What axles would be the best to run in a 96 F150 for 40 inch tires? I was think a 10.25 in the rear but am undecided about the front. It needs to be a straight axle. Can you guys give me any suggestions/advice? Thanks!

 

What options are you considering? Personally I wouldn't go to the effort of swapping in a solid axle and go with anything less than a Dana 60 if I was planning on 40s.

 

what Bob said. anything smaller than a Dana 60 is just asking for problems.

 

It really just depends on what you plan on doing with the truck. If it's gonna be a mall rat, just keep what you have.

Stock axle would prob be fine in snow, anything else off the pavement a d60 would be required at the very least.

 

Even for a street queen a D44 with 40s just won't cut it, Especially if its a TTB axle with a drop bracket lift. Stock D60 minimum

 

Which dana 60 would be easiest to swap in? I suppose the rear would just be able to swap in a 10.25 right?

 

there is no "easy" D-60 swap.
the D-60 is a leaf spring axle, the F-150 is a coil spring truck.
to put a D-60 in a F-150 you will either have to convert the axle to coil spring perches, convert the truck to leaf springs, or fabricate things to use a 2005 and newer F-250/F-350 coil spring D-60

 

I can get the leaf springs swapped. That's no big problem to me. But will the springs on the d60 mount right in or will the width have to be adjusted

 

I ran the d44 with 37 military oz for years, and I put it through some gnarly stuff cuz i didn't care about breakin anything, as it was and still is primarily a 4 wheelin rig. It never broke, but when it needed a rebuild (I.e. u joints, bearings, seals) I swapped in a d60 cuz I have a bunch that I've collected from the jy over the years.

I think it'd be perfectly fine runnin 40's to patrol pavement. These trucks are light and power is very low...that helps a lot. Of course, my opinion based off my experience.

 

You must have lighter foot then me, as I also ran those same 37" military surplus tires on an old 76 3/4 ton. Axle stubs were broke atleast once every wheeling season, even with an open diff and a stock 360.

I had some 38" TSLs on a 78 F150 and broke shafts EVERYTIME I went out, but those were much heavier and had much more traction on the trail. I'd have to replace ball joints twice a year sometimes.

 

I had to rebuild back to the ball joints plenty. I don't even know how often, but I musta done it half a dozen times over a 5ish year period. bearings destroyed, etc....the fact that it was a 302 helped plenty. light foot, heavy foot, didn't matter...it wasn't powerful enough to make a difference.




I ran it unabashed with that setup, like I said I didn't care if it broke cuz a d60 would go right in at that point...I was amazed it held up. rear was locked, open in front....I wasn't breakin any records but violent hill climbs and being stuck in mud, with 1000 first to reverse jams, was commonplace.


maybe I was lucky, maybe I wasn't.

 

all pickup frames are the same width from 1978 to 1998. in 99 the spring perches moved out another 1.5 inches or so.
cab chassis dual rear wheel trucks kept the pre 77 narrow frame.

 

I'm not saying that a Dana 44 can't live with 40s. If you're careful enough anything is possible. What I am saying is that I'd never go to the effort of swapping in a solid Dana 44 if I was planning on 40s. I'd MAYBE try to see if the stock TTB 44 would hold up, but if I was going to swap in a solid axle it'd be a Dana 60.

 

Oh i wouldn't dare suggest swapping a 44.....just sayin the stock TTB will be fine for a pavement pounder. As soon as it saw a hill climb or a mud hole, it'd break on its own before it reached it.

Just sayin it's a waste of time if all its gonna do is see roads. Plenty of toothpicks out there with big tires on the ends that last lifetimes without breakage.

 

i know guys that can make 44s last on 10 bolts and 44danas but i cant even make 38.5's last on my dana 60! its all up to the driver. i like the long skinny expensive pedal.