Tom Woods

[kennyb]

anyone know about Tom Woods? Are they good drive shafts? what about Skyjacker SYE's to. let me know.

[TDW]

yep check them out at www.highangledriveline.com <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[JohnC]

lol.

[Hurc]

<IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> That's great. <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

[XtrmTJ]

Bro of mine has broken TWO of his ! Another buddy has one that is out of round ? I called em, dude was rude as hell ? DENNY,S is what I,m runnin, works good , strong as heck ! <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
<IMG SRC="smilies/jeep2.gif" border="0"> __(OIIIIIO)__ rOkOn

[Harry Brosofsky]

First, it's Tom Wood, not Tom Woods...you probably wouldn't want your name misspelled or mispronounced (sorry, but with a name like Brosofsky, I'm probably a bit more sensitive than most about name spelling/pronunciation).

Second, Tom uses only new Spicer parts. If the parts broke, it because they were not sized for the job (or the driving style). Don't blame Tom....he makes a great shaft that works well. If you're breaking his shafts, you need something bigger. Tom stands behind his product too...with his optional trail hazard warranty, he'll build you a new shaft, even if it's your fault it broke.

Third, and finally, I've know Tom for several years, even met him in person a few times. I've heard many stories of him bending over backwards to help folks at big events, even on stuff that he didn't build. I've spoke to him on the phone literally dozens of times. But in all that, I've never heard anyone say he was rude or provided anything less than great customer service. If Tom was rude to you, I'd wager it was in response to the way you were talking to him.

[JnJ]

Gotta go with Harry on this one. Tom's shafts are quality. He does stand behind his stuff. Again, like Harry said, this is the first bad coment I've heard about Tom. Wieghed against the literally 1000s of positive coments, and it's clear to me that Tom is doing right by his customers.

[Boston Mangler]

Here is what i have heard.

I have ALWAYS (until recently) heard that Tom Wood was the best shaft you can buy hands down!

I have recently here A LOT of stories about his shafts failing for some reason. Most breaking at the yoke ears.

My good friend Tom (TBONE) on most forums just snapped one of Tom's HD shafts pulling out of his driveway. He called Wood and he sent it and replaced it for free but this still shouldnt have happened.

I have spoke on the phone with him many times and he is a very helpful, polite and knowledgable guy.

What i an GUESSING here is that since he has been so busy lately, MAYBE he starting using different, cheaper material in his shafts and now everyone is snapping them? This is just a thought.

One of my other good friends with a 4Runner has one of his long travel front shafts ($500) and it is only a year old and they splines are pretty tweaked (twisted)

My .02

[Harry Brosofsky]

I just installed 2 TW shafts in a guys jeep this weekend as part of a lift install. Both used new Spicer parts (at least they were new looking...no dents, gouges, etc). I doubt he's scrimping on parts.

[HighHooder]

welcome to Tom Wood, the newest member or www.Pirate4x4.com <IMG SRC="smilies/thefinger.gif" border="0">

[Desert Jeepin]

Ok...

1) I do NOT have one of Tom Wood's Drive Shafts.

2) ...stands behind his product? My Story Follows.

I called Tom Wood's for a new set of drive shafts when I installed my KluneV. The person I spoke to was "fairly" friendly. I asked "How short of a CV style drive shat can you make for my Jeep?" And the reply was "About 10inches." I was all jazzed, but then the conversation continued. "CV?" I was asked. "Yes, I installed a SYE." "Who made it?" I replied with "Rubicon Express". I then got a pause and "I will not sell you a drive shaft. I was like "Why?". To tell the truth, I'm still not sure why. I was then told basically that He WOULD indeed sell me one, but I could not say for what application, and that if it indeed broke, it would not be warrantied.

This all took place about a year ago, and thing may have changed. However polite he was, the insecurity of his voice was enough that I bought mine elsewhere (irrelevant where).

3) Nice guy? I think so, from our 5 minute phone conversation.


My Point? I'm not sure, just wanted to post because I was bored, and had this piece of experience to share.

--Phillip

[wsuxjer]

rumor has it, he got a lot of shafts sent back because of vibs...turns out it was because they had the RE SYE and it requires you to drill & tap you stock output shaft. people who didn't drill the holes perfectly straight had vibs and blamed 'em on the shafts.

[mike]

Well, since we're at this again... called, placed my initial order. Was told that they'd be shipped next day. Three days later I still hadnt recieved it, so I called. "Oh they'll be shipped today". This went on for over 2 weeks with excuses like "I went fishing". Anyway I finally recieve the shafts.. The rear fits, the front is too long... great send it back and get it fixed. Wait another 2 and a half weeks to get the front shaft back go wheelin'. Everything seems cool.. about 2 weeks later I go wheeling again and grenade the rear shaft. Look at the break and theres air bubbles throughout the weld and the metals crystalized. Call and tell him this, send the shaft back.. wait another 2 weeks.. once again with lame excuses and "I'll ship it tomorrow"s.. finally get it back do a little wheelin' and it breaks driving to work one monday morning on the street. Got home and called gloeco. Got the shaft in 2 days as promised and havent had a problem with it since.

[DUG]

Strange.

Every time I have spoken to Tom Wood he has been helpfull and service has been fast and reliable. The quality of the shaft I got was great. It lasted where the local shops shafts where busting every other trail run.

Both times I used him I got the shafts in 3 days. Always a perfect fit.

I just can;t belive his service went that bad that fast!

[Desert Jeepin]

Again, however you must remember that bad experiences are praportional to good ones. The more good experiences, the more the bad ones.

[DUG]

Originally posted by wsuxjer:
<STRONG>rumor has it, he got a lot of shafts sent back because of vibs...turns out it was because they had the RE SYE and it requires you to drill & tap you stock output shaft. people who didn't drill the holes perfectly straight had vibs and blamed 'em on the shafts.</STRONG>

I don't quite see how that would matter. Even if the hole is a little off center the yoke can still only fit in the position that the splines mean it to. The kit is made so that you can goof on the centering and it will still work. It could be that the bolt throws off the balance of the output shaft but I can not belive that that little weight in the center of the shaft could create that big of an out of balance condition. As much as I liked his service and shaft that sounds like a rather lame excuse.

[Monkeyboy]

All this talk makes me want to deal with the local guyover in concord.

Wait I already have.

Showed up at his shop at 4:30 one evening.
He closes at 5:00.
gave him the measurments told him what I was using it for and he said no problem I'll have it ready by noon tomorrow.
Next morning I get a call at 10:30 he says come awn over and pick it up the paint should be dry by the time you get here.

Haven't had a problem yet with the shaft except for the fact that with the larger size CV I some times get some rubbing on the xsfercase linkage <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Harry Brosofsky]

Tom tried to post himself, but could not for some reason. He signed up today after someone tipped him on the bashing he was getting here. Here's what he wrote to me and asked me to post:

Harry:

I've been looking at Pirate4x4.com and noticed your post concerning myself and my products. Thanks for the kind words. I've attempted to log in after registering but just can’t seem to make it work for me. Possibly you can help. Or post this letter, if you feel it appropriate.

TJ hoop has incorrectly shown my web address. The correct address is 4XSHAFT.COM

2XTRM4U. Please let me know who has had a problem with my drive shaft or have them contact me, so that I can make every effort to correct the problems. Have them call me toll free @ 1-877-497-4238. If you perceived me to be " Rude as hell," I apologize, it is never my intent. Was it me you spoke with? And would you be kind enough to contact me again? I will accept and appreciate specific criticism so that I can correct any offensive behaviors

And to the Boston Mangler I certainly hope the photo shown with your post is not an expression of your feelings toward me or my products. Yes I have been very busy, But in my mind this is all the more reason to give every effort to providing the best quality product, as I simply would prefer to avoid the time consuming and very expensive process of correcting problems that would most surely increase as a result of using an inferior grade of components. I have not changed the brand or grade of components that I use. It was good to see that you pointed out that I took care of TBONE'S damaged drive shaft at no charge. I agree his failure shouldn't have happened. If you will contact TBONE and ask him to contact me I would like to speak with him for my own peace of mind so that we may confirm that we have determined the root cause of his failure. Your friend with the Toyota front shaft should also contact me immediately; if he has twisted splines there is a very real possibility that this can cause a catastrophic failure as a result of the slip binding under compression. Of the many thousands of drive shafts shipped I have experienced only a very minuscule portion of failures, most of these were for reasons beyond my control. Occasionally someone will experience a problem with a drive shaft that I've built. But in every instance I will give every measure to correct the problem.

Best Regards

Tom Wood

[Po' riggity]

Well, The question is, will Tom make a rear CV shaft for a jeep with the RE sye? Im getting one for free, and plan on using it... therefore, I will need a new shaft, but if Tom won't make shafts for the RE kit, then I'll have to buy elsewhere!
Scott <IMG SRC="smilies/grinpimp.gif" border="0"><><

[TDW]

whoops <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> www.4XSHAFT.com <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[jchio]

Originally posted by TJoop:
<STRONG>whoops <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> www.4XSHAFT.com <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

This is funny! I have a front Tom Woods on my CJ7 and works great, I had it cut once and still working... Also we just installed a Oneton CV from High Angle and its amazing!

Im sure every single vendor has 1 or 2 unhappy customers once in a while so bare on them. My 2 cents! <IMG SRC="smilies/eyemouth.gif" border="0">

[Desert Jeepin]

You can please all the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but you'll never please all the time.

[Supergper]

Originally posted by Rocktoad:
<STRONG>
Showed up at his shop at 4:30 one evening.
He closes at 5:00.
gave him the measurments told him what I was using it for and he said no problem I'll have it ready by noon tomorrow.
Next morning I get a call at 10:30 he says come awn over and pick it up the paint should be dry by the time you get here.

Haven't had a problem yet with the shaft except for the fact that with the larger size CV I some times get some rubbing on the xsfercase linkage <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

Thats funny because this is the exact same service I received from Tom...except I called him on a Friday evening to see how soon he could have a shaft ready for me...he asked for the measurements...well brilliant me didn't have them...so he said to go measure and call him back...by this time his shop had been closed for about 30 mins...I called him back and gave him the measurements he told me it would be ready the following day (Saturday) and he would ship it on Monday...well since I am fairly local and I was going to be at Lagoon,(a local amusement park) for a work party, which is real close to his shop I asked if I could stop by and pick it up he said sure no problem...I was there around 1:30-2:00 and my shaft was ready to go...so the point of this is that despite what everyone is saying about him putting them off I sure wasn't put off and I was actually amazed that he could have it done in only a day, I also got my AA SYE kit from him at the same time, it was originally going to be the JB SYE kit and he had one on the shelf...well he ended up calling me back and telling me that someone else in his shop had already promised that one to somebody else...he said he would see what he could come up with...a little while later he called me back told me he could get me an AA SYE kit which is pretty much the same thing and have it there for me the following day (saturday again)...oh and another cool thing is he bought my old shaft which I had no usse for, for $75 so it brought everything to like $500 or so which I didn't think was too bad <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">


so my experiences with him have been great and he is a way nice guy, very knowledgeable, and willing to help anyone out...I have heard the same thing about him helping others out on trail rides and events even when its not his product <IMG SRC="smilies/rasta.gif" border="0">

Just my $.02 <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[Boston Mangler]

Can someome please FWD this to TOM WOOD

>>>>>And to the Boston Mangler I certainly hope the photo shown with your post is not an expression of your feelings toward me or my products.
**** No sir, not even in the slightest, that is always on my posts and is just a humorous gesture (in my mind anyway)

>>>>>I have not changed the brand or grade of components that I use.
***** That is good to know, as i think TBONE just ordered a shaft for me from You (ironic huh?)

>>>>It was good to see that you pointed out that I took care of TBONE'S damaged drive shaft at no charge.
***** Yes, i am very honest and open, i tell it as i see it. I know Tbone and his driving style and he uses finesse and not speed, thats why i was confused when his shaft grenaded! Glad to see you did i great job fixing the problem fast though!

>>>>I agree his failure shouldn't have happened. If you will contact TBONE and ask him to contact me I would like to speak with him for my own peace of mind so that we may confirm that we have determined the root cause of his failure.
**** Just FWD him this post, so he should reply!

>>>>>Your friend with the Toyota front shaft should also contact me immediately; if he has twisted splines there is a very real possibility that this can cause a catastrophic failure as a result of the slip binding under compression.
**** Will doo

Of the many thousands of drive shafts shipped I have experienced only a very minuscule portion of failures, most of these were for reasons beyond my control. Occasionally someone will experience a problem with a drive shaft that I've built. But in every instance I will give every measure to correct the problem.


Yes, i agree that you were very nice and polite to me on the phone and i could tell that you were very busy as well. I personally have no problems with ya and think you have GREAT customer service.

Thanks Tom!

[Harry Brosofsky]

More from Tom....he still can't post. BTW, other than being a satisfied customer, I have no affiliation with Tom. Mangler, I e-mailed your response to Tom.

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Wood [mailto:tom@4xshaft.com]
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 8:15 PM
To: harry@harryworld.com
Subject: More stuff

Still can't manage to log on to pirate4x4.com to post. Thanks for your help in the matter. These things do concern me. I've been attempting to identify the customers in order to make contact with them but this is proving very difficult with the anonymity of the internet.

Seems like people either love me or hate me today..

So many people ask about a drive shaft for the RE kit that I have a "form letter" in my Word Perfect file that I have previousy e-mailed and faxed to other individuals. I have refrained from any general postings in the past or putting this informationon on my website as I prefer not to appear to be "bashing" Rubicon Express. But onebadjeep and dug among others make it appear as now is the time to express my opinions on the matter of the drive shaft for their kit. Whenever questioned about my position I would normally offer to fax e-mail or explain my position. The standard letter is as follows:

Thank you for considering me for your drive shaft needs. Through the years I have experienced a little bit of a "bad rap" over my refusal to knowingly build a drive shaft intended to run in conjunction with the Rubicon Express slip yoke eliminator. Some people seem to think that I have some sort of personal problem with the company or their people. That, I will assure you is not the case. Personally I have the highest regard for them and almost all of their products.

In addition to liability concerns, my rationales are for what I perceive to be sound mechanical reasons. I will outline them for you here.

1. The method of cutting off, drilling and tapping the output shaft of the transfer case while still in the vehicle, is something that I would neither recommend nor attempt myself. I have seen many shafts ruined in this endeavor.

2. After the shaft has been shortened, you will still have a substantial area of unsupported shaft beyond the rear output bearing. This is not entirely a result of Rubicon Express’s design, but I would also consider this to be a problem on a factory original shaft. The result of this is known as "overhung load." The drive shaft which would install against the modified shaft will weigh about 15 pounds while the factory original drive shaft weighs about 9 pounds. This in itself will nearly double the overhung load. We must also consider that under a load, the drive shaft will have a tendency to want to straighten out. This will also increase the overhung load.

3. You should also understand that in order for the new output flange to install on the output shaft, there must be some minor internal clearance between the splined bore of the flange and the splines on the shaft. Because of this clearance, you will then have the potential for minor independent movement between the flange and the shaft. This independent movement, over time (sometimes a very short time) will wear down the splines on the output shaft and enlarge the splines in the bore of the flange. When this happens, it will, because of the looseness between the parts, allow the flange to run eccentric. This will cause a vibration problem with the vehicle. Most people, upon discovering this problem, will re-tighten the retaining bolt. Unless the output shaft has been cut off perfectly square, this will cause the face of the flange to be less than perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the output shaft. This will usually cause even a more severe vibration problem. When people have a vibration problem and a drive shaft that I have built, their problem becomes my problem. I see this problem as avoidable and prefer to do so.

With any of the other conversion kits available, there will be a more substantial shortening of the output shaft, reducing the overhung load. Furthermore on any of the other conversions, the rear output flange or yoke is solidly "sandwiched" between the retaining nut or washer and the rear output bearing. This secure attachment will prevent the wearing of the splines on the mating parts. Thus, preventing the problem as outlined above.

May I suggest you consider installing one of the other conversions available for your vehicle? The initial cost differential, I believe to be modest. But the mechanical quality differences are substantial. Ultimately you should find the longevity, performance and strength gains to be well worth the minimal cost and time spent up front. After all "doing the job right the first time" is generally the most cost effective.