Conversation Between Kirbys73F100 and dillinewton

I'm gonna start this by saying MY opinion will oppose every one else's on this whole site but I do want to point out that 99% of them have zero experience with running 44's on a dana 44. Our trucks are for offroad use and rarely are driven on the road, although I used to daily drive my truck on 38's, even on long trips. I also need to point out that I don't have a straight axle dana 44. It's a weaker Twin Traction beam (TTB) dana 44 with stock axle shafts. Basically, Ford's answer to making a 4x4 ride better without going right to Independent Suspension up front. I've done some pretty hardcore stuff with this setup and have only broken an axle once. This can be attributed to knowing what breaks axles, for example, turning into a hill and gassin' it. Due to the geometry to the TTB axle and the way it moves in an elliptical pattern as the suspension flexes, 44's will eat wheel bearings about once a season (especially when power-sliding from the lateral forces

On the other hand, my brother has 44s on his 79 Bronco which IS a straight axle, also with stock axle shafts. He has NEVER broken an axle and is MUCH harder on his truck than I am. He'll get on a rock face and hold it to the floor, the truck will hop and dig and climb and amazingly holds up. The only issue he had with it is when he jumped three cars and the axle housing broke in half. He fixed this by trussing it with some 1/4 inch steel. The straight axle doesn't destroy wheel bearings like my truck does.

If your truck already has shotty brakes, fix them NOW. This is our biggest issue with running large tires on this axle as they were designed to stop a max of 31 inch tires and maybe a boat with trailer brakes. 60's were designed to stop 33s and a HUGE trailer. Basically.. make sure your brakes work well or you'll be like us trying to pull the steering wheel off when going down a big hill.

So.. in my opinion, you'll be fine on a dana 44 with chromo's and 44s. I will agree with them and say, yes there's a huge advantage of running 60's. (Braking, durability of axles, housing, gears, steering components)

hey what is your opinion on a dana 44 with chromos up front running 44s?