would/could it work? front wheel drive 720/ tandem non drive rear

[harlow426@mail.com]

If I hang all the 4wd stuff~ transfer case forward~ on a std 2wd 720 chassis(all 83ish), could it b the permanent stand-alone  drive axle? Ommit rear drive live. Have a pair of elec brake 5th wheel travel trailer axles. After narrowing I think I could mount tandems 2 rear frame rails. Have a 6ft stake pocket flatbed on frame already.. would the tranfer case survive? Would the front diff survive? Anybody tried this or similar b4?

 

It could b easy I think....have the 4wd A arms knuckles auto hubs unknown cond transfer case power-steer-gear. I imagine rear brake control could b a challenge. could always use hyd brakes on tandems and tie into master.

 

makes u think doesn't it

 

could really up the ante 4 max load. dually drve axle set-ups expensive and protrude. use 15" passenger car tires...cheap 19-2400lb capacity each(4 total on rear/8000 lb tire capacity)

 

:huh:

[Farmer Joe]

the 2wd and 4wd nissan frames are way different. you cant just toss 4wd parts in a 2wd frame. 

 

on paper, it would work. ive driven many 4wd trucks in fwd when they had a busted rear diff. 

 

i guess if you were gonna do it youd at least need t he front clip or the whole 4wd frame. 

 

best of luck. 

[datzenmike]

 The R-180 will handle it but the amount of work to make it work is insane. Electric brakes are not really capable of modulation. They are ON or OFF. Better to run 2wd and just add a second axle behind.

[denmarkboy]

Well thats thinkin outside the box . But the way you load down the the trucks you have , i cant see you getting any traction . All the weight would be in the rear . And mikes right on those trailer brakes . that could be a rough challenge to control them safely . 

 

But if you do go here , we want alot of pics !!

[harlow426@mail.com]

It is near impossible turning the ol 'thinker' off.......yes I have a few un-orthodox ideas.

[harlow426@mail.com]

the 2wd and 4wd nissan frames are way different. you cant just toss 4wd parts in a 2wd frame. 

 

on paper, it would work. ive driven many 4wd trucks in fwd when they had a busted rear diff. 

 

i guess if you were gonna do it youd at least need t he front clip or the whole 4wd frame. 

 

best of luck. 

Thanks 4 this info...saved me wrestlin;' parts around brainstoming.  unless a 4wd frame falls in my lap the project idea will stay an idea. a 4wd frame stretched would overcome said traction issue by dboy......load placement always critical. weight forward and down always better.

[harlow426@mail.com]

Well thats thinkin outside the box . But the way you load down the the trucks you have , i cant see you getting any traction . All the weight would be in the rear . And mikes right on those trailer brakes . that could be a rough challenge to control them safely . 

 

But if you do go here , we want alot of pics !!

I could mount a 35 gallon can on front bumper and add ballast as needed! Can U imagine the fully loaded tire melting smokey burnouts at stoplights! Just lock rear brakes and let er rip! Mount a bottle of tire juice under the hood with a12v pump and squirt front tires as needed. I have lots of tires and I'm pretty handy with my 4-way lug wrench.

[harlow426@mail.com]

 The R-180 will handle it but the amount of work to make it work is insane. Electric brakes are not really capable of modulation. They are ON or OFF. Better to run 2wd and just add a second axle behind.

Good to know the transfer-diff tuff-nuff. thank you

[DanielC]

There is a reason almost all trucks drive the rear wheels.   You put the driven wheels under the load.  It increases traction.

It seems like a good idea to use front wheel drive, because of the weight of the engine, but remember, cars and trucks are not stationary.  They move, under their own power.   When they start to move, weight transfers away from the direction of movement.  Move forward, weight transfers to the back.   Add more weight, more weight transfers.

So as you load a front wheel drive truck, the more weight you load on it, the less traction you have to move it.

[Z chopper]

why not swap in a FWD drive train if you want to go FWD

[bananahamuck]

Maybe you should try a normal drivetrain 79 long bed 620 and add a second rear axle ,, i "heard" people have tried that approach before..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Charlie69]

I bet he is building this

 

 

to pull one of these (my Dad's Model "D")

 

[Dolomite]

I could mount a 35 gallon can on front bumper and add ballast as needed! Can U imagine the fully loaded tire melting smokey burnouts at stoplights! Just lock rear brakes and let er rip! Mount a bottle of tire juice under the hood with a12v pump and squirt front tires as needed. I have lots of tires and I'm pretty handy with my 4-way lug wrench.

I knew a dude in highschool that plumbed his windshield washer lines to squirt the rear tires on his 70s Ford pickup. He filled the reservoir with bleach water, it was funny as hell watching the wipers going on a dry day while dude was making a smoke cloud down the block.

[bananahamuck]

I bet he is building this

 

 

to pull one of these (my Dad's Model "D")

 

 

 

 Naw,, he doesn't even own a Deere lawn mower,,,, he just needs to be in one of these for his own safety.

 

 

[bananahamuck]

I knew a dude in highschool that plumbed his windshield washer lines to squirt the rear tires on his 70s Ford pickup. He filled the reservoir with bleach water, it was funny as hell watching the wipers going on a dry day while dude was making a smoke cloud down the block.

 

My neighbors owned a meat shop and as kids we probably dumped gallons of Wisk so our older brothers could do smoke shows up and down the street in the delivery vans,, after steam cleaning machines was done.   Shit that was so long ago i don't even think Wisk makes industrial cleaning products any more

[Charlie69]

 Naw,, he doesn't even own a Deere lawn mower,,,, he just needs to be in one of these for his own safety.

 

 

You don't mow desert landscaping!  LOL

[Seansm10]

I could mount a 35 gallon can on front bumper and add ballast as needed! Can U imagine the fully loaded tire melting smokey burnouts at stoplights! Just lock rear brakes and let er rip! Mount a bottle of tire juice under the hood with a12v pump and squirt front tires as needed. I have lots of tires and I'm pretty handy with my 4-way lug wrench.

Just reroute the wiper jets..haha

 

Edit..read 3 posts down and someone beat me to it:(

[harlow426@mail.com]

'datzenmike', on 26 Nov 2011 - 12:00 PM, said:

Your Datsun will never get mad if you enjoy driving another car even if younger than she is.
Your Datsun never has a headache.
Your Datsun doesn't mind if you want to drive her at 3 AM.
Your Datsun won't get upset if you let a friend drive her.
Your Datsun can be driven and enjoyed all month long.
Your Datsun won't take you to court for alimony if you get rid of her.
Your Datsun doesn't mind if you want to drive her in public.
Your Datsun doesn't need flowers before letting you put the key in the ignition

 

Words of wisdom. I love it!

[harlow426@mail.com]

There is a reason almost all trucks drive the rear wheels.   You put the driven wheels under the load.  It increases traction.

It seems like a good idea to use front wheel drive, because of the weight of the engine, but remember, cars and trucks are not stationary.  They move, under their own power.   When they start to move, weight transfers away from the direction of movement.  Move forward, weight transfers to the back.   Add more weight, more weight transfers.

So as you load a front wheel drive truck, the more weight you load on it, the less traction you have to move it.

There are many people who LOVE front wheel drive rabbit pick-ups! I had one....wish I didn't get rid of it!

[harlow426@mail.com]

Was a lousy day here in Ore-gun. Rain in all directions. Kinda procrastinated day away. Just woke up from a long nap and kant believe the response to my little query! You-all kick ass! Right-On!

[datzenmike]

Trucks are inherently light over the rear wheels. So traction in snow or mud is always a problem when empty and less so when loaded. On any other dry surface, traction is never a problem and much less so when loaded.

 

A FWD truck will have more 'traction' (with the engine, cab and driver over the drive wheels) than a RWD, and added weight in the back isn't going to lessen the front weight. It will increase it slightly unless the added rear weight is exactly over the rear axle or behind it. Only a fool would put the load behind the axle and most times it's spread over the whole back.  As for weight transfer to the rear we're talking carrying a load not launching for a 1/4 mile run. The front wheels are not going to go 'up in smoke' just because you are carrying a heavy load.

 

FWD isn't used on a 'real' truck because the IFS components (CV joints) aren't really up to the task of handling the power. A solid front axle would be better for this.

[izzo]

^^^^

 

Mike. I would just like to add that...  The IFS systems don't like to turn on hard ground.  Pavement, cement etc.  You ever leave your 4wd on 100 feet to long after coming outta some nasty shit?  Any more than half turn in any direction and it fights itself and doesn't want to move.  You're binding up your front end.

 

I don't think solid axles have this problem but I cant say for certain.  I drove an 83 F350 4x4 with a (i think) solid axle and it did it.  (Maybe it wasn't solid axle, maybe it was IFS, i never looked)

 

 

So essentially you would be thrown back to half turn radius.  & replacing your front end even more often than already for using it not as intended.

[denmarkboy]

Now you have to build it harlow . . . If anyone can do it you can . 

 

Example : harlows tailgate release on his daily . 

 

[datzenmike]

Solid axles or IFS axles with U joints will bind under load in a turn, YES indeed. You'll notice the steering wheel jerking.  A CV joint is much smoother, I just think they are weaker.

 

Take a look at the gif below. A U joint cannot turn at a constant speed unless in a straight line. The input and output is always speeding up and then slowing down because the U joint isn't turning in a circle but a shared ellipse. This increases as the bend increases. If one side it linked to an engine that resists this speed up/down, then the output has to do all of it.

 

On the left, the input is a constant speed while the right side has to speed up/ down to keep pace with it. If you have ever turned a U joint by hand you can feel the jerkiness of this.

 

 

[Seansm10]

With that said do you want anything with a u joint ideally in a perfectly straight line? In a perfect world of course