have a mud truck build with a 2003 f350 crew cab long bed dually 4x4, that i did a 2003 f550 axle swap, and to run the 44 boggers i was given and to make it street legal and stay within the road lane line to line, im going to have to cut down the axles,

my intention with this specific 03 f550 dana s135 axle swap is to best handle the high torque and horsepower i will eventually have being sent through it, which is probably overkill, but i intend to use this truck solely for mud bogs and off road mud racing, the truck is hardly ever driven on the street,

so to my main question, what is all involved to fit the 44 boggers on the f550 dually axles, the guy i was talking to said i would definitely have to cut them down, and running duals would need spacers between the wheels or such, the wheels i intend to use are forged 20x14s, and running 5.38 gears,

do you lose structural integrity cutting down the axles? if so what are the ways to reinforce the strength back? better type of welding? frame supports? or if it doesnt lose structural integrity how can you further strengthen to make it stronger?

can anyone fully explain this process and everything that is involved to me please, i would greatly appreciate it.

 

Is your intention to run dual 44”s on the rear ?

How much HP and torque do you intend to run ?
how much do you want to narrow it ?
what is your budget ?

answer those questions and I can outline what needs to be done.

 

yes i want to run dual 44s on the rear axle, and just cutting down the axles just enough to not be wider then your average roadway line to line, this is all in texas by the way,

ive been talking to dave at swamps diesel motorsports and looking at hypermax's cgi block and p-pump injection, but heard cgi is more intended for well over 1,500hp, and price isnt really a concern to be honest, was most definitely planning on getting swamps 7.3 competition engine for sure, and their 900+hp heui performance package, use a banks inteelrcooler, and methanol injection, and a few other things, writing swamps a big fat check from savings, dave said a cgi block isnt necessary nor the hypermax p-pump injection for what im trying to do, i stay away from tractor/sled pulls which is more what hypermax products seemed much more geared toward, like that 7.3 truck diesel fringe i believe, there are some videos on youtube of it, that things an animal,

however swamps 7.3 competition engine with heui injection is enough to run up their with the others im competing against with their own different cummins and duramax builds that ive yet to have any credible information on to compare numbers to, but the upwards of near 1,000hp is the limit, im the one doing the ford and on the 7.3 platform.

 

Honestly from your post I think you're in over your head but I'll play along and then say what I would do.

First off, get some awesome ball joints I promise you'll need them. Running 44s isn't a big deal, just lift it and get ready to buy axle shafts quite often unless you're upgrading them too. I don't know what the rest of your set up is going to be but to lift it high enough for 44s without doing a lot of cutting I highly recommend an SCS transfercase to correct your pinion angles. To clear 44s I'm guessing you'll have to lift the truck at least 12" roughly without much cutting.

If welded correctly you should be fine with strength on the axles, do your homework and find out what the tubes and knuckles are made of. Most likely you'll have to get custom axle shafts made or have yours cut down, may as well go chromoly if you're going to have them made. If they're cast a high nickle rod/wire is a must given what happens with a mud truck. It's never a bad idea to add a truss to both axles, if you're going to 4 link it you're going to have to anyways depending on the setup.

What I would do is sell what you have and get a set of 2.5 ton Rockwells, debrake them and run pinion brakes. Forget about the 44" tires and buy a set of 14.9/24 (50ish inches) tractor tires and never drive it on the road or get a set of military take offs I believe they're around 54". Neither of those tires will cause a problem with the Rockwells. If you're hell bent on running the 44s just get a different set of rims. Ditching the Ford axles for a real set of axles now will save you a lot of time and headace down the road, I promise.

 

With 1500 HP and dual 44” rear tires no cut down stock axle shaft is going going to live.

the stock S135 rear shafts are 36 spline 1.71 diameter... you rip out those cut splines like butter.

at the very least a set of 300m shafts which will likely need to be custom made. ( not a big deal to make and only about $700 a set )

but to be honest..... I have my doubts that axle is the right setup for 1500 hp and dual 44s

 

It's not.... definitely not. I missed the dual 44s on the rear part and was typing when he said 1500 hp. Buddy you're talking planaterie axles now. 1 tons shouldn't even be though of at this point.
I still stick to my first sentence

 

Before I spend a bunch of time detailing how to narrow a axle.... since you didn’t answer the width question.

do you realize you are going to have to narrow the the axle to the point that leaf springs will no longer work ?

what suspension are you planning on ?

 

its not 1500hp, 1000hp is the limit, swamps says they throw in their own custom set of tunes but the 20+ year powerstroke mechanic guy thats helping me do all of this has a dyno track to make sure any destructive torque is thoroughly tuned out, and i vaguely remember hearing rockwells thanks for bringing that back to my attention actually.

 

at 1500 hp even 2.5 Rockwell’s are going to fail... I agree, 5 ton Rockwell’s with planetaries at the wheels hub.

I have build some Bitchen axles in my day but 1500 hp and 44’s are outside my wheelhouse ( pun intended ) ..... best bet is call Oversons or if you want a set of custom built badass axles that will get the job done call Steve @ https://differentialengineering.com/

 

“any destructive torque is tuned out”

ok....that was just to funny not to quote.
Either your mechanic has been on crack for 20 years or you are just the guy P.T. Barnum made his famous saying about.

 

im having a custom 4 link done to it and doing a coilover suspension setup to yes accomadate the rear axle being capable of running dual 44s, saw some forums discussing the upgrade to the 05 f450/550 super dana 60 front axle conversion, and was looking into that as well, and yes please go into great detail of how to narrow the axle,

im not doing this alone, i know im probably looking like a ******* on here, but im simply just doing what research i can to help bring to the table to the others with much more experience then me to help build the truck.

 

Even using every custom 300m part made and 40 spline 300m shafts no Dana 60 based axle is going to live with 1000hp and 44’s

end of story no if ands or buts. Been there do that and wrote the $15,000 check to prove it.

 

hahahaha this savage, is there not damaging torque to an extent to where tuning is a legit thing to have and not just throwing on the best turbos injectors and horsepower money can buy and hitting the road?

i mean dude youre clearly way hella smarter and a wealth of knowledge far greater then me in this area, im a greenhorn fng to you dude, and im also not alone in building this, im just the dude who knows enough to get by with help from others like you to build this truck and not have it implode and for it to last a good decent while, so any information im super grateful for, for sure.

 

Tuning can certainly clean up and or alter the powerband but at 1000Hp the amount of torque you will be producing is going to obliterate any drivetrain part that in any way resembles something you can find on a stock truck.

getting stock axles to live with stock power and 44’s is a feat..... getting them to live with high HP and torque ( which in my world is 700ish ) requires wheelbarrows of cash. A fully built 60 front is going to run upward of $15,000 and it is going to puke it’s guts with your setup.

my best suggestion is to call Steve at differential engineering I link to above.

 

alright, right on, then whats pushing the rear dana s135 and front dana 60 reverse axles on the f550 to the max horsepower capable of? and 2.5 - 5 ton rockwells and rebraking are for sure the thing to do for optimal axle longevity, or calling steve at www.differentialengineering.com like suggested earlier, so this dude could build me some beast dually axles being run custom to 44s all capable of the upwards near 1000hp?

and look im pretty sure and know the other dudes im working with know most of all what to do and what it takes they said they have done it before, perhaps not this exact type of build but for the cutting/narrowi g of the axles the dude knows his stuff, the next phone call and meeting and email i send im wanting to solidly know and have learned some things as well, everything entailed in building mud trucks and learning and the day its all put together and racing it is awesome man.