2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Locking Hubs!!!

[Cummins360]

Hi ok I'm going to be doing ball joints soon and wile everything is apart I figured I would go ahead and buy that locking hub conversion kit for my truck. My questions are:

1 Has anyone used these before and encountered any problems???

2 Where can I get them (I forgot the web sight)

3 do the rotors still get pressed on or do they slip on??? (floating)

I have had it with those stupid pressed together pieces of crap and I love how easy it is to service the front wheel bearings on my old toyota pickup with locking hubs and replaceable bearings and races.

-Travis

 

[nps]

Are those the electronically controlled hubs? Or the cheap, inferior mechanical ones?

 

[GBaines]

Manual hubs

http://www.dynatrac.com/products_freespin_dodge.html, this is the outfit that makes quality axils and has this kit for our Dodges. Replaces aplit right shaft and vacuum actuator. I am about to try a kit, for the reliability of solid axil shafts. No as convenient as stock though.

 

[Nate]

Aren't those kits like $1800?

 

[pwerwagn]

I think the price recently dropped a little (I thought I saw the cheap kit with small shafts for 1500$), but still waaaay to costly for the advantages IMO.

Id buy a ford 60 and put under mine long before Id spend that much money on a ball jointed/dana 44 axle'd dodge 60... .

 

[Cummins360]

Hi do the ford axles have king pins????? And how difficult would a swap like that be???

-Travis

 

[pwerwagn]

Yes, they do. I believe up to 92 or 93 fords use kingpin, high pinion d-60's.

the swap is pretty involved. but in my opinion, well worth it. You ditch the small 1. 31" shafts that our 60 has, you ditch the cad sleeve on the housing, and you get the kingpins and normal wheel bearings.



Now, if you were going to pay someone to perform this kinda swap, by the time you bought the axle, and payed for the fabrication, you may be better off just getting the dynatrac kit and living with the ball joints.



Oh yeah, if I remember correctly, you will end up with some lift by using the ford 60 also. I think the one swap I participated in, the only problem we had was the diff was closer to the knuckle than the dodge 60, so we had to raise the bottom coil mount alittle to make room. but that was on a 1/2 ton swap... .



--Jeff

 

[JGheen]

I recently bought the Dynatrac kit and it is great aside from the leaking passenger side inner axle seal. Dynatrac basically leaves that seal up to you to replace not to mention new wheel studs as well when it states on their parts kit that comes with the stuff it has them.

IMHO, the kit is nice and a great addition to get rid of the permanently locked hubs BUT... . the company Dynatrac has TERRIBLE customer service, it took me over 3 weeks to get my parts and I ended up having to drive to Dynatrac to pick up my parts because their stupid people they have working there are too freakin' lazy to put stuff on a UPS truck when all the stuff is ready to ship. They pushed me around for that 3 weeks saying they had the parts then they didn't, then they did and so on. After it was all said and done I told them to go screw themselves and would find parts else where from now on. Besides the only custom pieces out of the kit are the spindles and everything else is right from a basic Dana 60. They just mark up their stuff big time.

I personally wished I went with the Ford HP 60 as it would have cost me much less with a little more time. Plus I would have a proper free-spin 1 ton axle underneath instead of a Dodge conversion with a leaking axle seal that I cannot get to stop leaking no matter how many times it is replaced.

Anyway, just my $0. 02 and good luck with whatever you choose to do!



Joe

 

[pwerwagn]

I personally wished I went with the Ford HP 60 as it would have cost me much less with a little more time. Plus I would have a proper free-spin 1 ton axle underneath instead of a Dodge conversion with a leaking axle seal that I cannot get to stop leaking no matter how many times it is replaced.

Hey Joe, did you use the seal driver from quad 4x4 or someone else? I've heard it is really hard to get the inner seal to stop leaking unless you use the proper driver setup.

Did you do the 1. 5" 35spline upgraded outers as well, or just the base kit?



--Jeff

 

[JGheen]

Yeah, paid the extra and got the 35 spline inners as well.

I used the Quad 4x4 seal driver as you mentioned and it still leaks. I am pretty sure it has to do with the fact that the passenger side shaft is a one piece now and when I turn the wheels the knuckle moves around in the tube with the steering and basically oblongs the seal. I have a friend who works at a machine shop in Stockton with the same kit and he fixed the problem with a custom double lip seal and housing. I would personally like to just pull the axle out, polish the end by the differential and put a seal there but the Dodge axle would have to be reamed or something right there to get a seal in and I already tried installing a seal there and it will not work. I am gonna see if my buddy can make me up a seal like he has to get rid of this annoying leak.

It doesn't leak all the time or leave a huge puddle, just when you park on a hill and the passenger side is lower than the driver side making all the fluid run to the CAD side and out the leaking seal. Driving it does not leak or parking on level ground which is something I have recently got used to finding when parking. Dynatrac half *****ed this part of the design for this axle conversion and put no thought into keeping the oil out of the CAD side of the axle since there is no need with the one piece shaft.



Joe

 

[pwerwagn]

I know. I sure wish someone other than D-trac would make a spindle for dodges so we wouldnt have to deal with them.

Try getting an entire axle assy from them. its no walk in the park.



Has anybody ever mod'd a dodge cad 60 to accept a seal in the normal 60 position?? I wonder if someone over on pirate has...



--Jeff

 

[DAWG-1]

Hubs

I bought the kit when there was the group buy. I was very impressed with Steve and his customer service . I was the spindle ready for the kit to be installed on the weekend. When I went to press the studs in I found that somebody drilled the holes in one spindle to large. I called Steve at Dynatrac and told him what the problem was, he said he would ship it out. The spindle showed up the next day with a return tag in the box. Every time I have talked with him he has been ready to help.

I also changed the ball joints. I am still impressed at how the trucks rolls down the road much easier. The kit is complete and you dont have to try and find parts that dont belong. I like the brakes I have on my truck. I do wish I had a 2002 front axle, then I would not have the CAD. Sam

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

The DRW folks would be the ones really benefitting from the axle swap since Dynatrac doesn't make a kit for the DRWs.

 

[JGheen]

I was very impressed with Steve and his customer service Sam

Guess that BBB complaint worked out..... :-laf



Joe

 

[JGheen]

The DRW folks would be the ones really benefitting from the axle swap since Dynatrac doesn't make a kit for the DRWs.

Ahhh, but this is where you must do some searching as I did and their kit will work with a 3500 but you must use the AA-4 front wheel adapters from Arrowcraft conversions as well as switch your front wheels to the 8 on 6. 5" Ford wheel. I looked in the off-road forum from my old post and pics of my Dynatrac set-up with the wheel adapters and for some reason they took the thread out. Anyway, Dynatrac doesn't sell the kit but with a little searching it can be done.



Joe

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

That's great info Joe.



However, I'm running 19. 5s and am too happy with them to make the change.

 

[JGheen]

You can still run your 19. 5s but I don't think it would be a good idea to run the AA-4 adapter with the 19. 5" adapter. Just doesn't seem safe with an adapter on top of another adapter. . :-laf



Joe

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

There aren't any adapters with the Rickson 19. 5s. They are machined hub centric so adapters aren't needed. I'm not fond of the idea of using well adapters, or spacers for that matter.

 

[DAWG-1]

Do I know you

Guess that BBB complaint worked out..... :-laf



Joe

You got to be pulling my leg .



I am uaware of any BBB complaints at Dynatrac. I have not had any problem so why would I check. I reread you post and now see why you posted that. Sorry you did not get the service you thought you should have .



I am in the process of getting an ARB locker for the front. I will then purchase the one piece 35 spline axles. Sam

 

[JGheen]

No pulling your leg, Dynatrac has the worst customer service. They even charged me a couple bucks for some different axle shaft snap rings since they supplied the wrong ones with the kit I got. I couldn't believe that after spending over 2K with them, they couldn't just send me the right parts. Not to mention the bold face lying that I encountered during the entire 3 weeks of waiting for parts that they were too lazy to put on the UPS truck.

I will never buy anything from them again, product they sold me is stellar too bad they can't back up the product with quality customer service.



Joe