Hello all!

I haven't been on the forums in some time but I'm trying to start lurking around again as my beloved Mugly begins to see some repairs.

At any rate, I've had really bad issues with my front axle over the last couple of years. Gone through a couple wheel bearings and two out axle shafts. I've spent a minor fortune on all of this and really wish I had ponied up for one of these kits.

My reading has led me to believe that these kits are a big improvement over the crap that goes on with the stock units. What are your thoughts?

I live in Alaska and my trucks sees a ton of 4x4, so the kit is going to be worth every penny if it keeps me from tearing into the front axle every single season.

Thanks in advance.

 

the free spin kits basically turn the super duty dana 60 into the older 97-pre version of the dana 60 that uses the beefy spindle and replaceable bearings and seals. The kits use the stock knuckle but you bolt on a hardened machine spindle and you will now have bigger bearings that are much further apart and handle loads way better. Plus you can repack the bearings and never have to worry again about one letting you down. Im waiting for my original 126k unit bearings to show signs of failure and im installing one of the two free spin kits on the market

 

Me too, as soon as my unit bearings are toast, I will be calling Dynatrac.

 

For the price they want I could buy nearly ten pair of aftermarket wheel bearings. Who pays $2,000 to have to service and repack bearings every 30,000 miles? Screw that.

Whatever floats your boat.

 

That's where I'm at. I don't have heavy loads on the front, don't plow snow, don't put a ton of miles a year on my truck. I can't begin to justify the cost. My previous truck (a 94 Dodge 2500) got the unit bearings replaced once in 226,000 miles.
So, saying that, I believe that need justifies the cost. For the average joe, they are overpriced. For your application, it is probably money well spent.
Can you harvest outer knuckles from an earlier 60? That would have to cost less.

 

I did this on my old Dodge. It's a great idea and concept, but it's a waste of money. Did it intending to keep the truck, then it started to "Dodge" me so I unloaded it. There was Zero return on the freespin kit. Sure wish I would have just went the new unit bearing route.


If you want to see any gains from it, take your new truck home, remove unit bearings and install the freespin immediately. Then run the truck to 300,000. Putting it on a 1-200,000 mile truck is a waste. I did it on a 53K mile truck and it was a waste. I'd love to have that $1800 back!

 

"[QUOTE=Tom;14711084]For the price they want I could buy nearly ten pair of aftermarket wheel bearings."


Funny that is how many I have bought in a couple of years and I do grease them with the tap that forces new grease outside the seals (http://www.riffraffdiesel.com/front-...k-off-fitting/). I remove and grease the axle support Torrington bearings as well. I use Timken and replace the knuckle seals and it has cost me more than a $1500 SpynTec kit. What I hate though is I cannot leave the hubs locked without getting the thumping sound when turning. Everything has been replaced.


"Who pays $2,000 to have to service and repack bearings every 30,000 miles? "


That is a privilege I would love to have!
This is on a 2002 F250 with the Dana 60 and it is only used for two passenger on-road use. No towing (took the hitch off even) and no hauling (bed looks new).
When I had new Yoko ATS 265/75R16 tires on the front I would consistently get a hum two weeks after re-greasing. HT tires now go a little longer. I have learned my lesson. The passenger side axle shaft cannot be properly supported by the factory design.
http://quad4x4.com/ford60f1999-2004f250-350.html ("The Achilles Heel of the 1999-2004 era Ford Super Duty front axle is the way the axle shaft is supported. The inboard end of the inner axle shaft is anchored in the differential, but most of the axle shaft weight is borne by a smallish needle bearing in the wheel hub and by the lockout hub. If the needle bearing runs out of grease, the bearing will quickly chew up the outer axle shaft before you start to hear grinding noises.") tells you about it.
I never had this problem with my OBS trucks and Bronco's even when I crossed rivers with them (had to grease them of course).


I currently drive less than 5K miles a year and this sad saga continues. As a truck mechanic I would never discourage anyone from ditching the unitized junk that only helps the assembly line process.


Off the soapbox.

 

""""

He wants to keep ABS. You lose that with this scenario.

 

What do you think now Alex?

 

I still want to split a pair with someone to put on the passenger side.

 

bear with me on this. sorry if it offends.

1. you have a mechanical issue that is wearing out the front bearings
2. you are installing something wrong and it's a user error, not a mechanical fault.

plenty of people drive around day in and day out during the winter with the front hubs locked in. Heck, there are a ton of Alaska users on this very forum who do it 6+ months a year locked in.

There are also tons of users who have a auto hub fail/stick and they'll put thousands of miles on the front axle before discovering the issue. typically the bearings are good to go even after all that.

So for your truck to have this issue every year...and you only put 5k miles a year...see #1 or #2 above.


I personally think that Dynatrac kit is a gimmick and not worth a dime. The front hubs on the 99+ Superduty are already free-spinning. They only engage when you physically lock the hub in, or when you select 4x4 on the dash and they automatically engage. Nothing rotates in 4x2.

 

"see #1 or #2 above"
I hope you can help me with it? It has taxed my ability as an ASE Master Tech. I gave up and took it to the dealership. I then took new unit bearing to the 40 year independent tech that is considered to be the best in the area. I have not replaced anything inside the diff cover and have no way of knowing if there is a misalignment b/w the axle tubes and knuckles.
"I personally think that Dynatrac kit is a gimmick.."
That dead spindle arrangement was used through the 1997 models before the live spindle arrangement with the 1999+ Superduty's to help with assembly line speed.
No offence taken if you are trying to help and I appreciate you saying bear with me.
Thank you neighbor.

 

This has been an eye opening discussion but I'm still not convinced out of the free spin kit.

I've often driven with the front hubs locked in during the winter months, and over the last 4 years it seems like I have really been trashing the front driveline. I'm on my 3rd short side stub shaft in the last 5 years, and maybe on my 3rd wheel bearing.

I don't put many miles on my trucks every year but when I do, I'm very tough on it. I'm just tired of constantly replacing parts that seem to only work for a short time. Normally I'd think I was installing something incorrectly, but Ford did the first round of work.

 

Something is wrong here, it just doesn't make sense. When the hubs are locked the stub shafts are riding with the bearing, not free spinning inside of it on the needle bearings. The needle bearings and stub shafts shouldn't wear unless the hub is unlocked and they're not lubricated correctly.

Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of trucks on the road with this system, and most of them don't give people trouble like yours has. Most get at least a hundred thousand miles out of a unit bearing and will never replace a stub shaft.

 

I agree. I do believe that the previous design, before unit bearings, was better. But that doesn't mean that unit bearings aren't sufficient, and they are working in a high percentage of trucks.
A hub system like Dynatrac will be an improvement over the unit bearing- the system worked for too long. Whether it is worth the investment or not is the question, and in your case, whether it will solve your problem. It sounds like something else is going on causing failure, and if it is, you may lose your money on the Dynatrac set if/when it gets damaged. I'd look further into what is causing your current failure before sinking the money into Dynatracs.