Which axle Should I run f350

[pointb912]

Just lokign for some input

my current setup 1987 f350 cclb 7.3l with a c6, im building this truck it will be a tow rig for all my toys and trailers. it currently has a 10.25" rear end and a 2000 super duty front axle. I am not about to run 2 different wheel patterns so one will be changing. I am already going to be doing a RSK just depends if I get the style for the super duty or obs.

so my question would be Should I look into switching the rear for a super duty rear end or switching th e front back to a obs axle , is there a significant difference between one or the other

Thanks
Jared

 

[reklund]

Already having a SD front, I'd get a SD rear to go with it. Disc brakes, and a matching lug pattern is reason enough.

 

[79jasper]

I would do the SD rear and gain disc brakes.

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[snicklas]

x3.... Get the SD 10.50 and run with it!

 

[IDIoit]

d-60's for the brick/obs are about a grand or higher,
ive found 10.5 SD rear axles for 300 ish...

says it all!

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Dana 80!!! Hey you wanted big and strong, in the 8 on 170mm pattern. Your rear wheels may stick out a bit though On the other hand if you ever decide to go dually, you already got the right equipment for it

 

[dunk]

I would not do a new metric front axle, primarily because they don't have king pins. I won't run a ball joint axle under these trucks and have no clue why they changed to a weaker design. You should be able to get a king pin 60, go through it, and have it in for $1k-$1500, then recoup a large portion of that selling the newer axle. If cost is an issue though, a newer Sterling would be the way to go.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

While the kingpins alone are indeed stronger than ball joints when subjected to brutal abuse day in and day out, kingpin axles have their own set of issues - they do make knuckle reinforcement plates for them for a reason, balljoint axles don't need those. Then there is the whole brakes design, the kingpin axle type kinda sucks while the newer balljoint ones are nice bolt-on jobbies. My concern with a leaf-spring Superduty axle would be not the ball joints but rather the unit bearings, but those can be addressed later on as needed, if needed at all. And not having to get out of the truck to put the thing in 4x4 is kinda nice, especially if you got a very tight limited-slip in the front and really don't wanna run the front axle hubs locked in all winter long...

So yeah, for a tow rig that mostly sees all the load on the rear end of the truck I don't think his 2000 axle is a bad choice. Now if he were to hang a massive V-plow on it, that's different.

And there is the thing about newer rear axles have discs, and drum brakes on the older ones being adequate at best. Proper discs are IMHO much more suitable for "light" duty use, drums have the only advantage of being cheaper. And aftermarket disc conversions are anything but proper, so it pretty much has to be a factory axle of some sorts.

 

[dunk]

Forgot about unit bearings. Make that #1 and king pins #2. Automatic hubs would be a PITA and cost extra to convert. I keep everything manual, simple, reliable... Big part of why I have an IDI.

I wouldn't be overly worried about disc brakes.There are a couple ways to convert an earlier Sterling if you felt it worthwhile in your application.

 

[79jasper]

He already has the metric front though.
And there's a handy little new adapter to grease the unit bearings.

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[franklin2]

How did they accommodate the parking brake on the newer SD rear axles with disc brakes? Never had one apart.

 

[snicklas]

While the kingpins alone are indeed stronger than ball joints when subjected to brutal abuse day in and day out, kingpin axles have their own set of issues - they do make knuckle reinforcement plates for them for a reason, balljoint axles don't need those. Then there is the whole brakes design, the kingpin axle type kinda sucks while the newer balljoint ones are nice bolt-on jobbies. My concern with a leaf-spring Superduty axle would be not the ball joints but rather the unit bearings, but those can be addressed later on as needed, if needed at all. And not having to get out of the truck to put the thing in 4x4 is kinda nice, especially if you got a very tight limited-slip in the front and really don't wanna run the front axle hubs locked in all winter long...

So yeah, for a tow rig that mostly sees all the load on the rear end of the truck I don't think his 2000 axle is a bad choice. Now if he were to hang a massive V-plow on it, that's different.

And there is the thing about newer rear axles have discs, and drum brakes on the older ones being adequate at best. Proper discs are IMHO much more suitable for "light" duty use, drums have the only advantage of being cheaper. And aftermarket disc conversions are anything but proper, so it pretty much has to be a factory axle of some sorts.

Forgot about unit bearings. Make that #1 and king pins #2. Automatic hubs would be a PITA and cost extra to convert. I keep everything manual, simple, reliable... Big part of why I have an IDI.

I wouldn't be overly worried about disc brakes.There are a couple ways to convert an earlier Sterling if you felt it worthwhile in your application.

The unit hubs are not as bad as they are rumored to be, but, if you run with a plow or HUGE tires, they do take a toll on the unit hubs. But in a stock-ish sized tire ans doesn't see a 1500lb plow hanging off they front, or abused in hard wheeling, they hold up just fine. Since this sounds like its going to be a tow rig, it should have a fairly easy life on the front axle. I just had to replace my first unit hub on my SD front axle, and that was at ~150,000 miles. Only reason this happened is one of the knuckle seals failed and let moisture into the hub. If I had kept a better eye on it, I would have only had to replace the seal, but the moisture took out the bearings. They are also fairly easy to replace, about a half dozen hand tools, and you can go from on the ground, to back on the ground in less than an hour.

Having OWNED a unit hub axled truck for over 8 years and 100,000 miles. I say unit hubs are NOT a reason to avoid a SD axle. However, if you want to run 44" tires and drive it through the Grand Canyon, maybe you would want a different axle, or in all actually, maybe a different vehicle entirely........

 

[snicklas]

He already has the metric front though.
And there's a handy little new adapter to grease the unit bearings.

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What is this adapter you speak of??????????

 

[snicklas]

How did they accommodate the parking brake on the newer SD rear axles with disc brakes? Never had one apart.

The 99+ F-250, F-350 and Excursion with rear disk brakes, the disk brake is only a SERVICE brake. Meaning it is only used to stop the vehicle. The parking brake is ONLY a parking brake, and is a small, completely independent DRUM brake located inside the "hat" of the rotor (where the lug studs go through. They are only operated by the parking brake cable, and the rear disks are only operated hydraulically. This system actually works out fairly well.

 

[79jasper]

http://www.riffraffdiesel.com/front-abs-grease-able-block-off-fitting/ boom.
Someone here used one not long ago, iirc.

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