Product Reviews
High Angle Driveline
With a 203/205 double transfer case setup in our project
K5 nearing completion it was time to turn our focus to the driveline. We
have been hearing nothing but great things about High Angle Driveline
out of Paradise California so we decided to give them a call to find out
more about their stout 1-ton drive shafts.
After a call to Jess we were convinced High Angle
Driveline would be making our drivelines, he suggested their 1350 CV (1
ton) joints and flanges at the t-case ends with ultra stout 1450 joints at
the axle ends. In order to upgrade to the 1410 joints we ordered 1410
yokes for our Corporate 14-bolt rear axle and Dana 60 front axle. By doing
this we eliminated the weaker strap style 1350 yoke end that we were
running with the larger 1410 u-bolt style yokes. We also wanted these
shafts to stand up to being drug across rocks without bending like a
straw, we had this problem on our last outing with the stock shafts, so we
ordered them in .120 wall thickness to give us a little more peace of
mind.
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| Weak stock drive
shaft |
1/2 ton VS 1 ton CV High Angle shaft |
All High Angle Driveline CV's run seals and are re-worked
to be stable under extreme conditions including greaseable centers for a
long trouble free life. High Angle Driveline can build custom drivelines
for extremely lifted vehicles and also sponsors many competition rock
crawlers so you know their products get tested in the most extreme
conditions.
The service was excellent, I called Jess a few times with
questions concerning the proper length and rotation of the rear axle etc.,
he was always willing to help us. Because we went with a CV style shaft
the rear axle needed to be within 2-3 degrees of the rear t-case output.
With the rear shaft installed we checked our angle with an angle finder
only to find out that our rear axle yoke was at 12 degrees while our drive
shaft operating angle was around 20 degrees, a difference of 8 degrees.
The best thing to do in this situation is to cut and rotate the spring
perches, but because we plan on playing around with the rear suspension
some more, we decided to have our 1" ORD
add-a-leafs tapered. The add-a-leafs were removed and taken to Donovan at Ram
Grinding where a 6 degree taper was applied. Our drive shaft was still
at 20 degrees but now our axle yoke was at 18 degrees, well within the
proper 2-3 degree operating range for vibration free operation.
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| ORD add-a-leaf |
6 degree taper
added |
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| Driveline
emergency brake |
Field testing the driveline! |
After running the Independence trail system in Colorado
with just a few scratches to the shafts not to mention a vibration free
highway trip there and back we were very pleased with the quality and beef
of the new driveline. High Angle also makes an e-brake setup off the one
ton CV flange for those who need a mechanical e-brake. If your looking for a stout driveline give Jess a
call today. - Steve Fox
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