Broken I-beam axle

If that were the case, I'd expect the failure to be at the perch hole bosses or somewhere in between them. The outboard ends, that close to the kingpins, would not have been affected by stresses induced under the condition you describe.

Bob

 

In both cases they were new or near new axles. The one in the Australian car (36 ) was NEW and the one in NZ ( 40 pickup) which the thread was started with had only done 300kms, that's less than 200 miles. AND it uses a stock wishbone , unsplit!

 

Wow, though the article doesn't mention brand, the axle on the Aussie 36 also looks to be a Magnum?

Makes me wonder if I should replace the Magnum under my 34 or would having it magnafluxed be a good idea?

Another question for the engineers/metalurgists;
I polished my I beam prior to paint. Does this help in the overall strength dept like it does in con-rods? Obviously, a casting flaw is probably to blame in both low use (300 mile) snapped axles in the article and trumps any polishing treatment.

 

Okie Joe's dropped model A axles are looking better and better.

 

Check the parting line, castings typically have a narrow parting line.
On forgings, the parting line is much wider.


Ford used forgings, because they knew better.
If castings were acceptable to him,
Henry would have saved the extra money.

 

I hit a deer going 70, Superbell axle, bent like Bull's but not as much, no visible cracks, didn't break, just bent.

 

Dang!! Y'all got some fast deer in Texas! How fast were you going when you hit him??

Bob

 

Dammit man, stop letting all that engineering training come through! This is all about emotions! You're letting facts and reason get in the way of a good emotion-driven lynch mob!

-Brad

 

BOBSCOGIN I was sitting still The doe he was chasing had to be going at least 80 Glad it was a Texas whitetail, hear those Louisiana deer are bigger! Wreck happened on Sunday morning of opening weekend, got me an 8 pointer, next time I plan on using a gun.

 

From the above image:

"The axle is not branded with any manufacturer's name but the name on
the invoice is a recognized USA brand that will also get you an ice cream
at any milk bar..."


There is a Magnum ice cream, now available in the states.
http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-r...ice-cream-bars

Never heard of Super Bell or Socal ice cream.

 

Doesnt Magnum make condoms too?

 

Could have been so much worse. Alot of good pros and cons in this thread. Thanks for making everyone aware

 

Here is the second page of the ASR magazine article.

 

There has also been some work done by the Australians on testing axles. Here is the article.

 

Does anybody have any idea whether these Helix axles are cast or forged? There's nothing I can see on the website.

http://www.helixsuspension.com/catalog/l/l/HEXAXFA2A4

 

Supposed to be forged but you can get a SoCal axle for the same money and some times better if you hunt the SoCal adds on Ebay. Check this on Ebay 251058643442

Welder Joe is the Helix (Hoffman group) Ebay outlet and they usually show an axle or two there if you want to check.

 

Hot Rods Ta hell , nailed it, low speed=high torque = things that can break will break .This will happen when turning a corner or entering/leaving a driveway at slow speed.Personally we only use Forged axles ,Chassis Eng, or original Ford or now Sol Cal as all are Forged.Check them cast axles ,magnafluxing is the easiest,the best is x-ray but will probably be expensive.

 

In defense of Magnum Axle Company, Fred James and Victor Leon have been doing business for many years and stand behind what they build and sell. I have used the 40 Ford dropped axle on over 20 cars and never had a failure. The reason people use their axle is they are the only ones who offer an I beam axle with 38 1/2 inch perch centers which is the stock 40 Ford configuration. I would support a new version with a forged unit but doubt that the market would support the investment. I would make an educated guess that there are far more cast axles under Hot Rods than there are forged. My point is if you have a problem you should contact Fred or Leon and tell them of the incident. Any rate of failure is too much even if it is only 1, so please let them know.

Long live the I-Beam axle.
Lynn

 

Pretty sure Helix is part of Hoffman and the article you posted on testing the axles said they are cast and heat treated.

 

Good gawd, Hoffman is now selling axles and IFS kits! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This truck is owned by a local builder.

 

"Designed In the USA"
"high quality steel"


Since they don't specify "forged",
then we have to conclude it is cast.

 

Search here, for Hofman, before spending money.
They do business under several names:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=650004

 

They should be very interested, when more than
one of their axles failed with very few miles on it.
All within a year.

There is obviously a big problem somewhere.
Could be a quality problem, with the foundry,
or counterfeit parts sold as Magnum.

 

I have a question, prompted by a thread on the HAMB of pics from " back in the day".
There are some pics of car accidents on that thread, and it got me thinking, "what did the mechanics do back then when they encountered a bent axle?"
Was there an accepted point where an axle was too bad to straighten? Were there shops that supplied this service to the body shops?
I know most of us are too young to have actually done the work, but I'm sure my dad did, if I could only ask him.

 

Yes.

I now know that the manufacturer is fully aware of the problem. There was a problem with a batch of axles which were out-sourced to a different foundry. Apparently this problem happened 'around' three years ago, and was due to 'over-baking'. I don't yet know how big the affected 'batch' is.

On axles which have been made since the problem was identified, there is a small polished area and letter stamp located on one of the spring perch bosses, which indicated it's had an in-house microscopic surface inspection, and has been deemed OK.

It really surprises me that there's been no recall (although this would be difficult with no stampings or batch numbers on the axles) or some sort of notification that there are faulty axles out there!

Cheers

 

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvHow Tovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Forged axle in 37 to 40 with a wishbone
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All you need is a 35 or 36 wishbone ….. this allows you to use the forged 32 to 36 axle of your choice...........that there are many of.

 

Oh, I know. I am one of the first to speak up over their shitty products. And yes, I have seen thier axles and IFS's. As a dealer, one of the wharehouses stocks lots of their stuff, which I refuse to sell and won't even waste my money at WHOLESALE with Hoffman

 

I was sure that you knew, but too many people
here spend their money first, then search.

 

I highly doubt that. Ford made forged axles by the millions.....maybe street rods have aftermarket. But by and larger 90% of the cars I see have FORD axles underneath.....