8:09 pm
Hey, my dad and I are going to upgrade our jeep for the next summer. We will be getting a teralow 4:1 kit for the t-case and an axle upgrade. We have been thinking of a Dana 44 rear axle from companies like Dynatrac and Currie, but dont know what would be best. We need a rear locker also. We would like to get this stuff asap, so we can be ready once wheelin season starts. We have also been thinking of finding some dana 44's from a rubicon and upgrading both front and rear. We will eventually be running 35's, but its on 33's for now. What are your thoughts on this, either getting a rear axle like Dynatrac with some upgrades and a locker, or just find some stock dana 44's out of a rubicon that someone is selling? We are kinda stuck on what to get. Thanks for any help!
8:39 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline My ususal advice is to look at a HP Dana 60 for the rear. While it may be too big for the 33s you're running now, it will be great with the 35s you plan to run later. 35s are about as big as you want to run on a Dana 44, so you are spending a lot of money just to be maxed out on tire size. The Dana 44 is a low pinion, so you are always concerned about damaging your rear driveline. Never, ever put a HP Dana 44 in the rear of your Jeep. A built Dana 60 rear axle isn't much more than a built Dana 44 rear axle and then you aren't limited on tire size.
Skip the Rubicon axle swap, unless you're getting the axles for free. The rear axle isn't any different than a standard TJ D44 rear axle except the cheap locker. The front isn't too much different than a standard TJ Dana 30 front axle except the larger ring gear and the cheap locker. It's just not worth the extra cost.
The Tera 4:1 is a nice kit. I've abused mine for about five years now. It is a great modification and makes wheeling so much easier.
Another nice (probably nicer) upgrade is to get a Rubicon Rocktrack transfer case. They are 4:1 and strong as all get out.
Of course for a few pennies more you can get the Atlas and be set for life. It is really the best option.
It all comes down to how much $$$ you want to spend and planning for the future. If you ever plan on going BIG with the Jeep then it's worth it to spend the money now, it'll save you a fortune in the long run. I wish I'd went with Dana 60s and an Atlas right off the bat. It would have saved me thousands in the long run.
Of course you can get by just fine with a D44 rear, D30 front, Lockers, Tera 4:1, and 35" tires.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
9:28 pm
Another option to consider instead of the Currie/Dynatrac would be to have an axle built locally. Larry had work done by WFO in Auburn and they seem to run a pretty good shop. I had my old 60 built by River City Differentials and it was plenty stout. You could pull a housing from a junk yard and go from there. You wouldn't have the bling of the other axles, but I think it would save a few bucks and be just as strong.
Oh yeah...If you're going to spend the money to build a rear axle, make it a 60.
5:24 pm
http://sacramento.craigslist.o.....67668.html
Rear D60 for $175
Would take additional work to set up for a Jeep, and I have no idea what kind of shape it's in
6:03 pm
"gamfam" wrote: http://sacramento.craigslist.o.....67668.html
Rear D60 for $175
Would take additional work to set up for a Jeep, and I have no idea what kind of shape it's in
Looks like it would make a real good candidate for a local build. As a referece point, I paid about $100 for just the housing - you'll likely just toss the rest of it. I got the HD version.
11:24 pm
Thanks for all the info. I will look into the price diff. of a 60, and check out what would work best. I dont know what to do with the front 30, but i have heard they hold fairly good sized tires like up to 35's or so? We won't have a locker in it.
11:53 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline "Norcal crawler" wrote: Thanks for all the info. I will look into the price diff. of a 60, and check out what would work best. I dont know what to do with the front 30, but i have heard they hold fairly good sized tires like up to 35's or so? We won't have a locker in it.
We ran a build D30 with an ARB on 37's for 3 years without a problem. You mainly need to keep the u-joints greased and know when to run the ARB and when to leave it open. Ours had manual hubs, the Warn outers and Superior inners, plus the ARB and 4.88 gears. We ran the Rubicon (all the way across), Barett, Dusy, Fordyce multiple times with the jeep. We never broke. This doesn't include what the previous owner ran (I know he ran the Rubicon many times, plus MOAB trails.
2:20 am
"JohnDF" wrote: My ususal advice is to look at a HP Dana 60 for the rear.
hey john, i've heard that a hp dana 60 in the rear it would be weaker because of the reverse cut gears. so wouldn't it be better just to put a regular 60 in?
"BKGM Jeepers" wrote: We ran a build D30 with an ARB on 37's for 3 years without a problem. You mainly need to keep the u-joints greased and know when to run the ARB and when to leave it open. Ours had manual hubs, the Warn outers and Superior inners, plus the ARB and 4.88 gears. We ran the Rubicon (all the way across), Barett, Dusy, Fordyce multiple times with the jeep. We never broke. This doesn't include what the previous owner ran (I know he ran the Rubicon many times, plus MOAB trails.
i think a 30 is just a waste of money. with all that money into it and it's just as strong as a stock 44 and still weaker gears. just my opinion. :dunno:
3:06 am
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline A HP D60 in the rear is pleanty strong enough to run 40" tires and get on it pretty hard. Tons of the comp buggies run 'em. Of course a LP D60 would be stronger but then you have to worry about your driveline hanging down. A busted driveline will stop your rig just as fast as a broken axle. Ask Keane 
The front D30 is a debate point. I'd personally put something stronger up there but I'm sure it will do just fine with 35s. I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it though.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
2:02 pm
"JohnDF" wrote: A busted driveline will stop your rig just as fast as a broken axle. Ask Keane
Having repaired both on the trail I'd repair a driveline over a pinion anyday! A broken driveline is usually all about driver error. 
I'm not convinced the HP is worth the cash. How much height do you actually gain? At what cost? As I remember the answers were, "not much" and "a lot". I put a LP in the Cruiser. Maybe it's more critical in a heep with the shorter wheelbase.
2:16 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline "Bender" wrote:
I'm not convinced the HP is worth the cash. How much height do you actually gain? At what cost?.
You can ask this after spending umpteen hundred dollars on lifts and larger tires?
My driveline sits higher than my control arms and it's very unlikely that I'll hit it under most situations.
There's a reason that all the aftermarket manufacturers are producing high pinions, they are really strong and offer a little more security. I'm not saying that a low pinion wouldn't work 'just fine', but if all I wanted was "just fine" I'd be running Lockright lockers, TSL tires, and driving a Toyota 
I used to wheel a lot. . .
2:40 pm
"JohnDF" wrote: [quote="Bender"]
I'm not convinced the HP is worth the cash. How much height do you actually gain? At what cost?.
You can ask this after spending umpteen hundred dollars on lifts and larger tires?
:dunno:
I'm actually not sure what housing this is, but it seems to be pretty typical of what I remember the difference between a HP and LP when I was looking.
2:48 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline Read my edits above
Here's some info from a tech article I found...
Is there any other advantage to a high pinion? Yes, the driveshaft location tends to be noticeably higher because it is above the centerline of the ring gear, as much as 4-5" higher in some vehicles. This can be an advantage where ground clearance is important, and also a better driveline angle can be acheived. This can be especially important on shorter driveshaft vehicles such as Jeeps, which tend to devolop driveline vibrations when lifted above 4" with a low pinion axle.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
3:14 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline "JohnDF" wrote: A HP D60 in the rear is pleanty strong enough to run 40" tires and get on it pretty hard. Tons of the comp buggies run 'em. Of course a LP D60 would be stronger but then you have to worry about your driveline hanging down. A busted driveline will stop your rig just as fast as a broken axle. Ask Keane
The front D30 is a debate point. I'd personally put something stronger up there but I'm sure it will do just fine with 35s. I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it though.
I agree that a 44 is stronger than a 30, but if your focus is on the gears, you're missing other areas. The U-joint is a weakspot for both the 44 an the 30. My worry on a 30 would be the thin axle tubes. I would bet that's where they'd fail. The only gear problems I've had is breaking teeth on a LP44. Also, I don't see much of an arguement to running a 44 up front because you still face weak u-joints. The cost between a 60 and a 44 now is fairly reasonable.
You can spend enough money on a 30 to buy a 44. We ran ours because it came already built with the jeep. I agree with John that you should balance what you spend with what you get.
3:18 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline "JohnDF" wrote: Read my edits above
Here's some info from a tech article I found...
Is there any other advantage to a high pinion? Yes, the driveshaft location tends to be noticeably higher because it is above the centerline of the ring gear, as much as 4-5" higher in some vehicles. This can be an advantage where ground clearance is important, and also a better driveline angle can be acheived. This can be especially important on shorter driveshaft vehicles such as Jeeps, which tend to devolop driveline vibrations when lifted above 4" with a low pinion axle.
The HP and LP pic is interesting, but Rob and John's are much higher than that picture. I believe even mine is higher than that. People running LP60's typically do it because of the money savings and not reliability.
3:34 pm
January 7, 2003
Offline If you are going to look into a HP and are considering strength you might as well consider a 9" with a Hi-9.
3:45 pm
"Howdy" wrote: If you are going to look into a HP and are considering strength you might as well consider a 9" with a Hi-9.
8)
4:22 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline "Howdy" wrote: If you are going to look into a HP and are considering strength you might as well consider a 9" with a Hi-9.
I'd definately run one those with 35 splines 😈
I used to wheel a lot. . .
7:46 pm
"BKGM Jeepers" wrote: The HP and LP pic is interesting, but Rob and John's are much higher than that picture. I believe even mine is higher than that. People running LP60's typically do it because of the money savings and not reliability.
I'd be interested in seeing some pics. I could probably dig up some pics of my old low pinion. It was in a Toyota...with TSLs. :nutkick:
7:53 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline pic of my axle...
I used to wheel a lot. . .
1:01 am
"JohnDF" wrote: pic of my axle...
Uhhh...here's one of mine that is about as useful for seeing the comparison between a HP and LP. 🙄
1:24 am
Check out this link for measurement differences for a bunch of measurements on high vs. low pinions:
http://www.truehi9.com/driveshaft2.html
From what I can gather they're saying that the difference between a LP and HP in a 60 is about 2.25" and the driveshaft is essentially the same length.
I agree that every inch helps, but I'm not sure it's as big a deal as people make it out to be.
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