When an 8-3/4 center section breaks, I believe a lot of it has to do with the housing flexing which then allows the axles to essentially act as pry bars to distort everything in the case. The shorter the housing is, the less leverage the ends have on the center section, effectively strengthening the overall package. (My theory).

After breaking a relatively stock setup a couple of times, I finally backbraced the housing, installed an MW steel cap, and went with a 35-spline spool and axles. It’s still the stock length, and I’ve been beating on it for a number of years now with no issues.