I was under my truck today and noticed that I have a 3 piece drive shaft with a small center section that it attached by 2 supports. The small center section is covered with a rubber boot.

I see others with 4x4 have a one piece driveshaft.
I have the SC, LB, 2x4.

 

Not sure about the newer trucks, but the regular-cab and the supercab/shortbed had one-piece driveshafts in the earlier Superdutys. Everything else had the hanger bearing - which is what that "support" is that you see.

The 4x4's you saw, were they regular cab, or supercab-shortbed?

 

Also commonly called a carrier bearing and it is very common in long wheel base trucks. The ones you were seeing with a one piece shaft where most likely SB or shorter wheel base trucks.

 

Strange i have a 4x4 CC short bed with a 1 piece ,,,,,

 

It should be a two piece unless you have a 2011 and they have just changed them. All crewcabs since 1998 have had two piece shafts.

 

From when I was at Corsa... mine is a 4x4 (guess I better update my sig!)

 

Cool they have changed for 2011, aluminum to boot. I am impressed. This hopefully should help solve some of the driveshaft issues with load height changes.

 

Here is a shot of my drive shaft.

 

That is how all of my crewcabs have been including the one I have now. If the other guy has a one piece is it a mid year change, or did he buy it aftermarket and is just having fun with us?

 

Nope... that's the way it came... I bought my 2011 in January... no idea when it was actually built...

 

It has to be a mid year change then. I'll see what mine is when I get it.

 

My truck was built March 2011 with the mid shaft support.
Now the question is why they did it and/or is it better or worse than a single shaft?
What is the advantage?
I guess the shaft can take more torque and will have less wabble?

 

Just checked. My truck was built January 2011.

 

There's really no advantage to either one. OK, maybe the single-piece is easier to work on And, you never have to change the hanger bearing.

The issue is whether or not they can get the angle the same at the tranny and at the rear-end. The front and back "pinion" angle has to be the same, otherwise it'll vibrate. U-joints when operating at an angle do not spin at a constant speed. The angle determines the acceleration/deceleration the driveshaft goes through, and if both angles are the same, that change in speed is canceled out.

Also, on very long wheelbases, the two-piece helps ground clearance. But I think that's a non-issue on these trucks anyway, the exhaust and gas tank are usually lower than the driveshaft anyway

 

Mines a May -2010 build & has the 2 piece/ carrier bearing like iggy posted - Its a Super cab/ long box...