I'm fairly new to the Ford SD and noticed that the single rear wheel F350 has a Sterling rear axle instead of the Dana. Is the Sterling a pretty stout piece?

 

The sterling has been around forever and is reliable. The diesels get the dana not the sterling.

 

Sort of, an F250 diesel still gets the sterling unless you select the heavy duty tow package, then it gets the Dana, roughly a $1000 upgrade.

 

Sterlings are workhorses, and very much sought after in the aftermarket. If I remember correctly, the 10.5 is rated for just under 10,000 pounds. You will exceed your tires and wheels weights well before you come close to exceeding the capacity of that axle.

 

Yep, it's rated to 9750# but de-rated by Ford to match it's weakest link. That said, like posted above, the SRW 350 6.7 get's the Dana M275. The gasser get's the Sterling.

 

So, the big question is why did Ford move away from the 10.5 Sterling across the Super Duty SRW line?

Is it the power the Diesels are putting out now and not a weight issue?

 

The Dana is stronger and bigger, just like everything else about this truck. That's why max towing capacity of a SRW is up to 20,600 lbs, 21000 in 2wd. Dana hasn't released a lot of info about the new axle but IMO this is all a good thing. It's an example of how ford reinvested the weight savings they gained from aluminum and made the truck stronger and more capable.

 

The Sterling is a very good axle. It was used under all the single-wheel 2011-2016 trucks, which included F-350 diesels with 440HP and 860lb-ft. None of them were breaking!

Some people have seemed disappointed to get "another" Sterling 10.5, but I surely wouldn't be - its a great axle.

The switch to Dana could be a supplier agreement, a production capacity shift, or simply because Ford felt the new axle would be a better match for the up-rated capacity on some of these new trucks.

 

The Dana is supposed to be more fuel efficient too...

 

Other than outright abuse, how often do you hear of an axle failure. I had a Sterling in my Cummins Dodge and it was awesome. Had a axle seal replaced under warrante.

 

No, you didn't.

 

I think it has to do with the tow rating. Bigger shafts and bearings handle the input better. I also wonder if the mythical 37 spline F350 Sterling was intended to do the same thing.

 

Right. Isn't Sterling just referencing the Sterling Heights plant owned and operated by FoMoCo?

 

The upgrade to the 2017 HD 250 Diesel is around the cost of a F350 diesel, that's why for me it was a no-brainer to go to the F350.

 

Agreed. Had I understood that 2 months ago, there would be an F350 in my signature below.