does anybody know why the 80 to 85 dana 60 is undisierable, just wondering cause one is close to me, for sale. Rhino buggie looks good
They are not "undesirable" - I've got a 90' under mine, no difference from my father's 86' either. D60's are just huge, when you see one in person next to a D44 there is no going back. All this 78-79 bullsh!t that flies around making the installs easier is just that - %)
You CAN fit c wedges on a 80'+ axle, but most people who swap to a D60 will not be using the factory arm setup unless you have exsisting Cage arms, but that is easily fixed by purchasing the weld on brackets that bolt to the arms.
As for balljoints - these axles were designed to survive under a diesel truck, people don't complain about having balljoints in a D44, so what is the big deal about 1 ton balljoints? The only real disadvantage is the lack of easy high-steer. I've got a newer D60 with balljoints and unit bearing's I'm building - changing an axle shaft will be a piece of cake with only 4 nuts and 2 bolts to get the shaft out after the wheel is off... As for the bolt spacing - easily fixed by popping out the studs, drilling your own pattern and popping them back in - there is a lot of room on the flange to either leave the old holes or weld them up, machine flat and put your new pattern of choice back on.