WC rearend strength

Hi Guys/Gals...

While this isn't part of building a competition puller, it's a situation where you puller-types will know at least SOME of the answers to my questions... henceforth, I'm posting it here.

I'm in need of a general-purpose machine that's all-wheel driven, with tall tires. Just so happens, that I have two mid '40's WC rearends, a hydraulic 4spd transaxle from a combine, and a matching hydrostatic pump that I've already fitted to a 230ci Chevy six.  I have a dozen hydraulic pumps and a supply of great hydraulic rams, as well as a spare cab and a couple steering valves... basically, a really good start on parts.

When i say 'general purpose'... that means I'd use it in every season, fighting snow, moving dirt, rocks, navigating muddy driveway, dragging tree trunks... basically, going places and doing things that I can't do with my forklifts or conventional tractors.  I'd fit it with a quick-removable tool-handler on one end (for forklift mast) stanchions for fully-hydraulic front end loader at the other.  the tool holder will be handling a large V-blade, and a trenching boom, probably a larger backhoe attachment (than the one I'm currently using on my D17). 

Obviously, there's a limit to how much weight, and how much force the WC rearend can withstand.  I expect that I'll need to add some gusset and reinforcement, but no matter how I do that, I'll still be limited to the capacity of the wheel, hub, and bolt pattern.

No better people to ask first, than the people who'd be most likely to bust stuff, right?

What's the weak parts of the WC rear axle?  If I make it carry say... 8500lbs of vertical load, is it gonna shear off at the hubs?  Lug nuts?  axle to reduction joint?

Hi Curt!

Okay, so... is he reinforcing between the final drives, or does he truss the bottom of the differential (like we used to do with the Dana 44's in Scouts two decades ago?)

Any broken spindles, hubs, or lug nuts?

Cool, thanks Curt!

Specifically, I'm concerned that once I get this thing built, that my lifting loads (either from forklift, or loader, or the counterweights used, etc., would cause me to discover limitations of the axle assembly.  I have no fear of putting a large truss between the final drives, matter of fact, I expect that I'll have the lift-arms (probably provision it at both ends) mounted there, and they'd be at LEAST Category II, probably Category III.  My first thought is that the final drives' attachment to the axle tubes, or the spindles, hubs, and lug nuts would be the first limitation, but I could be wrong.  I figure that if someone's busted them parts, the guy would be a puller.