D60's do have their drawbacks over the D50 too.
1.they ride harder.
edit.i forgot,there is a mod you can do while your at it.a RSK kit combined with longer '99 up super duty springs is said to make it ride very nice.especially using the "v" code springs (one has to assume,this means the "v" codes are the lighter spring though,since they ride better.that has a draw back as well,if you plan on plowing for example,a lighter set of springs isn't what you want.not likely what you'd find with a "plow package" id bet.the tiny bit i know about this,pretty much is just encourage a search more than anything.)
2.they sit higher(the higher the truck,the LESS capable the truck,to some of us who load items by hand.especially for those using dump beds,since this already makes for harder loading over a low sitting stock bed.)
3.because they sit higher,the worse the fuel economy there will be.
(raising a vehicle will always cause for increased wind resistance.)then what goes hand in hand with this? big,wide,heavy more energy hungry,higher rolling resistance tires,making this even worse of of course.
4.the cost of the axle is MUCH higher.

even though the D60 is the better axle,every coin has two sides.
it really depends on what you need out of the truck.since it varies so widely,not one axle is better than the other imho.
it's the same as ram air vs cowl induction.dual exhaust vs single.stick shift vs auto.
it's all about maintenance,proper use,lack thereof,and many other factors.

all that said,i think it's VERY clear that you need the D60 front axle for what you want to do.
lift + 35/37" tires = the D60.
lifting the TTB is expensive and hard on tires.not worth it.
you either have the money to do it right,or not at all imho.anything else can just be outright dangerous.
there's a LOT more expensive involved than just swapping in a D60 and a lift kit.
better start asking how much people have spent in these projects before getting into it,because you'll soon see it takes a deep wallet.;)

have to agree with the above, but im 6'6 so a little more height dosent make much of a diffrence to me..lol. the 60 is much stronger, but the average guy will not break a 50, juts takes a little more to maintain a 50

I've never broken my D44HD. Never did anything extreme either. Been through to many ball joints though!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...thomas/tn1.jpg

44 or 50?

Measure your outside hubs.

4" is 50, 3" is D44HD.


Both 44 and 50 look the same from the under side, only way to tell 'em apart is the hubs.

it's a 50 thanks man, that was easy. well run 40 inch swampers on mine with about ten inches of lift haven't had to replace the ball joints yet and i'm really hard on my truck. i take it mudding a lot. I have replaced the tranny and almost everything else but so far the front end has been pretty good to me : )

How do those tires wear? Id recommend rotating em every chance you get. 40"s ain't cheap and with the d50 (like what was mentioned earlier) can wear em uneven pretty quick

Recommended tire rotations are every second oil change.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tb-thread.html

This thread refers to the Dana 44 and Dana TTB front ends, for anyone who needs more information about them. Also has good pictures to help anyone trying to identify their front axle.

IDI-powered trucks came with either a Dana 44HD, Dana 50, or Dana 60 front axle.

1980-1985 4x4 F350's had a Dana 50.
1985.5 -1991 4x4 F350's had a King Pin Dana 60.
1992-1997 4x4 F350's had a Ball Joint Dana 60.

I can't remember the years the Dana 44HD was standard on F250's.
But I "believe" the Dana 44HD was in regular cab F250's from 1980-1990.
The extended cab F250's got a Dana 50.
I "believe" the Dana 50 came stock in 1990 on all F250's.
Don't quote me on that.
As John pointed out, Dana 44HD has a 3" diameter lockout, Dana 50 has a 4" diameter lockout.

I think you ought to try to "patch" your 50 and hold it together as cheap and easily as possible until you find a 60. Lift kit, 35-37's, 4.10/4.56 gears...that screams 60!
Find an entire parts truck...OH...like that one in the campground!
If you find a dually Dana 60, you can swap your Dana 50 Single Rear Wheel hubs onto it to make it a SRW Dana 60.

Definition of Twin Traction Beam (TTB) Tee Tee Bee ~
A Twin Traction Beam (TTB) front axle is found in 83-96 Rangers/Explorers 80-96 F150s and 80-98 F250s. Its like a independent and solid axle had a late night drunken stupor sex-o-thon and had a basturd child. The only beneficial worthwile or nice thing I can say about them is they ride good on road while stock and absorb hard bumps offroad in like prerunner trucks. In all other applications they suck. It works very similar to the twin I beam suspensions of 2wd trucks. The axle is hinged on a crossmember that allows each tire to move independently of the other. They are expensive to lift even slightly over stock. The higher the lift the more stress it compounds on to the frame and TTB crossmember and it leads to stress cracks that drastically weakens the frame and is extremely dangerous. Common TTB sizes are D35 (rangers/explorers) D44 (F150s) and D50 (F250s). TTBs are much weaker than their solid axle counterparts. Anyone wanting tires larger than 35" and plan to wheel their truck with any amount of confidence MUST switch over to a solid front axle swap (SAS).

TTBs bring the suck!

the dana 50 is not near as bad as anyone really makes them out to be. i spent 1000-1500 dollars rebuilding mine from the ground up and nothing has quit on me yet. and she goes over ditches through fields down mud roads hauls heavy loads and goes anywhere and everywhere i want her to go. a long overlooked point of the dana 50 axle is BETTER TRACTION THAN THE 60 thats the main advantage over the 60 you get with a 50 is the fact that if you go over uneven terrain the 2 front wheels move up and down independently of each other. the 60 is stronger and had i known all the advantages of the 60 when i was spending money on the front end i probably wouldve just bought a 60 but everyones bashing the 50 and its not a bad axle at all. i think i can get another 200,000 before having to replace any major components again with regular service.

and i believe the difference in the 44 and 50 is the 44 has 19 spline lockouts and the 50 has 30 spline.

if u run stock tires it fine but once u got to 35s and aboves that when it starts to show it weak links

don't the stock tires measure 35 high or was it 33? i measured once a couple months ago but i can't remember now. i know it was defiantly above 30.
but i do agree though you want as strong as you can get if you can afford it. and need to do whats safe. but i honestly don't see how anyone could afford to drive a big lifted extra tall wide tire truck with diesel at 3.79 a gallon.
i have stock tires on right now (235/85/16)

They are 31"

Maybe just some ball joints. I agree, the TTB gets a bad rap. After seeing the videos in "The TTB Thread" from the 80-86 forum, I couldn't believe they are as tough as they are. According to some people, they're as fragile as glass. I can't wait to beat the snot out of mine! }>

But, as much as I like the TTB, I don't think I would go lifting it. The geometry gets weird.
I don't know why the F250's ever ran leaf springs on the TTB setup. There's no good way to flex the TTB with leaves.
The axle beams are pivoting on the engine crossmember the same way as the 2wd I-Beams. A straight axle goes up and down, a suitable application for leaf springs.
The Dana 50 SHOULD be coil-sprung.