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XJ with D60 rear

Whats wrong with a 9"? I"m running a 31 spline,full width,nodular 3rd member,detriot,514 geared 9" with 38" swampers. Got all sorts of clearence,no shaving,disc are cheap and easy to regear, not to mention can be picked up very cheap. I went the eight lug route for awhile just for the bling factor,but truth be known, my xj has never done better with the 9" ,hp44 combo in it now. Those who have wheeled with me know I will fully get it and at the risk of breaking something this weekend, I have yet to replace anything in the 9". The 44 on the other hand required $800 worth of warn shafts and ctm joints to get it to stay together in the front. If I was going with a 60 again, it would be in front...
 
I like the flat bottom better, but I've never run the Pro Rock. I've had plenty who have followed me say they were surprised at what I was able to slide over. You might miss more with the Pro Rock, but I sort of doubt it because most rocks are bigger and you hang up on the lowest point on the diff.

As far as a 9" goes, this thread is about D60's, no one has said anything negative about a 9". I like that a 9" is lighter, and it has good clearance if it's shaved. I wouldn't run a low pinion 9" because the driveline is too exposed to damage for my tastes, especially since I drive mine to and from the trails. The high pinion 9" with the 8.8 is very good, but I've blown a D44 ring and pinion which is 8.5" ring gear, so I wouldn't be happy with a reverse cut 8.8". I want those big D60 gears. For the same reason, I want 35 spline axle shafts.....I want to get home no matter what. SeanP broke Dutchman 31 spline 9" shafts at Johnson Valley last Nov, I'll stick with my 35 spliners. :)
 
The only 35 spline SF D60 I know of is from J4000 pickups. They are not c-clip though. Are there newer units you are talking about Goatman that are c-clip, I am unaware of them?

My 60 is from a 68 Ford F-100 Heavy Half (5/8 ton). It's 30 spling, semi-floating, and 60" wms to wms. It's also got the Ford small axle bearing ends and 5x5.5 pattern. I am only using the housing for this and replacing the ends with large bearing ford ends. The axles will be Dutchman 35 splines with a spool and 5.13s.

The bottom is shaved 1.25" with out touching the ring gear. I shaved it right below the 2 cover bolts on either side. I also shaved it at an angle to gain more clearance with less modification.

As for 9", you can get 40 spline axles when using a spool. Or 35 with a Detroit or spool, and soon, an ARB.
 
Well, I found a semi-floating D60 that was 8 lug. We pulled it apart to see what it had, and it was 35 spline with c-clips. I called around to see what I could learn about them and was told that there are some semi-floating D60's for some applications, and that they are 35 spline and use c-clips, and are rarely used to build axles out of. I already knew that the full float D60's were 30 spline.

That's all I can tell you. I'm not an expert on D60's, in this case I'm just repeating what I found and what I was told.
 
You guys all would swat a fly with a sledgehammer, too.... wouldn't ya? :D

I have the 9" out back, and aside from a high pinion adaptation, I'm relatively happy. I read one of the rags now says Tera is offering reverse spirals of the D60 for rear applications. That seems like a good use for a D60 out back. It'll kinda make up for the strength one loses in a reverse spiral gear that is used in the rear.

Other than that, I honestly think it matches the above description.

John, my shop is still available if you promise not to leave it there for more than a week. ;)
 
OneTonXJ said:
All the housings that I've shaved are exactly the same. I won't do it if someone is afraid to cut down the ring gear. I just don't see the point in doing it, if you're not willing to gain the full potential. Here's a shot of how she looks now.

Sean
Click to expand...

How much ring gear need to be cut? How much do you charge to do this mod? I was very suprised to hear that D60 30 spline shafts are the same dia. as D44. It doesn't make sense to put a 60 in without upgrading to 35 spline shafts.

Ah yes....wheel mounting surface.....it all makes sense now.

I just checked out the Dutchman website. Their stuff is reasonable. Is the quality good? What about Moser, Strange, etc? Anyone have experience with any of the above?
 
flexj said:
...I was very suprised to hear that D60 30 spline shafts are the same dia. as D44. It doesn't make sense to put a 60 in without upgrading to 35 spline shafts....
Click to expand...

Two words my friend: FULL FLOAT
naughty.gif


Spare 30 spline shafts are 40 bucks a pair and with the full floater they take 5 mins to replace... I'll try my luck with the 30 spliners ;)
 
ExtremeMopar said:

Spare 30 spline shafts are 40 bucks a pair and with the full floater they take 5 mins to replace... I'll try my luck with the 30 spliners ;)
Click to expand...

You must have never broken a shaft on the trail. Sure it's quick to change a good shaft, but you'll need to get the broken, twisted, wedged into the side gears splined stub out before you can put the spare shaft in. As often as we've tried it, with every type of magnet available, I've never seen the broken stub of a shaft come out without pulling the carrier.
 
Goatman said:
You must have never broken a shaft on the trail. Sure it's quick to change a good shaft, but you'll need to get the broken, twisted, wedged into the side gears splined stub out before you can put the spare shaft in. As often as we've tried it, with every type of magnet available, I've never seen the broken stub of a shaft come out without pulling the carrier.
Click to expand...

And it is possible to break a full floater shaft? I thought this enviable process of converting to a full float design was to eliminate half of the stress on the shafts, and let us only have to worry about torque from the engine.....



:confused:
 
Goatman said:
You must have never broken a shaft on the trail. Sure it's quick to change a good shaft, but you'll need to get the broken, twisted, wedged into the side gears splined stub out before you can put the spare shaft in. As often as we've tried it, with every type of magnet available, I've never seen the broken stub of a shaft come out without pulling the carrier.
Click to expand...

:( Wellllll..... who asked you anyways?!







J/K - you make a good point :o
 
Full float is a huge plus for hauling heavy loads but on the trail it helps in some situations not all.

Basically if you have a failure where the shaft shears right at the end where the tire bolts on a full float axle would of helped significantly. This type of failure would be from a shock load, heavy weight dropped down a ledge or a truckload of cement.

However a twisting failure (torque related) a full float does nothing or very little to prevent. Twisted splines or shafts that break inside the housing, like Richard pointed out are torque related.

Full float is nice to have but in a jeeping world they make "precious little diffrence" in the typical torque induced breakage.

I know standard 60 shafts are 30 spline like a dana 44 but are they the same diameter also? I would assume so but am not sure.
 
I believe full float makes a noticable difference. My key reason being longevity of parts due to non weight related fatigue. Ok, that makes little sense, but you'll figure it out.

There are other good qualities. While I do have to remove the carrier to get that %^&*in' broken stub out, I don't have to risk life and limb by using the venerable wobbly hi-lift to remove the tires and brake systems. I can have my other shaft pulled, diff cover off, and carrier bearing caps off before you even have a tire off. While I'm popping the carrier out and finding the bfh and hunk of steel rod to remove the broken stub, you're putting the tire you just took off under the frame so you can remove 1 side of your brakes. As I'm putting my carrier back in, you are starting to take your other tire off. Do you get where I'm going with this windbag story yet? I never had to move my vehicle, and if I did there is absolutely no worry of my tire even remotely falling off.

The big drawback- 8 lugs, if you can call that a drawback :D

Sean
 
Gary E said:
Full float is a huge plus for hauling heavy loads but on the trail it helps in some situations not all.

Basically if you have a failure where the shaft shears right at the end where the tire bolts on a full float axle would of helped significantly. This type of failure would be from a shock load, heavy weight dropped down a ledge or a truckload of cement.

However a twisting failure (torque related) a full float does nothing or very little to prevent. Twisted splines or shafts that break inside the housing, like Richard pointed out are torque related.

Full float is nice to have but in a jeeping world they make "precious little diffrence" in the typical torque induced breakage.

I know standard 60 shafts are 30 spline like a dana 44 but are they the same diameter also? I would assume so but am not sure.
Click to expand...

The shafts are the same diameter. The ring gear is 1.25" larger though and I believe the pinion is quite a bit beefier
 
I believe full float makes a noticable difference. My key reason being longevity of parts due to non weight related fatigue. Ok, that makes little sense, but you'll figure it out.
Click to expand...

A semi float axle only sees the weight of the vehicle from the wheel flange (or what ever you want to call what you bolt the wheel too :)) to the axle bearing. So you are saving wear on that portion of the shaft.

There are other good qualities. While I do have to remove the carrier to get that %^&*in' broken stub out, I don't have to risk life and limb by using the venerable wobbly hi-lift to remove the tires and brake systems. I can have my other shaft pulled, diff cover off, and carrier bearing caps off before you even have a tire off. While I'm popping the carrier out and finding the bfh and hunk of steel rod to remove the broken stub, you're putting the tire you just took off under the frame so you can remove 1 side of your brakes. As I'm putting my carrier back in, you are starting to take your other tire off. Do you get where I'm going with this windbag story yet? I never had to move my vehicle, and if I did there is absolutely no worry of my tire even remotely falling off.
Click to expand...

true. true I would rather have full float stuff myself, even with the 8 lugs;) People just need to understand how a full float does help. It helps for hauling heavy loads, and like you pointed out can be easier to fix on the trail. It does little or no help to torque related failures.

IMHO for a 1 ton rear axle either get a 14bolt that allready has 35 spline shafts or a 60 with 35spline shafts. otherwise a ford half ton rear (9 or 8.8) has more strength in the most common trail failure, a torque related shaft failure.

yes the 44 pinion can be a weak point. While regearing we compared my 8.8 4.10 pinion to a 60 4.10 pinion and they were really quite similar if anything the 8.8 may of had a slight edge.
 
D60 30 spline shafts (full floater) are 1.31", the same as a D44. D60 35 spline shafts (semi-floater) are 1.5". I agree with Sean that the full floating shafts do have an advantage, even for torque related breakage. On the semi-floater the shafts have two things to do, carry the weight and turn the wheels, and those two things can work against each other in some situations. Most axles break because of being in some kind of bind, something has to give if the tires can't turn. The semi-floating axle will have some sideways force on it as well as rotating force, and this can definitely add to the stress and increase the potential for breakage. The full floater axle only has to turn the wheels, and any sideways force or weight will go against the hub and bearings. I'm not saying it's a huge difference, I have no expertice in determining the actual forces involved, but it does give the full floater the ability to handle more torque than a semi-floating axle of the same size. There's a reason that a semi-floating D60 came with 1.5" axles and a full floater came with 1.31" axles......the engineers knew something about what they were doing.

I also have to agree with Sean about changing a broken axle, he makes a good point about how much easier it is to change a broken full floater than a semi-floater.
 
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