Battle of the Dana 44 Axle Upgrades

[Trill]

There are tons of rigs running with no issues, so I'd agree. I only bent mine because I had to ditch off a dirt road at 35mph into roughage to avoid a speeding dirt biker. Essentially an accident, and it felt like one. I was sure something would have been snapped in half when I got out to check the damage.

Not everyone's got 1 ton money although we all wish we did, and having priced out the aftermarket options you're looking at ~$4500 for the complete axle and then another grand to regear your rear to match as the aftermarket options come in 4.56 and up. Gone are the JK days of being able to just buy a better housing and swap your internals in, no idea why that option is no longer a thing.

I'm going the route of $2800 + probably $400 for the truss installed for a stronger setup. I don't mind the 4.10s at all, I'm a light 2 door on 35s. Also, I'll now have an entirely complete spare axle in the garage to pull shafts, gears, E-locker, and knuckles from if I bust something, as the only thing damaged on my axle is the housing. Some probably would have just spent the extra couple grand but eh, work isn't like it used to be after covid.

You already got something figured out but for anyone else reading this, it is true that Mopar only offers the UD44 with 4.56 and up. But Dana/Spicer offers their house version with 4.10s, the part number is 10047715. The house version also apparently comes with better ball joints if you check this thread.

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[jessedacri]

You already got something figured out but for anyone else reading this, it is true that Mopar only offers the UD44 with 4.56 and up. But Dana/Spicer offers their house version with 4.10s, the part number is 10047715. The house version also apparently comes with better ball joints if you check this thread.

ha, I actually didn’t see that as an option. I do know the house Dana versions do some with the HD ball joints but wasn’t aware they had a 4.10 version. Go figure.

 

[word302]

Yep; I only trust @rustyshakelford to work on my Jeep.

Smart man

 

[BigSexy702]

Fair! Hoping smarter wheeling and some beefy axle trussing will help prevent that.

Hi There, I have a 2 door jl rubicon and asked my Shop the same question. I was going to buy a prorock 44 and a very reputable shop and the guys at Adams drive shaft said if you truss the 44 with rcv shafts Reid knuckles and the dynatrac balljoints you will never have to worry about the axle again. Yes the fad is a weak point but the truss if welded correctly (not on the forge) will be stronger than the prorock. So that's the route I'm going. Hope that helps

 

[Bulldog4xFour]

Currie or Dynatrac are going to be the stronger option, but if you can get your hands on a Dana 44 HD wide axle and truss it, I don't think you would ever have to worry about it. I think both the Dynatrac and Currie 44 have .5in tube wall thickness, and the Dana 44 wide is .4in tube wall thickness, the narrow Dana 44 tube wall thickness is .28in I think so for upgrading your axle I would get something different.

The Currie says that it uses JK ring and pinon gears, so I would stick to Dynatrac, or a Wide Dana 44.

 

[OBJLU]

Hi There, I have a 2 door jl rubicon and asked my Shop the same question. I was going to buy a prorock 44 and a very reputable shop and the guys at Adams drive shaft said if you truss the 44 with rcv shafts Reid knuckles and the dynatrac balljoints you will never have to worry about the axle again. Yes the fad is a weak point but the truss if welded correctly (not on the forge) will be stronger than the prorock. So that's the route I'm going. Hope that helps

That’s what I did, ordering the Reid’s next year but yeah I personally think it’s good for up to 40’s as long as you don’t treat it like a buggy and slam on the gas pedal

 

[roaniecowpony]

That’s what I did, ordering the Reid’s next year but yeah I personally think it’s good for up to 40’s as long as you don’t treat it like a buggy and slam on the gas pedal

While I think the D44 is a fairly stout axle, I have reservations about the contemporary shift to top mounted trusses. The fact is that the FAD is a casting and castings weakest characteristic is tension due to the weak molecular bond of a casting. So, these new fangled "trusses" reinforce the top side of the axle which is in compression when loaded with a heavy load on the tire (jump landing or similar). Castings are great in compression. So reinforcing the top side of the axle is largely futile, IMO. The lower surface of the FAD casting will still see the same, if not magnified tension load when the top is trussed. Any structural engineers here?

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