Off Season Sled Pulling Mods

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
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Waterloo, IA
was that an lbz or lb7 crank?

The one that failed mag test 3 years ago was a lbz crank externally balanced, this was a lb7 crank

External lbz one lasted over 100 hooks and 2 seasons and 6500 street miles of abuse. All bearings looked like hell...
Internal lb7 one lasted over 75 hooks and 3 seasons. All bearings looked good for the most part.

This season we were making considerably more HP than prior years, last few hooks we were gearing truck up and lugging it pretty good and I believe that was part of our demise also.
 

quadracer37

New member
Mar 31, 2009
547
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northern, IL
Interesting info. I assume those were all used cranks from parts motors ect before being used in pull truck? Iirc new oem cranks are >$900..? Would be interesting to start with a fresh one, balanced and see the life span.
 

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
0
16
Waterloo, IA
Interesting info. I assume those were all used cranks from parts motors ect before being used in pull truck? Iirc new oem cranks are >$900..? Would be interesting to start with a fresh one, balanced and see the life span.

Guys have broke billet 4340 aftermarket cranks, do you think a new stock LB7 is worth trying? I have not done anything in preparation for this season and I am not sure if I'm even going to do anything. I didn't do the altered firing order cam because I didn't want to change multiple things and not know which improvement made the difference...

The Internally balanced crank made a HUGE difference on harmonics and the bearings looked perfect after 2 seasons and 50+ hooks... But crank still didn't last.
 

quadracer37

New member
Mar 31, 2009
547
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northern, IL
Guys have broke billet 4340 aftermarket cranks, do you think a new stock LB7 is worth trying? I have not done anything in preparation for this season and I am not sure if I'm even going to do anything. I didn't do the altered firing order cam because I didn't want to change multiple things and not know which improvement made the difference...

The Internally balanced crank made a HUGE difference on harmonics and the bearings looked perfect after 2 seasons and 50+ hooks... But crank still didn't last.

considering we've got 160,000 miles and 6 years of pulling on our '01 LB7 crank, yeah. but its luck of the draw IMO. :(
 

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
0
16
Waterloo, IA
considering we've got 160,000 miles and 6 years of pulling on our '01 LB7 crank, yeah. but its luck of the draw IMO. :(

Who's we? Which pulling truck are you invested in? Is it an altered firing order cam or internally balanced? I do believe it's a definite luck of the draw. I can't see spending billet price when they break too. BigStriss broke a few stock lb7's too back in the day.
 

quadracer37

New member
Mar 31, 2009
547
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0
northern, IL
Who's we? Which pulling truck are you invested in? Is it an altered firing order cam or internally balanced? I do believe it's a definite luck of the draw. I can't see spending billet price when they break too. BigStriss broke a few too back in the day.

Umm the Money shot & the rumor...:thumb: apologize for my wrong choice of words, they're not in my sig and I do not "own" either but yes I am invested in them in more than one way, or should I say my business is..
Neither are internal balanced or altered cam though we have pondered the idea.
 

duramaxsandwich

New member
Mar 30, 2009
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Who's we? Which pulling truck are you invested in? Is it an altered firing order cam or internally balanced? I do believe it's a definite luck of the draw. I can't see spending billet price when they break too. BigStriss broke a few stock lb7's too back in the day.

Quadracer37 has been supporting my pulling truck before it was a pulling truck. But yes knock on wood I'm running my original crank that has 150k, externally balanced, stock firing order , and the bearings didn't even have the coating wore off after 50 passes. And I'd like to think its close to making just as much power as anyone else is right now.
 

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
0
16
Waterloo, IA
Umm the Money shot & the rumor...:thumb: apologize for my wrong choice of words, they're not in my sig and I do not "own" either but yes I am invested in them in more than one way, or should I say my business is..
Neither are internal balanced or altered cam though we have pondered the idea.

That's sweet, if what you have isn't broke I wouldn't try to fix it! I don't think alt can is the fix if Fingers says all the fracturing is off of centerline, I talked to a couple tractor guys and they said 90+ passes on an OEM crank is better than they can get... And they all agree torque is the killing factor and think we should gear it down and spin the engine harder and will be better off... If your making 1600+ hp at 3,000 rpm or less it's much harder on parts than at 4,000+rpm. I'm a bigger fan of making it bite and bringing it to it's knees.

Quadracer37 has been supporting my pulling truck before it was a pulling truck. But yes knock on wood I'm running my original crank that has 150k, externally balanced, stock firing order , and the bearings didn't even have the coating wore off after 50 passes. And I'd like to think its close to making just as much power as anyone else is right now.

That's cool, I've been trying to get one of a few locals to let me help them build a strong 2.6 truck for a couple years now and none want to spend the money on a good turbo, I offered free labor and time into my friends truck and free for all for any of the spare parts I had, like pumps, heads, injectors and cams. But the cost of the turbo and drive train scares them away, lol. Even more ideal would be someone to foot the bill for the 3.0 truck and wheel it, and let me put the time and setup in it! :thumb:
 

SmokeShow

Well-known member
Nov 30, 2006
6,818
34
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43
Lawrenceburg, KY
Well, Jim, Tim, Rob, Caleb, Todd etc hardly ever post anywhere on the site anymore, much less in this thread & they contributed a lot to this thread over the years. Shame they no longer do though. :(
 

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
0
16
Waterloo, IA
I think tim is busy with a hard hat on all day now back in his home town now doin work.

Yep, different job(what he always wanted), remodelling a house they bought and juggling a fair amount of diesel stuff and his family. Very busy guy and I can't wait til everything falls in place and settles down for him. He's probably one of the hardest working people I've ever met, and always willing to help anyone out...
 

Yellow Jacket

WannaBe Sled Puller
Feb 11, 2009
917
0
16
Waterloo, IA
We ran into Jim at a pull in Wisconsin later last season and I love his truck and the fab work is amazing... Also a top notch, no bs kinda guy. A good one to talk to and pick his brain.

Not a bunch of stuck up super secret dbags that won't look at you or talk to you when you go check out their trucks and work...

Pulling is one of the weirdest sports for that reason, I'm not sure what everyone thinks they have to hide? Or if they think if no one knows anything they will have to come to us with $40k+ in hand and we'll do it for them...
 

juddski88

Freedom Diesel
Jul 1, 2008
4,655
120
63
Chesterfield, Mass.
I loved hanging with the Kuseliks, Rob, and Tim at scheids a couple years ago, definitely the right group of guys for the sport. Actually it surprised me how awesome the competitors were there vs. Local club pulls. Get a lot of these guys back in their home territory and they act completely different:confused:
 

RichLMM

Member
Sep 5, 2010
699
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16
North Kingstown RI
I loved hanging with the Kuseliks, Rob, and Tim at scheids a couple years ago, definitely the right group of guys for the sport. Actually it surprised me how awesome the competitors were there vs. Local club pulls. Get a lot of these guys back in their home territory and they act completely different:confused:

I've noticed it too tim its a way different environment leaving club pulls and going to the bigger ones everyone is way friendlier makes me wish I lived closer to some of these guys! especially Garrick! never met a nicer guy and very knowledgeable