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I think the harmonic balancer destroys more factory cranks than over loading them.
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From my own experiences I would agree that statement. Many times a faulty crank is blamed, but harmonics make that part fail rather than what it's made from.
If anyone here has ever observed a diesel engine at idle, and watched the fan belt in the area of the balancer, it is constantly changing speed as each cylinder comes up on compression, and then fires. That speed change is constantly trying to twist the crank forwards, and backwards. A diesel many times can be 22 to 1 compression, so it's roughly twice what a gasoline engine is. That's why it shows up at idle, and can be seen with the eye. Gasoline engines go through the same type of twist motions just at a lesser degree. This is one of the forces the the balancer tries to dampen. Take that dampening away, and material failure happens rather quickly. You'll find the weakest link in the chain
Just springing for a billet, or forged piece isn't any guarantee that the part will survive. The balancer will either lengthen the longevity, or if defective, will shorten the longevity of that shaft. Don't cheap out when it comes to what you hang on the front of that expensive crankshaft.