Recently I have noticed a lot of questions asked about ½ ton dodge gearing/axles etc. Got some spare time… so I’ll put down all my knowledge, maybe someone will make this a sticky.
½ ton dodge axles.
Front axle.
Dana 44: Low pinion, uses STANDARD cut gear, reverse cut gear will not work in this axle as reverse cut gear are designed for high pinion axles. Remember order standard cut gear NOT reverse cut for the stock Dana 44.
Typically a stock truck will have 3.55, 3.92 or 4.10 gear. When regearing some things come up with the Dana 44.
The Dana 44 has a carrier split. The purpose of a carrier split is because as you go to lower gear(higher numerically) the pinion gear head gets smaller(Less tooth count to allow for lower ratio) at a certain point it gets to the point where it is to small and the ring gear have to be somehow moved closer to the pinion gear.
This is where THICK gear or a different carrier comes into play. A Dana 44 has a carrier split between 3.73 and 3.92.
The stock carrier in a dodge is a 3.73 and higher(numerically lower) carrier. This means that if you are going past 3.73 you have to do one of two things. (For this example I will say we are regearing from 3.55 to 4.56 as this is a common thing.)
A- Get yourself a 3.92 and lower(numerically higher) carrier and purchase NORMAL 4.56 gear.
Or
B- Get use your stock carrier (3.73 and higher) and purchase yourself “THICK” 4.56 gear.
YOU DO NOT GET A 3.92 AND LOWER CARRIER AND THICK GEAR, THIS WILL NOT WORK!!! AND YOU DO NOT USE YOUR STOCK CARRIER WITH “NORMAL” GEAR AS THIS WILL NOT WORK TOO!!!
Either way will work, usually getting thick gear is lower in cost. There is no advantage or disadvantage to one or the other, no physical strength or anything as far as I know.
Now you say… but my truck has 4.10 or 3.92 gear from the factory, does this mean I have a 3.92 and lower carrier?
NO… as far as my knowledge serves me ALL dodges that did not have 3.55 gear had THICK gear, so you have a THICK 4.10 or 3.92 gear with a 3.73 and higher carrier stock.
Dodge Ram ½ ton trucks have a limited gear ratio, for a long time it was 4.56 but recently(March 2006) you can now go down to 4.88. People are typically misinformed about this and believe that the Dana 44 will not go lower.
THIS IS NOT TRUE… a Dana 44 has a max low gear of somewhere around 5.13 or 5.38(don’t remember)
The rear axle (Chrysler 9.25) is limiting factor in the Dodge gear ratio. Which brings me to my next thing.
Rear axle : Chrysler 9.25:
Unlike the Dana 44 a Chrysler 9.25 does not have a carrier split, which means you don’t have to worry about thick gear / carrier.
The lowest gear ratio currently available for the Chrysler 9.25 is 4.88s.
LOCKER and Posi’s.
(I’ll use the term locking, but this means using either a locker or a posi)
If you really get into wheeling your truck you will soon learn that traction aids are your best friend. There are a few things you need to know about the ½ trucks and these units.
I’ll start with the rear axle.
The Chrysler 9.25 is not a common axle.. by this I mean(as far as I know) it has been put into 3 different vehicles, the Dakota, ½ ton Ram, and the Durango. Since it does not have many applications, and the fact that it is a C-clip axle(something commonly avoided when upgrading to different axles) the Chrysler 9.25 does not have a lot of aftermarket parts.
If you have a stock LSD(limited slip differential) the unit is a “Dana Trac-loc” … sometimes referred to as a “Trash-lock” In my personally opinion it is a good unit, if you are running stock tires on the street and need a LSD for snow etc. I had one stock, put 33s on the truck and blew the springs up doing donuts in a snowy parking lot.
There are really a limited amount of traction aids available for the 9.25. People do use Auburn posi’s but the most common upgrade is the Detroit Locker. This unit is just about the only locker that is available for the 9.25(other than a lock right but sometimes they don’t last in the rear axles of full size trucks), but you are not to worry as it is a DAMN good unit, it a carrier style locker which means you replace your stock carrier with it, and you do not have to mess with install it inside your stock carrier like a lunch box locker.
The Chrysler 9.25 is a pretty stout axle and is uncommon, but not impossible to break it, it is comparable in strength to a Dana 60 rear. So locking this axle usually is not a problem unless you start putting some very large tires on it or wheel hard.
Now the front. The Dana 44, a good axle but not the best under a ½ ton truck.
When purchasing lockers/posi’s for this axle you have to remember that if you purchase a “carrier” style locker, you will have to specify which side of the split you want (read above) otherwise you will get the wrong one and it won’t install right.
There are commonly two was of locking up the front axle.
A- Use a posi’s or a non selectable locker like a Detroit or a Lock Right, by non selectable this means you done not physically control when it locks, the thing locks on its own when it feels wheels slipping.
In addition to this, it is recommended you get a Posi-Lok cable to replace the CAD vacuum unit. The posi-lok will allow you to manually engage and disengage the passenger side axle shaft(stock it is vacuum engaged when you throw the T-case shifter into 4wd)… this is needed on a trail when making a sharp turn with a front locker, by disengaging the axle shaft you relieve the pressure on the front axle.
B- Get a selectable locker, E-locker, ARB, OX. Selectable locker means you can physically control when the locker locks, by a switch on the dash or a cable. Before I go into detail about why these are better, I will tell you they are significantly more expensive than non-selectable ones. Benefits of these lockers are you can run an open diff whenever you want and lock it only when you need it, giving you complete control on the trails so you don’t have to worry about turns and risking breaking axle shafts/other parts, you can just disengage it and pretend its not there and then turn it on when you want to.
Some pointers about locking up our Dana 44s. A lot of people are against this as you increase the stress on this axle which is already stressed out by the weight of the truck and the different tire sizes. If you are planning on locking the axle up, the general run is not to go with tires larger than 35s. Going bigger increases the chances of breaking stuff with a locked front since bigger tires put a lot of strain on the axle.
Though this 35s rule is a “general” precaution it is not always true, there are many guys on this site running locked Dana 44s with 35 and smaller tires that have busted numerous things and there are guys running 38s that have never broke an axle shaft. It generally boils down to how you drive. If you are gas peddle happy you will greatly increase chances of breaking it.
Swapping to 1 ton axles is an option but I will not go into this as it is a whole other topic.
A lot of people look into upgrading the Dana 44 to make it stronger instead of swapping to 1 tons.
From my research here are some helpful pointers.
U-joints.
Stock U-joint is a Spicer 5-297x. If replacing, you can upgrade to a 5-760x which is said to be about 20% stronger, and will fit right in without any modifications. This is the biggest you can go stock.
Aftermarket full circle u-joints. Joints like CTM. These joints are upgraded stronger u-joints. They can be made to fit inside stock axle shafts with some grinding. There is one thing to know about these joints. They are not street friendly. They are designed for low speeds(trail use) and will wear about quickly if used at high speed(highway/road driving) And the also cost a lot.
Aftermarket axle shafts.
A lot of people ask about chromoly axles shafts for the Dana 44. I have personally looked into this and this is what I have found.
Our Dana 44 use unit bearing hub assemblies which means they stub shafts which have threads on the ends where the hub nut screws onto. Typically axles with manual locking hubs have full spline stub shafts. By this I mean the spline continues to the end of the stub shaft and doesn't stop and turn into threads.
Notice how in this picture.. the axle shaft.. which is sitting inside the knuckles has splines which turn into threads.
This is what our dodges have..
A full spline shaft looks like this.
As far as I know( I have called just about every company) NONE of them make chromoly stub shafts that are threaded, so basically they do not make them for our trucks.
You can however get custom chromoly inner shafts. But there is downside to this.. you will now have a stock stub shaft and an aftermarket inner shaft. Typically U-joints are what blow on an axle shaft, and take out the ears on the ends of the axle shafts. With the chromoly inners there is a less chance of breaking the ears, but since the stub shaft is still stock, it can break more likely. Now if you break that stub shaft, and want to purcahse a new one, sure, but new ones are expensive, so typically people buy used ones, but from what I have seen, no one sells just a "stub" shaft, they sell complete axle shafts (stub shaft+u-joint+inner shaft). So you have to decided if it pays off.
Not only that but when you increase the strenght of your axle shafts and u-joints, you make something else the weak spot, possibly your hubs, or even your ring and pinion. Personally I'd rather blow a u-joint and carrier spare shafts than have my ring and pinion gear bite the dust on the trail.
Changing from unit bearings to Manual Locking Hubs.
Supposely there is a kit out to convert our unit bearing hubs to manual locking hubs... by doing this you now run a full spline stub shaft(which means you can go chromoly) and there are also strenght benefits to manual locking hub assemblies. Only downsides they aren't as easy to replace as unit bearings(which come out as one piece not individual bearings) and also if you break a u-joint on the trail. For me I have to take off 3 bolts the hub nut and the brakes and I can replace the axle shafts. With MLH, you have to undo all the bearings etc. Its really a personal preference.
Quote:On 2007-03-23 23:00, Mikeg1005 wrote:
Upgrading The Dana 44.
A lot of people look into upgrading the Dana 44 to make it stronger instead of swapping to 1 tons.
From my research here are some helpful pointers.
U-joints.
Stock U-joint is a Spicer 5-297x. If replacing, you can upgrade to a 5-760x which is said to be about 20% stronger, and will fit right in without any modifications. This is the biggest you can go stock.
Aftermarket full circle u-joints. Joints like CTM. These joints are upgraded stronger u-joints. They can be made to fit inside stock axle shafts with some grinding. There is one thing to know about these joints. They are not street friendly. They are designed for low speeds(trail use) and will wear about quickly if used at high speed(highway/road driving) And the also cost a lot.
Aftermarket axle shafts.
A lot of people ask about chromoly axles shafts for the Dana 44. I have personally looked into this and this is what I have found.
Our Dana 44 use unit bearing hub assemblies which means they stub shafts which have threads on the ends where the hub nut screws onto. Typically axles with manual locking hubs have full spline stub shafts. By this I mean the spline continues to the end of the stub shaft and doesn't stop and turn into threads.
Notice how in this picture.. the axle shaft.. which is sitting inside the knuckles has splines which turn into threads.
As far as I know( I have called just about every company) NONE of them make chromoly stub shafts that are threaded, so basically they do not make them for our trucks.
You can however get custom chromoly inner shafts. But there is downside to this.. you will now have a stock stub shaft and an aftermarket inner shaft. Typically U-joints are what blow on an axle shaft, and take out the ears on the ends of the axle shafts. With the chromoly inners there is a less chance of breaking the ears, but since the stub shaft is still stock, it can break more likely. Now if you break that stub shaft, and want to purcahse a new one, sure, but new ones are expensive, so typically people buy used ones, but from what I have seen, no one sells just a "stub" shaft, they sell complete axle shafts (stub shaft+u-joint+inner shaft). So you have to decided if it pays off.
Not only that but when you increase the strenght of your axle shafts and u-joints, you make something else the weak spot, possibly your hubs, or even your ring and pinion. Personally I'd rather blow a u-joint and carrier spare shafts than have my ring and pinion gear bite the dust on the trail.
Changing from unit bearings to Manual Locking Hubs.
Supposely there is a kit out to convert our unit bearing hubs to manual locking hubs... by doing this you now run a full spline stub shaft(which means you can go chromoly) and there are also strenght benefits to manual locking hub assemblies. Only downsides they aren't as easy to replace as unit bearings(which come out as one piece not individual bearings) and also if you break a u-joint on the trail. For me I have to take off 3 bolts the hub nut and the brakes and I can replace the axle shafts. With MLH, you have to undo all the bearings etc. Its really a personal preference.
MIke.
Dana 44 Chromoly Axle Shafts
Click on image to zoom.-NITRO Dana 44 Chromoly Axle Shafts
Upgrade your DANA 44 to these Nitro chromoly shafts with this kit which includes:
-30 spline inner Chromoly shafts
-19 Spline Chromoly Outer shafts
-Alloy USA X-joint w/ full-circle clips
- Lifetime Warranty on the axle shafts
These are high quality shafts at a fair price comparable to Alloy Usa shafts
Select Application in drop down
Price: $580.00 .I didnt no how to do the (CLICK HERE) this might b something diffrent.
Quote:On 2009-07-11 09:19, Maddog Forever wrote:
Grapeape, that kit is probably for older dana 44s. I thought 2nd Gen dodge dana 44s had 30 spline outers, not 19.
your probly right i saw that stuff on http://www.AccuAutoParts.COM while i was searching y-day. im such a over acheaver
Quote:On 2009-07-11 19:17, LegendKiller89 wrote:
Hey Mike thanks for posting this, answered alot of my questions that I've had just never asked. Thanks bud.
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im such a over acheaver 
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