Locking front hub's

[MOstrowski]

Last Sunday when rotating my tires, I noticed that my left front u-joint needed to be replaced(at only 70k). I started thinking about lockout hubs, and how they would have afforded me the chance to keep on driving for a while without worrying about the u-joint.



Is dynatrac the only company offering locking hubs for the 3rd gen trucks? $1800+u-joints could really put a dent in a guy's Smarty fund :{

Michael

 

[Hercules130]

I would be interested in a group buy, lets get this ball rolling.

 

[ACoffel]

I was very interested , but I already placed my order last week. That's the story of

my life . I should have waited another week and got in on this with you guys , but I

didn't think there was much interest until now . I hope you guys can pull this together !

 

[steved]

Last Sunday when rotating my tires, I noticed that my left front u-joint needed to be replaced(at only 70k). I started thinking about lockout hubs, and how they would have afforded me the chance to keep on driving for a while without worrying about the u-joint.



Is dynatrac the only company offering locking hubs for the 3rd gen trucks? $1800+u-joints could really put a dent in a guy's Smarty fund :{

Michael

It was rumored during our group buy about another company offering the same type of kit, but I'm not sure if anyone ever really pursued it... IIRC, it was later "found out" that this "mystery" company was actually the source of the dynatrac kit (dynatrac possibly bought it from them??)... there was a link to it and a writeup on that site as well, but I cannot remember what the company name was it was... someone found it surfing the net. There was not a significant savings associated with it BTW.



Oh, and the reason for the premature joint failure must be the manufacturer... mine were both shot at 70k (actually EVERY joint was bad at 70k)... my dad is still running his original spicers in his 99 ram, with only 250k on them... he has replaced only ONE ujoint in 250k. I replaced mine with greaseable Napa's (said to be made by Precision)...



steved

 

[CumminSense]

just a note on Race427's fuel saving calc above on the Dynatrac kit:



You're not "yielding" 17 MPG gain with the kit. Most are reporting 1 - 1. 5 MPG gain. I'll assume the more conservative number, 1 MPG gain.



I get 18 MPG average now, so if the kit got me up to 19 MPG, that means I'd save 1/18th of a gallon every 19 miles.



So I'd have to travel 19 miles 18 times to save 1 gallon -- that's 342 miles. So in that 342 miles I'd save $3. 25 (avg cost of fuel in my area).



At this fuel price, $1800 kit cost is equal to 554 gallons. Since I have to go 342 miles to save one gallon, that's 189,000 miles traveled to save the cost of the kit. Yikes!



Obviously the value in the kit is not in fuel savings, but rather reduction in chances of failures, savings on replacement of non-servicable bearings, and reported smoother ride.



-- Steve

 

[RJWEST]

EMS Offroad Custom 4x4 Fabrications

another source

 

[steved]

At this fuel price, $1800 kit cost is equal to 554 gallons. Since I have to go 342 miles to save one gallon, that's 189,000 miles traveled to save the cost of the kit. Yikes!

-- Steve

But the more you pay for fuel in your area, added to the ever increasing cost of fuel, nets a quicker return.

Consider the fact that fuel was around $1. 75/gallon when I purchased my kit... that's makes a significant difference... and then there are the guys who bought the kit when fuel was $1/gallon!!!

Plus, a lot of us intend to keep our trucks for a lot longer than 189k.

And at least there is a point where the cost is offset by the savings... unlike SOME toys we buy!

steved

 

[glhs]

This kit would be getting paid off quickly this year.

Something that needs to be factored in is the money spent towards replacement oem parts, could be used to buy this kit.



Any other kits out there now?

 

[Byrdseye]

I have a new Dynatrac kit for sale in the classifieds... ... ... .....

 

[steved]

This kit would be getting paid off quickly this year.

Something that needs to be factored in is the money spent towards replacement oem parts, could be used to buy this kit.



Any other kits out there now?

Dynatrac and EMS offroad are the only two I know of... but its not like I research it.



Dynatrac should market an "economy" version of their kit that uses 30-spline stubs and hubs as most of us wanting this kit would never need 35-spline stubs and hubs... I know I haven't, they barely get used as it is...

 

[brods]

Solid Axle makes a hub kit worth looking into. Solid Axle Industries



If the Solid kit comes mostly assembled that is a big time saver. The EMS kit comes with redrilled Ford spindles (overlapping the original holes ) and a bag of loose parts which must be assembled. Don't know about the Dynatrac kit. It sounds like it is hit or miss if the studs and races are installed in the hub before Dynatrac ships it.

 

[AMcCormick]

The spindles where assembled in my kit but not the studs. As said earlier the black paint gets a bit rusty. Everything else is really nice. Time consuming to install but not all that difficult. Expensive upgrade that I would not have done if not for bad u-joints and ball joints. Wanted to do things right from the start. I replaced a couple front u-joints on my old 2nd gen half ton. As far as mpg goes I did this shortly after I got the truck so no real info there.