F350 straight front axel

[SORTIE]

I saw a really plain stock '97 F350 today that interests me.

The seller told me it had a straight front axel, which was very desirable.

What makes it so valuable?

 

[gatorman21218]

You mean a Dana 60? They are considered much better than the Dana 44 Non solid axle that is in the F-250s. Some here have swapped them out. If you can get it for a reasonable price I'm sure someone here would buy it.

 

[SORTIE]

was a D60 front a heavy-duty F350 option?

must make the ride alot stiffer

this F350 also had an "off-road" designation (which I don't need, I'll just be towing a 5,500# boat/trailer combo)

I would think you'd want a two-piece front axle for serious off-roading

what is the advantage of a straight front axel? can't contribute much to towing, and wouldn't help with load-bearing in the rear

 

[gatorman21218]

sorry but your asking the wrong guy. I do know that for the 91 model year, a dana 60 monobeam is standard on the F-350 (4x4) and a Dana 44 is standard on a F-150 and F-250, except on the F-250 Extended Cab and Crew cab models there was a dana 50. the 50 and 44 were very similar, both are two piece.

I do think though that a stronger front axle will help with steering and handling and be able to support a greater load (anything you put in the bed near the cab will put weight on the front axle) Too much load on the axle and it looks like this /--\.

The seller probably read that somewhere and is passing it along to you.

Anybody else know why Dana 60s are the hot ticket?

 

[trackspeeder]

D60 is used on all F350 4X4 trucks.