Are all Dana 44's created equal?

Besides width.... Do some dana 44's come with thicker tubes, pumkins? Basically are some dana 44 rear axles better than others?

 

Only difference I'm aware of is flanged vs tapered axles.

Apparently...there are lots of differences...http://jeep.off-road.com/jeep/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=277046

 

some ford d44 front axles are high pinion.

 

Different tube diameters. The Dana 44 that comes in the early 5s has a smaller diameter then a newer Dana 44, there is an aluminum pumpkind one that came in the ZJ. And isn't the Dana 44 thats in the JK very different from any other Dana 44 with bigger pinion and such?

 

There is a Dana 44HD, used for J-20 front axles. AFAIK the only difference is in the axle tube thickness. There may be some rear axle applications, but not in Jeeps, also AFAIK.

 

Rumor has it, and im sure somebody here knows the truth? I have been told the RUBICON front 44s have the same outer hardware as the 30.

 

pretty much and small tube diameter with thin wall tubing.

Not all 44's are the same. Everything from material they're made from, to tube diameter and wall thickness, to the type and style of knuckle used, etc. can be different depending on what application it's from or intended for.

 

Got one in my 78 F250 4x4.

 

Running Dana 44 with Tru-trak on front and Dana 60 Detroit locker rear... there are different wall thickness, drum housing thickness and of course solid axle configuration as to spline count and metal for your axles and tubing and of course ratio's, etc. Hardened chrome-moly axles have served us well.... In process of design, cut and weld up protection for both Diff housings... have rounded up some old scrap DOM ("Drawn On Matrix"... ie: NO Seam to rip/ seperate) tubing and using for diff-guard for Rocks, etc. Sorry for run on, just getting close to being back on trails, mud, etc!

Anyone into Mud around Central Florida? Have plasma cutter, welder... and lottsa time! Forty three (43) years off-road experience, firm believer in:

Build, take off-road, break, repair, repeat​

 

thanks for the input....

 

there are a lot of difference put to the D44 over the years and som are not desirable
such as the aluminum D44 in the ZJ
Axle shat size, spline count, pumpkin location, tube diameter are but a few items, I think the main similarity in them all is the pumpkin shape.
Best thing about them is they are strong axles especially for their size and have a lot of aftermarket support.

 

If I was lookin for a used rear 44 and dont mind cutting them to width.... what would be the best source... wagonner, scout, ford truck.... and what year?

 

Depends on what width you are after but if narrow track CJ width the '75-'79 narrow track Wagoneer front is the easiest. With some forethought you can get away with narrowing only the long sde. Again, it depends on what overall width you are after. I wouldn't mess with narrowing a rear unless going for 1 ton axles.

 

THat 75 dana 44 is not a bad axle. I agree with Nickmil. Unless you are going bigger in the rear, just stick with what you have.

 

Yeah ....but tubes have come loose from the pumpkin.... can they just be pressed back in or do they have to be welded.

 

Tapered axle 44's were either 10 or 19 spline x 1.25" dia. Later flanged axle 44's are 30 spline x 1.31 dia. I understand 44's as used in the Rubicon use larger 7/16 x 20 ring gear bolts vs. 3/8 x 24 ring gear bolts of the earlier versions. The Nissan Titan uses a 44 with a 9" ring gear. They've had problems with it and should have gone to a D60 instead of designing an oddball 44.