate or you can anticipate it and hang on to the steering wheel a little tighter.

 

[gringeltaube]

It won't handle much different - while driving straight ahead....
BUT.... as m16ty has explained in post #26: most likely the OP's M35A2 front axle shafts have U-joints, not CV-joints like a car (or most of the early model Deuces).
That sure causes the typical front wheel wobble/front end shaking, when pulling around a corner in "FWD-only" mode.


G.

 

[tco3129]

I do apologize for the cynicism. Long week, month,year. While waiting to pick up my lenthened driveshaft, I did drive my bobber front only. It did handle differently in tight turns and under torque but nothing that a little attentiveness can't handle. Full size would be close to the same characteristics as was the bobber.

 

[sandcobra164]

My daily is a 93' Eclipse, I perhaps have a different reference point as it only weighs about 2,300 pounds. The "joints" may be different as was pointed out by "G". I don't think a front drive only Deuce would be too much of a handful though.

 

[TehTDK]

Sure, Front Wheel Drive cars suffer from "Torque Steer" when you slam the throttle at lower speeds but you can adjust your driving habits to accommodate or you can anticipate it and hang on to the steering wheel a little tighter.

I wouldn't think the limited power of an M35 etc would actually exhibit that much in effect of torque steer with its big wheels etc. I mean I can clearly see it and feel it if I go full on the throttle on my VW Passat with 140 HP. But again that would be as comparing apples to oranges, due to size and weight difference of the two vehicles. Not that torque steer doesn't happen, I would just think its less then what one might expect in a smaller and lighter vehicle with same amount of HP.