The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts rear axle ID, 1950 4100

I'm trying to identify the rear axle on my 1950 4100. It's possilbe that it is not original to the truck. The only ID numbe I could see was on the differential case itslef, not the axle tube, front side; the first character was pretty well obscured could have been a Q or O but it probably was a zero; I read it as 034835. Does anyone have a good link to an axle ID decoder (the links I found did not have this style ID); or can anyone identify the axle based on that number?

how about a few pictures? I just went back and looked at your truck in the gallery. Did we ever establish that your truck has a different frame under it? How many lugs on you wheels? The covers have 8, right? How is the engine mounted?

I can't access the other pics that have links in the gallery for some reason to see the engine compartment or the "lots of other work"

No, I never figured out what the frame was; I can't see a stamping on it, so I'm thinking that might indicate it's early; maybe someone just cleaned it and painted it. I looked a bit more at some of the pictures in the shop manual. Right now the hub covers/caps are looking pretty much like a 1 ton rear axle; 8 bolts and a ridge across the cover, rather than the 1.5 or 2 ton which I'm thinking has a little hemi-sphere on the cover with 5 botls. Plus, there are cables coming out the brake backing plate for the parking brake, which would be consistent with a 1 ton rear. 8 lugs on the wheel, too.

Take the covers off (they are just that covers and useless in identifying anything) and provide some pictures if you can, we can help you identify the stuff with pictures easier than trying to compare it to the shop manual.

If you have 8 lugs, you do not have 1.5 ton running gear. Do you have 8 lugs in the front, too?

Don't know that this helps, but I have a 48 2 ton with brakets at the forward rear spring pearches and a behind cab cross shaft for cable operated in wheel parking brakes. Missing the cables now, but it did come with them from the factory.

I would say that cable operated parkig brake is not a deciding factor between axle size in at least some years?

I guess for now, I'd prefer not to take the covers off; for me, at least, this is the first step down a slippery slope, which, after several steps wondering, "what's behind that", or "how does that work", leads to a big pile of parts and a non-running vehicle. That's why I was trying to go from the casting number. By the way, the hubs have a cast-in MW1 LZ. I'm thinking, based on the shop manual but no actual experience, that on the 1 ton, the covers are NOT simply covers, but are what transmits the torque from the axles to the hub. And if I managed to get a cover off, I'd be holding a cover plus an attached axle in my hand (could be wrong, but that what the pictures in the shop manual look like to me).

The information on the 2 ton with cable operated parking brake is intereting; I'd say for sure having calbe operated parking brake is not a determining factor.

8 lugs on the front wheels.

For what it's worth, 10 bolts on the rear-end cover (not exactly an unusual number for this part).

Don't suppose you can attach pictures to this post much like an e-mail attachment?

Take this as correct untill someone says it is not...

For AD trucks
If you have 8 lugs for your wheels it is a 3/4 or 1 ton.
If you have dual wheels with 8 lugs it is 1 ton, and you probably have 18" tires / wheels with it.
If you have 10 lugs and no 2 speed it is probably a 1.5 ton. However, 2 speed was an option for 1.5 ton trucks.
If it has 10 lugs and 2 speed it is 2 ton.

Why do you need to identify your axle?
What exactly do you need to know about it?

Thanks Grig.

I'm thinking it is a 1 ton. I guess first of all I'd just like to know. Also, I'm mostly going to use the truck to haul firewood, which can get kind of heavy (a cord of hardwood can run between 4000 & 5000 lb, from what I understand). So I'd like to have an idea of what the nominal load rating is; it looks like the springs (looks like 6 leaf main, 3 leaf helper) may be heavy enough, but maybe the rest of the rear-axle isn't quite up what the springs can handle.

I was talking about the aluminum covers over the wheels, I was under the impression that you had not looked at the wheels and hub, I was not suggesting pulling the axles or differential cover.

What kind of brakes are on the front of your truck?

From your description, 8 lug with 10 bolts on the pumpkin cover, it is most likely an eaton 3/4 or 1 ton rear or a Dana 60 out of a later truck. If the chunk will drop out the front, its an Eaton.

If its a one ton truck, I'd say you could easily pull a cord on a trailer or carry a half cord on the flatbed if your brakes are up to the task. Hauling isn't a problem, stopping on the other hand...

Grigg, look at his truck in the Gallery, it has 16 inch wheels with 8 lugs, it looks to me as if someone dropped an AD cab on a later chassis.

Markk,
If you don't know how to post a link to a picture here, go to the FAQ and read the tutorial, it is much easier to show a picture than try to describe something as meaning can be lost in translation as above.

Thanks, I'll check the FAQ. It was stopping I had in mind, and that's going to be a problem with the trailer I have (no electric brakes); although I had this worry that with the 327 in there instead of the stovebolt, I might get too anxious getting a load moving, and twist the axles up.

I've got some pictures, unfortunately link to ISP site still not working.

I guess I'm fundamentally misunderstanding something. The truck appears to have a GVW rating of 11,000, and unladen weight of around 5,000 lb., so I'd think the payload would be about 3 tons; still the nominal rating is 1.5 tons.

First you have to figure out what you have. We have already established that you DO NOT have 1.5 ton running gear.

Lets figure out what you have and then worry about what you can safely stop.

My 1.5 ton snatches my 8000 lbs boat around like a matchbox, but anything above 45 and its not fun to stop even with surge disc brakes on the 3 axle trailer. My 85 suburban with hydroboost disc brakes will stop it on a dime (Okay, maybe a 50 cent piece).

You can bolt a 4100 cab down on a 1/2 ton chassis if you want. Then you will have a plate that says you have a 11000 lbs GVW weight rating, but you you don't, get the idea. Strange things happened to these trucks over the years. If a farmer in Nebraska had a rust free farm truck that he sold for $500 to some guy that hauled it down to Alabama, that took that nice cab and put it in place of his rusted out cab on his 3/4 work truck, but left the emblems on the side... You get the idea.

Email a few of us those pics from underneath and lets see what you have. I will help, I'm sure Grigg will, too.

Safe payload on your flatbed equals your rating.
1 ton = 2000lbs
1.5 ton = 3000lbs
2 ton = 4000lbs

Looks like the rear axle is a Dana 70; thanks to 4.3in84 and Grigg for helping ID it; and now I've seen the 70 cast into the housing. So it definitely is NOT a 1.5 ton axle that a 4100 would have come with from the factory. So probably the range of GVW's listed for a 4100 are a bit high; what do you think a realistic GVW would be for this truck with the Dana 70. Any ideas on how I would convince the Commonweath of PA that the REAL GVW is less than what's on the VIN plate, and that they should be happy to get somewhat reduced fees, based on the reasonable GVW?