Pinion Yoke Tool & Testing
Problem #1: Every product starts with a problem, and our pinion tool was created while struggling with a Dana 30 gear change. The crush sleeve simply would not budge using the pipe wrench and 1/2” breaker bar method that I had previously used. So I made a tool out of some scrap metal, bought a 3/4” breaker bar and socket set, and was finally able to finish that job.
Problem #2: Afterwards, I looked for a pinion yoke tool online. I had seen them before on Facebook posts so I gathered a few options then started reading reviews on them. Problem #2 started when I kept reading either bad reviews or seeing crazy prices for the tools. It seems that the 3/8” thick flat tools with 1/2” and 3/4” square drive holes had a common problem of the drive holes stripping out. Then some other tools appeared to not be all that universal. The quality tools ranged from $120 to $1000, which is just crazy.
The solution: I set out to build a high quality and universal pinion yoke tool for an affordable cost. Numerous pinion yoke bolt pattern dimensions were gathered and measured, and the creation process began. I thought 1/4” thick laser cut steel should be sufficient strength but not so thick that you can’t use the factory yoke bolts (although you sometimes can’t with the thin u-joint straps that some yokes use anyway). 1” solid steel round stock for the handle is strong yet can be short enough to be compact. It also can slide inside a floor jack handle to gain leverage, or any other similar sized piece of pipe or tubing. As a note, 1.5” DOM with 0.25” wall fits perfectly on the handle with the ID deburred, and has no play.
As an added benefit, all materials for these tools are acquired right here in Pennsylvania. The plate portion is laser cut at a local business, and the round stock is cut to length in-house. Both pieces are then prepped here at 4Link4WD and TIG welded for a clean, strong, and beautiful finish. The tools are then transported to another local business that applies the gold zinc plating to create a durable outer layer that protects it from rust while giving it a vibrant appearance.
The tests: We have put the pinion tools through 2 tests so far (shown in video here). The first one used a junk 14 Bolt axle and the setup was to mimic how you would use the tool normally, but to find what would fail first if you had a super tough crush sleeve or a high torque spec on a particular axle’s pinion nut (such as the Dana 80 at 450 to 500ft-lb). The tools used were the 4Link4WD pinion yoke tool, 3/4” drive 3 foot long Snap On ratchet wrench, a piece of square tubing for the pinion tool extension, and later a long piece of DOM tubing to slide over the ratchet handle. The result was a little surprising, as we expected the yoke bolts to bend or break first. Instead, it was the pinion threads that failed and completely stripped. The pinion tool was unphased by this test.
The second test was to isolate the pinion tool as much as possible and test it’s maximum limit of applied torque. This also was a test on some other parts of the 14 bolt, and we again suspected the yoke bolts to break first. We all know the 14 bolt is a tough axle, and this definitely proved it. So a piece of 1” round stock was put in the carrier and against the diff housing to keep it from moving, and the pinion tool was attached with a long piece of thick walled square tubing. We were able to roughly determine the amount of force applied to the pinion tool by breaking down how the foot-pound measurement of torque works. Essentially it means for every foot away from the center of the fastener (in this case center of the pinion), the pounds of force on it equals ft-lb of torque. I am just over 200 pounds, so at 1 foot from center of the pinion, with all my weight on it, would be about 200ft-lb torque.
I worked from the 3 foot mark (~600ft-lb) out to the failure point of 7 feet (~1400ft-lb) where the pinion tool handle bent. While not how we expected this to end, it was quite impressive to see the yoke and 3 pinion bolts hold up, and to reach such a high number before our tool started to fail. So the 4Link4WD tool is well beyond strong enough to work with any light to medium duty differentials that are used in Jeeps, pickup trucks, and off-road buggies. For reference, a 2.5 ton Rockwell axle pinion nut calls for 700 to 800ft-lb, and Peterbilt tractor trailer pinion nut torque can be spec’d from 600 to 1200ft-lb! So it is clear that our tool is built to be way stronger than necessary for the average off-roader, and all for a very reasonable price.
We’ve had everyone from the DIY garage guy to full time driveline shops purchase them and give 100% positive feedback with zero failures/complaints. A really awesome business and group of guys in Texas made a great video demonstrating our tool in use at their shop called Stratemann Automotive. Check out their TikTok and the video here!
What’s stopping you from ordering your tool today?
