I just installed brand new timken unit bearings on Saturday (only driven 8 miles since) but my cousin just called me and said his boss has a brand new dynatrac free spin kit with warn hubs and fine thread for sale. He bought it for his 2003 f250 work truck but the trans went and the truck is completely rotted out so he wants to part it out now SO I was offered the kit for $800 BUCKS!!!
should I do it and try and sell my brand new timken bearings?

 

Very good price. The Dynatrac is stronger than unit bearings but you are back to cleaning and repacking bearings at fairly short intervals like if you had a 2wd truck. The stock setup is a "free spin" setup already so you are not gaining anything there. If you are running large tires and/or beating the truck around offroad I can see the advantage of the Spyntec kit and the extra maint being worth it.

I thought about it for my truck but only running 33" tires I don't see it being worth the money and extra hassle for me. Still wouldn't bother even if I was running 35s. The unit bearings last pretty long and you can grease them, though they are technically not greaseable.

 

Figured for the price it's still worth it, and at the moment I have 33's but I have all the parts finally to install a 4" lift and 35" tires. I don't off road but I am moving out west within the next five years so ill be in the wilderness and dirt roads etc

 

no...keep what you got...

I just did both of my fronts and its a lot of work.

you did not say what truck you have...these hubs are not one size fits all...and then theres the ABS non abs thing

btw, if you have ABS, did you grease the hubs before ptting them in? its not required, but a lot of folks do,

 

2004 f350
I did both wheel bearings, new oil seals, little sanding and then painting, and bleed all four brakes plus front pin service in under 3.5 hrs. And that's showing my 11 year old how to work on a vehicle, so to swap out and install a spindle it's cake

 

And it's the correct kit
SRW kit with fine thread and abs

 

I wouldn't, but I also think that kit is a solution in search of a problem.

 

I would as long as the hubs don't stick out past the rim. I have seen a few where the hub protrudes really far out and it looks weird unless you have deepwell wheels.

 

What's wrong with going back to the stronger and more durable full spindle setup from the 97 older f350's?

no worse than the 97 older ford trucks...245/75r16 back then and both front and rear hubs stuck past the wheels

 

It's a good kit, won't lie. I never saw the need being the unit bearings are pretty reliable anymore and Ford already has lockouts. My theory any more is, can I get replacement parts easily or fairly cheap? I can get a unit bearings about anywhere and if I need it cheap any junkyard would have it. If you can still get parts easy if you need them, it's really your preference. From a reliability stand point I don't see this being much better or stronger than adding a set of aftermarket lockouts on your current truck. Dodge guys are after the lock out hubs and that's about the only kit and only way to do it.

 

I would save my money. Only person I've ever seen with one of those kits drove a newer dodge and he was having problems with u-joints going out on the front axle all the time so he bought the kit mainly for the lockout hubs.

 

But it's not stronger and more durable...

 

I say it's much stronger, your upgrading to 35 spline stub shafts, you have a fixed spindle with proper sized and properly spread apart standard available ANYWHERE. My off-road club has a ton well almost everyone runs Dana 60 fronts and no one has a mud tire under 38's and not one had ever failed....cant say that for a stock unit bearing from ford or dodge truck that sometimes go bad within 30k miles.

 

It's your money spend it how you want. For a mostly street driven truck it's a wash unless you have been breaking shafts or have a front locker. Lockers are a big cause for breakage on a 30 spline axle.

 

I'll chime in since I have the free spin kit.


my stock unit bearings served me just fine for 15 years before one crapped out. the problem is that it crapped out way out in the boonies. I'm a mechanic by trade so greasing the bearings is no big deal and I like the piece of mind knowing I won't get stranded back in the mountains again.
if you go offroad where a tow truck may not be able to get to you then get the kit.
buy once cry once no worries.