Driveline & Driveshaft Repair for Semis and Heavy Trucks

Driveline repair tends to start with a feeling before it starts with a noise. You might feel a vibration at one speed, a clunk on takeoff, or a shudder through the floor under load. Neuman Truck Service finds the cause on-site and replaces the worn parts between the transmission and the axles. We fix a failing U-joint before it takes the driveshaft with it, and maybe a lot more.

On a tandem tractor the driveline is more than one shaft. There's the main driveshaft, often a carrier bearing in between on longer wheelbases, and the interaxle shaft between the forward and rear drive axles. Each has U-joints, yokes and splines that wear. A dry or worn part anywhere in that chain can cause a vibration that seems to come from somewhere else.

Driveline Parts We Replace On-Site

• U-joints: Worn, dry or seized universal joints on the main and interaxle shafts. Rust-colored dust around the caps is a sign the needle bearings are failing.
• Carrier (center) bearings: Rough bearings and torn or sagging rubber mounts. These let the shaft whip and vibrate.
• Slip yokes and splines: Worn or dry splines that bind and clunk, and slip yoke seals that let road salt and water in.
• End yokes and flanges: Damaged yokes at the transmission and axle, and the retaining nuts and bolts that hold them.
• Pinion and output seals: Leaking seals at the transmission output and differential pinion. We usually replace them along with yoke work.
• Wheel seals and hub bearings: Leaking wheel seals on the drive axles and worn hub bearings. We replace them before gear oil soaks the brake linings.
• Interaxle driveshaft: The short shaft between tandem drive axles, which works at steep angles and wears its U-joints quickly.
• Clutch adjustment and linkage: Clutch free play, release bearing lubrication and linkage problems. Whether a full clutch replacement makes sense on-site depends on the truck and the location. Call, and we'll discuss it.

How Driveshaft Repair Works On-Site

Call (651) 491-4136 and describe what you feel. Tell us at what speed the vibration starts and whether it changes on and off the throttle. Also tell us about any clunk on takeoff or when you shift. A loud bang and then a loss of drive means stop now. A broken U-joint can drop the shaft.

At the truck, the tech checks every U-joint for play by hand and inspects the carrier bearing mount. They check the slip yoke for spline wear and look for grease thrown on the frame. The tech checks driveline angles too. A worn torque rod or a truck at the wrong ride height can cause vibration even with brand-new parts. You get an estimate, and then the tech replaces the parts. They grease each joint until fresh grease purges from all four caps.

What Mobile Driveline Repair Can and Can't Do

U-joints, carrier bearings, slip yokes, seals and complete shaft swaps are normal on-site work. Rebuilding and balancing a bent or dented driveshaft tube isn't roadside work, because it takes a balancing machine. In that case the practical answer is usually a replacement shaft. We'll explain the options before we order anything.

Vibrations can also come from places other than the driveline: an out-of-round tire, a bent wheel, an engine mount. If the driveline is fine, the tech keeps looking instead of replacing parts on a guess.

Driveline Wear on Northern Highways

Driveline parts take a beating here. Salt and brine get past slip yoke seals and into U-joint caps. There they rust the needle bearings and seize the splines. Cold grease is stiff, so a dry U-joint that was quiet in September starts to complain once the temperature drops. When the tires spin on ice and then catch dry pavement, a shock goes through the whole driveline. That's often when a weak U-joint finally breaks.

Long winter runs on US-53, US-8 and US-2 through northwest Wisconsin add miles between services. WisDOT's 511 Wisconsin traveler site lists winter road conditions, weather alerts and truck parking. Check it before you head north. If a vibration gets worse on the way up toward Rice Lake or Minong, pull over somewhere safe. Call us before a U-joint fails.

How Much Does Driveline Repair Cost?

A single U-joint is one of the smaller jobs on a truck. A carrier bearing, a slip yoke or a complete shaft replacement costs more in parts and time. Seized fasteners or a rusted yoke can stretch the labor. Travel and the time of the call also affect the price.

Once the tech finds the problem, you get an estimate before work starts. Driveline repairs carry a 12-month warranty, and you can pay by credit or debit card.

Driveline Work and Related Repairs

Driveline problems connect to the rest of the truck. Worn torque rods and bad air bags change driveline angles, so a vibration complaint often becomes a suspension repair job. A leaking wheel seal on a drive axle ruins brake linings, so it's a brake repair job as well. The cheapest way to make U-joints and slip yokes last is to grease them at every fleet maintenance PM. If a shaft breaks on the road, that's an emergency truck repair call.

Where We Provide Driveline Repair

Driveline Repair is available 24/7 from our Pine City base to every town below, across Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Pick your area for local highways, fleets and contacts.

Minnesota

• Pine City, MN
• Mission Creek, MN
• Hinckley, MN
• North Branch, MN
• Sandstone, MN
• Mora, MN
• Cambridge, MN
• Wyoming, MN
• Forest Lake, MN
• Moose Lake, MN
• Blaine, MN
• St. Paul, MN
• Minneapolis, MN
• Cloquet, MN
• Maple Grove, MN
• Stillwater, MN
• Woodbury, MN
• Elk River, MN
• Eagan, MN
• Bloomington, MN
• St. Cloud, MN
• Burnsville, MN
• Duluth, MN
• Hastings, MN
• Lakeville, MN
• Shakopee, MN
• Faribault, MN
• Red Wing, MN
• Brainerd, MN
• Owatonna, MN
• Virginia, MN
• Grand Rapids, MN
• Hibbing, MN
• Willmar, MN
• Rochester, MN
• Mankato, MN
• Albert Lea, MN

Wisconsin

• Grantsburg, WI
• Siren, WI
• Danbury, WI
• St. Croix Falls, WI
• Spooner, WI
• Dairyland, WI
• Hudson, WI
• New Richmond, WI
• Minong, WI
• Superior, WI
• Rice Lake, WI
• Hayward, WI
• Menomonie, WI
• Eau Claire, WI
• Chippewa Falls, WI