86 F250 TTB hub locker

[runaway!]

Acting funny, PO said it doesn't lock right away. The other side is just fine.

I was replacing my rotors so I inspected everything and seen that the spline shaft has enough play in it to prevent the hub from locking without wiggling the shaft. I imagine it would lock for the PO after hitting a bump or something.

I'm not familiar with doing axle work, I'd guess there are spline shaft bearings that may be bad? It is occurring on the passenger side.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[GOOSE]

There is a bearing on the inside of the spindle that supports the stub shaft closer to the u-joint. I believe the locking hub mechanism is the only other guidance that the stub shaft gets. It is very common to upgrade to a set of Warn Premiums. While the spindle is off, check the u-joint for slop, I usually replace them when i am this far into things. Take note the spindle comes off real hard, almost like its pressed in place. You can rent a puller or perservere with some blocks of oak and a mallet. Careful not to damage the threads on spindle.

 

[runaway!]

That bearing doesn't spin while unlocked right? I need the truck to be road worthy this spring, once it has served it's immediate needs I can tear the whole axle apart - maybe even attempt a SAS....

 

[GOOSE]

No, in 2wd with the hubs unlocked, that bearing won't spin. It sounds as if the PO may have left that side locked for an extened amount of time. The axle support bearing and seal aren't that expensive from what I remember. As long as your wheel bearings are good and serviced, you should be ok for a while in 2wd.

 

[runaway!]

Yeah, wheel bearings and races looked great when everything was apart.

Is a SAS difficult? I've read that a crossmember gets in the way without a lift.

Thanks for your help!

 

[GOOSE]

I'm guessing a "soild axle swap" is what you are referring to. It is a bolt in swap. The holes for your track bar are already there. Nobody has mentioned the crossmember getting in the way. 86-91 Dana 60's use king pins, 92-97's have ball joints. King pins are rumored to withstand a little more weight and last longer. They are a little more difficult to service though.

 

[runaway!]

What about the D44? I don't have the budget for picking up a D60...

 

[GOOSE]

The Dana 44hd from the 77.5-79 f250's have a totally different steering layout. I am sure it is possible to make it work but don't know of anyone personally who has done this. The D44 would let you run 3:08 gears, a sought after upgrade for the non overdrive trucks.

 

[runaway!]

Anyone know if there's a knuckle swap that can be done on that year D44?

 

[franklin2]

Is a solid axle dana44 an upgrade over a dana44 ttb?

 

[GOOSE]

I haven't looked at the weight ratings, but the ttb has many more moving parts. You have inner pivot bushings, extra joints in the axle shafts. The geometry is undesirable to me. As the front tires move up and down they move on an arc. This leads to premature tire wearout, especially on abused trucks. Also the leaves twist as the suspension travels. Im not sure if that bothers them, but they do not get that movement on a solid axle. A ttb front end is only able to be aligned at a specific weight. If you add or subtract weight, the geometry of the alignment changes, on a solid axle, it just stuffs the tires further into the wheel well, the geometry isn't affected by weight. Many ttb's are out there with 3, 4, and 500,000 miles in them. Solid axle is a preference of mine just like a diesel is. I have had ttb's that I was able to set up to my liking and they performed well for me. Hope this helps.

 

[Black dawg]

the old high pinion 44 and 60 have the differential moved closer to center and have clearance problems without a pretty good lift.

 

[franklin2]

I haven't looked at the weight ratings, but the ttb has many more moving parts. You have inner pivot bushings, extra joints in the axle shafts. The geometry is undesirable to me. As the front tires move up and down they move on an arc. This leads to premature tire wearout, especially on abused trucks. Also the leaves twist as the suspension travels. Im not sure if that bothers them, but they do not get that movement on a solid axle. A ttb front end is only able to be aligned at a specific weight. If you add or subtract weight, the geometry of the alignment changes, on a solid axle, it just stuffs the tires further into the wheel well, the geometry isn't affected by weight. Many ttb's are out there with 3, 4, and 500,000 miles in them. Solid axle is a preference of mine just like a diesel is. I have had ttb's that I was able to set up to my liking and they performed well for me. Hope this helps.

So your main problem with it is the independent part of it. So if you welded the two halves together and took out the center pivot points, it would get rid of most of your complaints about it? Of course you would have to change the steering around a little bit. There are several write-ups on the internet about people doing this.

 

[runaway!]

I haven't looked at the weight ratings, but the ttb has many more moving parts. You have inner pivot bushings, extra joints in the axle shafts. The geometry is undesirable to me. As the front tires move up and down they move on an arc. This leads to premature tire wearout, especially on abused trucks. Also the leaves twist as the suspension travels. Im not sure if that bothers them, but they do not get that movement on a solid axle. A ttb front end is only able to be aligned at a specific weight. If you add or subtract weight, the geometry of the alignment changes, on a solid axle, it just stuffs the tires further into the wheel well, the geometry isn't affected by weight. Many ttb's are out there with 3, 4, and 500,000 miles in them. Solid axle is a preference of mine just like a diesel is. I have had ttb's that I was able to set up to my liking and they performed well for me. Hope this helps.

Not to mention the front leafs aren't an ideal choice under a TTB, hence why I've considered changing mine out.

 

[runaway!]

So your main problem with it is the independent part of it. So if you welded the two halves together and took out the center pivot points, it would get rid of most of your complaints about it? Of course you would have to change the steering around a little bit. There are several write-ups on the internet about people doing this.

Got a link by chance? I'd love to read about it...