strength of D44 straight axle vs D50 ttb.

Worstenemy453

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Dana 44 straight is close to a Dana 60.

Dana 44 HP
8.5-Inch Ring Gear Diameter

1.31-Inch / 30-Spline Axle Shafts

1.38-Inch / 26-Spline Pinion

3.73 & Down / 3.92 & Up Carrier Break

Coil Spring / Radius Arm Setup (F-250's and 1977-1979 F-150 Super Cabs have leaf sprung Dana 44's)

5x5.5 Wheel Bolt Pattern on F-150's (F-250's are 8-lug)

Axle Width (unknown)

Cant find my info on the 60's at the moment. But if you throw a set of axle shafts in a 44 HP then it will be stronger than a Dana 60.
 

97BambiBasherPSD

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What are you planning on doing? If its just an sas to get rid of the ttb then just throw it in there. If your making some serious power put bigger shafts in. Either way run a solid d44


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oneton

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what year axle?if 78-79 f150,wont work.
f250,wont work either without major suspension mods.spring pad width 32.5 obs trucks are 36.5 width

if a 2wd obs,a f150 front will bolt in with minor mods
 

strokethis_06

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Actually 78-79 is the sas of choice because the driverside tube is longer. Hence more room for spring perch. You just have to weld your own perches on.

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JoeDaddy

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Right, it'll work for sure. I'm just thinking out loud b4 I waste any time. You can buy solid 44's for peanuts and have a coil sprung 2wd conversion for cheap.
 

strokethis_06

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We just finished a coil sprung 60 in my 79 and a coil 44 in my buddies 86.

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strokethis_06

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I have them on a camera but my computer is down right now. Using my phone for internet. Lol.

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strokethis_06

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I have a couple on my phone. Not sure how to post them.

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JoeDaddy

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Just measured the Spring to Spring and there's 1" diff. Not a prob!

The steering arm looks strikingly similar as well. Soon as I get some 8 lug hubs and spindles I'l be making the swap! :D
 

davey99ps

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I straight axle'd my 92 f150 with a hp44 out of a 79. It didn't take me very long to destroy that, then upgraded shafts an it still $hit the bed. Ended up putting a kp60hp in an that lasted. If your running stock hp, it might last but if your pushing it at all it will fail. 44 shafts are considerably smaller than the 60 shafts, an chromoly shafts aren't cheap. If it were me, I'd look for a kp60 out of a late 70s Ford an be done with it, they're cheaper than the 80-97 60s in my area at least
 

JoeDaddy

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You're right, but mines just a driver. The ONLY time it will see mud is by accident and it won't be in any tractor pulls. Many D44's lived a very long time in my 700hp mud racers spinning 39.5 boggers, they only broke when I hit something.
 
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chappy

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I've got a d44 in the front of my mud truck. I still haven't got it going yet but have run that axle before in other mud trucks. Honestly the biggest problem I had was with lockouts. Warns are the only ones that lasted a while. superwinch and mile markers would break everytime I went and played. I carried an extra set all the time with me in the glovebox. shafts held up fine to 38's but once 44's were thrown on it would break a shaft like I use to break lockouts. always the stub shaft on the drivers side but sometimes the passenger. I ended up selling the truck but I plan to try the chromoly shafts from broncograveyard. There buget line is pretty good priced and they have a new yukon thats stronger thewn there standard chromoly shafts. I don't know why but there budget line chromoly shafts come in a yukon box but are cheaper then the yukons they sell by alot. I will give them a try sometime since I am running 44's on this mud truck as well. I have broke a couple spiders bere and there in a d44 but only once a pinion shaft. That was my fault though for dumping the clutch to hard with the 44's constantly trying to get unstuck so I didn't have to pull cable. The biggest problem I think with the shafts breaking was age. I always replaced them with another axle shaft out of a 78-79 and you gotta figure thats 30 plus year old metal thats been in the elements its whole life. I think thats the same reason the tractor tire mud trucks break the 2.5 ton shafts. Its old metal. Hell my buddy had a 96 f150 with th ttb front and he ran 44's and never broke in two years a shaft. As soon as he threw in a 79 solid axle he started breaking shafts. He would replace them with a used shaft and break it again. I know its not due to the ttb being stronger but it was 18 years newer metal shafts. just my thoughts
 
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davey99ps

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I only broke 1 ring an pinion, but for whatever reason my truck chewe shafts an hubs constantly. Hope it works for ya Joe
 

JoeDaddy

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Me to!
Would you say it's fair to say most of the breakage was in low, 2.++/1 ratio and hossing it pretty good? I'll never be in low and most likely will be running a M/S radial. Hard radial fratures shouldn't be a prob.

I just like the idea of freebies and tightwad fixes. I buy diesels and HD trucks and part them. So I see D60's all the time, I just don't have time for a 2wd to D60 leaf spring + reversing shackle swap. The D44 is a bolt-in... literally! I've got some more measuring to do but it looks very straight forward. As with all my home brew mods I'll post plenty of pics and give updates as time progresses.
 

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