Stupid question time on my part : Is this the same reason having to do with the infamous Sprag
( overrunning clutch ) , and its propensity to coming unglued ?
I'd heard that the reverse-pattern takes the load off of the Sprag ; is that correct ?
No, the reverse manual valve body uses the over runnung clutch for 1st.
And don't get me started on the exploding TorqueFlights. If you treat your trans right the chances of that happening are pretty slim but you should run a shield anyway. Never do a burnout in 1st gear, always start off in second and if you lose a rear end or driveshaft while in first always take the trans out and inspect/replace the over running clutch components. I prefer just to replace the inner race, springs and rollers.