Hey Guys, Im trying to balance budget and fun with the crawling.. right now the 35s do the job and I know Im not going to destroy my drivetrain.. but I know I want to go more places..
If I roll on 37s with the d44/14b combo maybee some upgraded shafts in the 44 do you think it would be enough for more gnarly trails? I dont really care about body damage etc..
I just know 39s or 42s are super expensive.. I could spend around 200 more and get the 39.5 but them im d60 etc.. that could be some big money.
So what would be a good comprimise?
Just crawling mainly I live 40 mins from hammers.. Thx
i dont really know how much shafts cost for your dana 44, but a dana 60 can usually be found for a grand. thats probably more but your not just upgrading shafts, your up grading brakes, knuckles, bearings spindles... the housing, pretty much everything, just something to think about before you spend a dime on that dana 44. i found my limit with the dana44 on 35s. i cant really imagine 37s working in the hammers with that axle at least not locked especially on a fullsize.
I have had 38s on an open 10 bolt in front, for five years. haven't broken YET.
Definitely agree with the red text above, and with not spending money on the 44.
i ran a 44/14 combo on 37" rockers for years on my swb k10, never broke a shaft and wheeled it hard (open), but i wanted to run gnarly trails like you ( gnarly enough to require two lockers) so i put a detroit in, and broke a shaft every trip after, so i picked up a 60,.....the moral to this story is i spent a shit ton of time and money (2 hours from wheeling spot) to find out was i just needed to buy the 60, i have since locked the 60 with a grizzly and beat the hell out of stock parts on 39.5's and love it! It is the natural progression that you will want to lock the front and want bigger tires eventually, dont waste the time and money on the 44
Wheel what you got and start saving for a 60. Don't spend money on shafts & joints for a 44, save that money and buy a D60. Then start saving money to get the D60 built to your needs and get the 39.5's.
I ran 37" tires on my K5 for years with a locked 10b front but I had to know my limits and drive accordingly. I did end up getting chromo shafts for my 10b but only because the deal was to good to turn down. Superior inners, warn outers, CTM joints for $400 basically.
For JV your gonna want a D60 so you can have longevity and ability to do the more fun lines and trails.
I'm sitting on 38 TSL Sx's/beadlocks on a locked D44HP with stock shafts. Only problems so far was a axle Ujoint wore out and bending the housing(accidentally jumped it). Hammered on it in rocks, climbs, and trails and have yet to break an axle. Some people have great luck with D44's and some break them just by looking at it. You should be carrying spares anyway, right?
I'm running 37's on a locked 10b front with stock shafts. No breakage, but I'm easy on it. The main problem is that even with being easy the big tires (and now a Cummins sitting on it) are hard on ball joints. I now have a Dodge D61 front getting ready to go in.
In other words, I agree with the others who say run what you got and save up for a 60.
I broke two axleshaft u-joints in a limited slip 10-bolt, 35x12.50 radials, and stock 6.2 diesel with auto trans. Both times were in the dirt and only light to moderate throttle. The reason they broke is that I had the tire turned full lock and leaned over in a rut with a lot of weight on it. After the second time I figured out what was causing it (hey, I was a rookie at the time) and adjusted my driving style. Spent a couple more years with no issues and even started more aggressive driving, but kept away from situations that could cause failure.
Was thinking about getting chromoly shafts and such but at that time there weren't any high strength u-joints available....looking back I'm glad that was the situation as I just used that money to get a D60. Even with the D60 I had to upgrade to new non-neck down Spicer inners and 35-spline stubs to make it reliable.
Well it seems that I might as well use a 60 and get shafts. Another friend of mine recommended that I just use a 39.5 because it should make crawling easier than a smaller tire. He also mentioned that I could get a set for around 1200-1400.
I'm probably going to make a radius arm suspension.
Now before you flame me for mentioning the radius arm setup let me explain my course. Packaging is a problem.
I mention packaging is a problem mainly because my exhaust gets in the way.. Its a stainless Thorley smog legal kit. Y pipe and everything. It prevents me from plating the frame at the point id mount the arms imaging ORD's link kit. I don't really want to get into modifying it because at some point the engine is going to get swapped to a ls style. Then the exhaust will get sold with the engine.
The radius arms will be good enough for now.. Long arms have been used in jeeps for years and with a 48inch length they should provide tolerable caster change and a reasonable amount of flex. Plus they provide stability because the inherent bind they cause based on the design.. The truck still has to be on the street and I also like to cruise it fast at times so radius arms should work decent.
I will still maintain bracketry that allows me to have enough vertical separation for a full blown 4 link later on.
The transfer-case crossmember is easily fabricated and I can make it strong as well.
Cool thx. Do you think I can get away locked rear with the radius arms and my 35s now for some time? I supposed the tires limit what I can really go up..
No, but I do have a D60 I got for 100 bucks, with a free matching 14 Bolt. Just keep your eyes peeled. Sometimes buying a whole truck is cheaper than just the parts.
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