Your right, it would have been really bad if the shaft had dropped out, but he'd probably just need a new trans, t-case and some floor board work. Something would give before the truck would flip over on itself... it's not like a movie, lol.

 

Look what happened when this guys front drive shaft snapped-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQYoe...om=PL&index=45

 

the trans is bolted to the frame, frog's video shows it can happen.

 

Not to split hairs and no offense to Frog, because its a spectacular crash video and all. But all that video shows me is that the driver got a little too close to the shoulder and lost control when he got into the ditch.

Also, We're talking about a truck that weighs twice as much and is 4 times as high off the gound.

All I was saying is that I thought the front shaft would snap (somewhere... probably at the CV joint) before the truck gets launched end over end.

 

I don't think the car in the video has a front drive shaft. Probably a couple of cv shafts, but no front drive shaft. That guy lost it in the ditch.

I think it is highly improbable that a truck would flip over from the front driveshaft impalling itself into the ground. It would have to land perfectly parallel to the direction of travel in order to avoid simply folding to the side. And all that is assuming it wouldn't just snap/bend in half from the impact.

 

i agree, it's hard to say unless it's tested, and i don't feel like testing that one

 

u guys dont watch myth busters?!? been done with a caddy had a pretty ingenious plan...they cut and welded a REALLY big bolt and nut into the shaft, so when driving it would be tightening, had it remote controlled, they shifted it into reverse, wich loosened the nut n bolt dropping the shaft into a triangle 1' deep pot hole they made, it lifted the car about 4 feet into the air b4 the driveshaft failed...

 

No, if you remember right the driveshaft didn't fail at all. It ripped through the rear suspension and forced the rear diff through the trunk floor! But that car had a pretty long nose. If I remember from the episode the front end slid on the ground keepin it from goin all the way over.

 

Agreed. I'm not about to test it either.

 

Consider the car on the show had a driveshaft twice the diameter, twice the length and a cast iron rear axle to hold the failure. Compare that to a much smaller driveshaft and the aluminum body of the Transfer case... His front diff. didn't hold up to wheeling in the mud, you think the Transfer case wouldn't bust driving down the road with driveshaft dangling?

Sorry, I think we've beaten this dead horse too many times...