Do you have a GM 14 Bolt, Full-Floater rear axle (14BFF) and you’re looking for driveshaft yoke protection? Well, I have the answer for you. It’s called The Guardsman. It will provide the protection for the driveshaft yoke and u-joint that you are looking for.
After repeated offroading trips, which somehow always involved slamming the 14BFF yoke on the rocks, I was on the search for some sort of protection. I knew that it was just a matter of time until the yoke and the u-joint would finally fail from this abuse.
What I found was a product offered by the company called DIY4X- which essentially stands for “Do It Yourself 4X4”. Kert Cohoon is the owner/operator/master fabricator that saw the need for offroad products such as this. He decided it was time to create products that were functional and durable, yet affordable. All of the products he offers are well built and the Guardsman is no exception. Constructed of ˝” thick steel, this thing is built to withstand a beating.
Now, if you know Kert or you just take a look at the products that he offers on his website DIY4X, you will learn that he is all about producing products for the offroad crowd that are the “Do-It-Yourselfers”. This often involves offering kits that need “some assembly” or are “not complete” in some way or fashion. This allows Kert to offer his products at a substantial cost savings compared to some other manufacturers. From the Guardsman, to beadlock kits, to 14BFF disk brake brackets, to weld on tabs and gussets, Kert at DIY4X offers products that everyone in the offroad crowd can use.
I called and talked to Kert about the Guardsman product he offers. A concern of mine right from the beginning was “Is it more of a rock hanger than a guard?” He assured me that the Guardsman would not hang up on every rock I rolled over and that I should try one. Kert sent one out right away for the next trip I had planned. (Now, back to the cost savings plan that Kert has)…Don’t be surprised if your product arrives in a recycled (read: used) cardboard box as mine did. You may also find that his products will often be shipped without installation instructions and they may not be painted or have any type of finish at all. All of this is to keep manufacturing costs down and to be able to pass that savings on to you and I.
Installation of the Guardsman is a snap. Simply remove the driveshaft, then remove the six bolts at the pinion housing, slip the Guardsman over the yoke, install the six bolts that are supplied and reinstall the driveshaft. One very important point to note: DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE PINION HOUSING BOLTS! The torque value stated by GM for these bolts is 65 ft/lbs. Do not exceed this amount, as it is possible to pull the threads out of the housing.
So, how does it perform? In one word: Fantastic! Time and time again, I jumped out of the truck to snap a pic of the Guardsman hung up on a rock- only to find it is just the bottom of the 14BFF housing dragging over the rock as it always seems to do. On more than several occasions, the Guardsman provided a ramp of sorts to allow me to drag the 14BFF on over the obstacle. In the past, there were many times when I would hang up on either the yoke or the pinion housing bolts and would then continue to mercilessly beat the yoke on the rocks until forward progress returned. No longer do I worry about bashing the yoke until it or the u-joint fails- the Guardsman provides the protection I was looking for.
Does the Guardsman hang up on the rocks? Simply stated: It can. It is possible to get into the situation where the Guardsman will halt all forward progress due it hanging up. Over the period of my testing, this happened one time.
When this happened, I made the decision that there is a tradeoff of sorts to be had. That tradeoff being when the Guardsman hangs up, you are at least assured that the yoke and u-joint will not be destroyed if you continue trying to go forward. If the Guardsman was not installed, I am positive that the next thing to contact the rock would be the yoke and pinion housing bolts. A different line or a small rock under one tire will allow you get the Guardsman up and over the rock, thereby allowing you to drag the rest of the 14BFF on over as well. Rest assured of the quality, the Guardsman can support the entire weight of the rear of your rig as you drag it and the 14BFF along the trail.
So, if you are concerned about protection of the yoke, u-joint and a small portion of the driveshaft on your 14BFF equipped rig, take a look at the Guardsman. Solid construction, excellent customer service and very reasonable pricing make this product and DIY4X a winning combination. Contact Kert Cohoon, the owner of DIY4X at 712-470-0406 or email: info@diy4x.com to order yours today.
