> It's only a matter of time until you are picking up pieces especially if
it
> is a factory unit and you drive a five speed
>
> 8 3/4 equipped....
A 'stock' Dana 60 has a 9.75" ring gear. The axle splines will vary from 30
splines to 35 splines. A typical 30 splined Dana 60 can handle 6,200 pounds
while a 35 splined Dana 60 can handle 9,600 pounds. Normal 30 splined Dana
60s have axle shafts which are 1 5/16 thick, while the HD 35 splined Dana
60s have a 1 1/2" axle shaft. They currently use Dana 60s on trucks with a
gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds. Dakota are what.....like 4000-4500
pounds?
A 'stock' Chrysler 8 3/4 can be found with both 30 and 35 splined
axleshafts.I dont know, but would assume the 8 3/4 only has that, an 8 3/4"
ring gear.........and entire inch smaller than the Dana 60.
Dana 44s have an 8.5" sized ring gear and an axle shaft diameter of
1.25"-1.31", but still cant handle what a Dana 60 can. Ring gerar diameter
is a good
indication of gear strength. The pinion gear will see less torque than the
ring gear since it is ahead of the reduction that occurs where to gears
mesh. Larger ring gears have more teeth in mesh, have bigger teeth, and also
have greater mechanical advantage/leverage. The GM 10 bolt rear end has a
10.5" ring gear diameter, yet tends to have a skinnier axle shaft of
1.37"-1.5".
Just from my opinion, if I had to build an axle, I would choose the Dana 60.
Of course, quality of the parts plays an intricate role of how strong the
axle and all the differential internals will hold up. A soutly built Dana 44
would hold up better than even a stock Dana 60 or Dana 70. Like I said, it
just comes down to using quality parts. If you put a crappy ujoint on a Dana
60, it probably wont hold up to anything on the track. If you over build and
swap in a larger ujoint, then that is juist one less part you would have to
worry about breaking. A Dana 60 should be alot easier and cheaper to find
also in junkyards, since they are still widely used in many trucks today.
Just my humble opinion though. Both axles do have a wide variety of
aftermarket bulletproof parts and aftermarket LSDs/Lockers available.
Related links:
http://www.tellico4x4.com/dana60.htm
http://www.drivetrain.com/4x4.html
http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/axle/axlespecs.html
http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/axle/248RBI_specs.html
http://www.drivetrain.com/dana60.html
Kyle
93 Dakota 4x4 V6
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