Guys, I'm searching Craigslist, etc, for front and rear axles with either 4.10 or 4.30 gears to swap into my truck. I believe my truck has the 10.5" rear and Dana 60 front. What trucks/vans should I be looking at for replacement axles?

Thanks!

 

I'm not much help here, but I do know that dually rear axles are different than SRW.
You sure you don't want to just buy the ring and pinions and have them swapped?

A quick google search brought these guys up.

Ford 10.25" & 10.5" 12 Bolt Ring Gear Pinion Sets & Differential Parts - Drivetrain.com

 

Or what about asking Clay?
I don't think he carries R&P sets, but I would be surprised if he didn't have some knowledge on the subject.

 

Dan, thanks for responding. I was planning to go that route, but it was suggested here that I look for an axle to swap in because it would be less work and I would probably end up spending the same amount on the gears alone that I would for the whole axle assembly. Except that the Dana60 is pretty popular for offroad applications so it may just be cheaper to do the gears on the front. I think the main problem is the fact that I would have to pay someone to do the work because I don't know how to set the proper backlash, etc. Seems like something with a small margin for error and I am just not that adept.

 

First off what tire size are you running? Second, remember that if you swap axles it is very likely you will have to replace all of the bearings, ball-joints, and tie rod ends.

 

Hey Clay, 285/75/16 on the tires. Are you saying that I will have to replace all those things because they will likely be worn out, or is that part of the swap?

 

Worn out. Unless they come off of a driving vehicle they usually don't last long if they have been sitting. You may get lucky but it is something to think about because if you end up having to replace parts it really starts driving the price up.

If you are running that small of a tire I would definitely not recommend 4.30's unless you only plan on using the truck to tow and don't want to go over 65 mph. I don't know what RPM you would be at but it would be screaming since I know 37's and 4.30's are at about 2100rpm at 65 mph.

 

Thanks Clay, very good points. I was leaning towards 4.10 myself but had gotten some advice that since the truck is primarily used for towing the 5er it would be more beneficial to make the jump to 4.30. I am with you though, I think 4.10 will get me what I want and not have the RPMs too high at freeway speeds. I am wanting to be right at 2100rpm at 65mph and then up to 2200 or so at about 70mph.

 

See if you can find someone who is running your tire size and 4.10's because I think you see more than a 100 rpm rise between 60mph and 70mph.

 

Bob,
This is a little out there, but follow along with me. A towing accessory that has been used for a while, but not well known. Leave the 3:73 gears in the front axle and change the rear to 4:10 or 4:30 your choice. Install a Remco drive line disconnect in the rear drive line. This will allow you to disconnect (via shift lever) the rear drive line and drive in front wheel drive with 3:73 gears then you can take it out of 4 wheel drive and Shift it back to standard rear wheel drive using the 4:10 or 4:30s. The down side is you loose the use of 4 wheel drive. You can have the gears you need for towing and the gears for hiway use. here is a link http://www.hitchsource.com/remcos-dr...u-p-30337.html

 

You will have to recalibrate your speedo to the 4:10 or 4:30 and all should be good. even when driving off the front it will read the speed from the read axle.

 

Bob, wow, that is out there. I have never heard of anyone doing that but wouldnt rule it out if its a viable option. Is there any harm in running of the front axle all the time when not towing?

 

I don't see why it would be a problem a lot of trucks were full time 4 wheel drive. I would think if it were a problem the owners manual would say not to run in 4 wheel drive for extended period of time. It should be good. I had a 1978 F 150 with this set up on it and it did not have lock out hubs on it, I bought it that way and I drove for about 40,000 miles mostly in front wheel drive.

 

I run 4:10 with 305-70-16's I think 62 mph is about 2000 rpm . I was thinking about going with an overdrive unit but they also have underdrives which might be your answer.
this is what I was looking at Gear Vendors under/overdrive, About Us.

 

I dont think Gear Vendors sells those underdrive units anymore. Also, at $3k they are pretty expensive.