Ford Dana 44HP Chromoly Shaft kit Recommendations?
 

I see shafts kits ranging from $400 entry level all the way up to $1400 for RCVs. Who makes the best bang for your buck chromoly shafts? Are upgraded U joints necessary? And finally were is the best place to shop for such a kit?

I did find some discussions from a few years ago about this company buying out that company and so and so moving overseas but not sure what has changed in the last 3-4 years.

Rig is a 96XJ on 35s, 44/60, ARBs, 411s and full armor.
Going to be a Colorado toy with the occasional trip to Moab.

Thanks for any experience you can share.

How heavy is your foot? On 35s I suspect you'll be fine on stock shafts. 38s and stock shafts also seem fine.

I run Yukons and have had to have them swap out two stubs and one short side inner, my foot is really heavy and D44s don't like 38s very much. Davesoffroadsuppy.com has the cheapest prices I've seen. All Yukon warranties go through Randy's ring and pinion and they are really easy to deal with.

This is what I'll be doing....

http://www.wildhorses4x4.com/product..._Joints_7879yr

760x ujoints with full circle clips and you'll be just fine on 35's...

That's cheap. Wonder what kind of warranty they have, I've used mine twice and Yukon usually gives you a refund after 3.

Probably none, but on 35's with my driving style I wouldn't be worried.
For 38s like you I'd be buying RCVs...

I can't speak for him, but if you did break a stub shaft you could replace it once and still be "under budget"

Before I put money on RCVs I'll find me a 60. If I wasn't so cheap I'd already have one.

Forgot about this. Thanks for the links and such everyone.

Not a real heavy foot. A bit disappointed to find the Ford HP44 I swapped in has the same U-Joints as the 30 and that got me thinking about shafts/joints.

I agree a 60 on 37s + Is the way to go if you are starting from scratch but I built this thing on a budget. The 44/60 (ARBS, 4.10s) were in a bronco I parted out. All said I have maybe $1250 bucks in the axles (including TNT truss) and I plan on keeping them, forever.

Curious if Yukon has gotten better over the last 5 or 6 years. Back when I was an S10 guy the Yukon 4:56s were popping left and right.

Frank, Are those Alloy USAs made in the USA? (strange that we live in a day and age where that has to be asked)

DesertFox, WOW, those are cheap. Any Idea who they are made by? I wonder if they are actually 4340.

No, they are made offshore.

Why do they list so many different part numbers? Any way to tell the diff without pulling up the manufacturers catalog?

Maybe they should change their name :P Looks like you have a great price on a recognizable name, as always. Whats the warranty from USA these days? 10 Year?

10 years

Do you know how many different D44 front axles there are? That would be why there are so many part numbers. Mine is a 79 out of a F250 and it uses different shafts than the 79 F150 and Bronco because they are different sizes. Dana changed them every few years and different models, like Dodge IH Jeep and Chevy, all used them in different sizes as well.
Send him a message and tell him what you have. He usually responds pretty quickly and will tell you what you need. They also have alloy shafts so there are at least 2 part numbers for every model, alloy 1541H and chromo 4340.