1978Blazerk5
1/2 ton status
I've heard alot about people breaking 10 bolt axels my question is has anyone here ever broken a 12 bolt or a dana 44
Thanks
Thanks
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
1/2 ton Axels
- Thread starter 1978Blazerk5
- Start date
I used to run my dana 44 welded with 35s and never broke. never got the front end in a bind or got on it very hard though. I always went easy on it. I rolled the truck before I ever got to put it through any real abuse.
that being said there are plenty of people here that have broke a lot of them.
that being said there are plenty of people here that have broke a lot of them.
lets see, i have broke either many times.
d44:
broke ears off axles (u-joint failure)
broke spider gears & cross pins
broke inner shafts at the splines
broke outer shafts at the rock gaurd
broke pinions
12 bolt
broke pinions
broke shafts
d44:
broke ears off axles (u-joint failure)
broke spider gears & cross pins
broke inner shafts at the splines
broke outer shafts at the rock gaurd
broke pinions
12 bolt
broke pinions
broke shafts
K5Greek
1/2 ton status
1978Blazerk5 said:
from what i see and read they are a tiny bit stronger, but not much.. if your breaking those alot then its time to upgrade to 1ton
I broke 12-bolt once... in a 2wd with the 250-L6. 
I haven't had anything less than a 14bSF since, and replaced it as a precaution.
I have 2 buddies than break D44s all the time. One is a K20 with 35's, the other is an F250... 33's, 38's doesn't matter - it always breaks.
I haven't had anything less than a 14bSF since, and replaced it as a precaution.
I have 2 buddies than break D44s all the time. One is a K20 with 35's, the other is an F250... 33's, 38's doesn't matter - it always breaks.
Everyone considers the D44 to be just about the same stregnth as the 10 bolt front. 12 bolt rear is marginally stronger than a 10bolt, but with 14bolts so cheap.....most ppl on here upgrade.
87BrnRsd
1/2 ton status
12 bolts really arent that much stronger. The shafts are a little bigger but not much. The ring gear isnt much bigger either. The bad thing about both axles is that they are semi floating. You break a shaft, you lose a tire. I have also heard that the 12 bolt has a weak spot somewhere. I think it may be the pinion is small or something. I dunno. I do know that with 2 years of 35's and light wheeling on an open 12 bolt, the ring gear started to look pretty bad.
-Harrison
-Harrison
resurrected_jimmy
1/2 ton status
I've had good luck with semi-float 14 bolts in the rear and have learned to live with 10 bolt or D44 fronts since D60 front axles are expensive. I don't get along with 10 and 12 bolt rears I always destroy the carrier
87BrnRsd
1/2 ton status
Semi floating 14 rears have a much better reputation than their 1/2ton semi floating counterparts mainly because of its sheer size. While it isnt as big as the ff's 10.5" ring gear, the 9.5" ring gear is the same size as a D60. Everything on the 14 sf is much bigger than the 1/2 ton sf rears.resurrected_jimmy said:
That being said, you can make a 10B or D44 front last much longer than in the rear. Also, all of the fronts are ff so no worry about losing a tire. If you leave it open, its gonna last longer than locked. Im currently running (and have been for nearly 4 years now) an 8-lug 10B front with 37" mt/r's. I have been very lucky...and some of that is because I didnt really wheel it hard at first...and it wasnt locked at first. First trip with it locked, I exploded a warn hub. The spring inside broke and the hub itself warped so bad that I had to pry it out of the wheel hub. Since then I have learned how to be a little bit easier on it, but I do still carry already assembled short side and long side shafts....so that if and WHEN I do break it (its a short matter of time)...whoever im wheeling with wont have to sit with me for hours trying to fiddle with u-joints that dont want to come out and whatnot.
Oh...and the general concensus on here is that 1/2 ton stuff really isnt suited for the weight of our trucks matched with 35" or larger tires. Things start to go boom pretty quickly...and im sure you will find many many many many people on here who have exploded 10 bolts, 12 bolts, and d44's. You will however have to search high and low for anyone that has broken a 14ff shaft (although ive seen it once or twice...its very rare)...or broken the ring gear or carrier itself.
-Harrison
87BrnRsd said:
Dana 60's have a 9.75" ring gear
There are LOTS of people on here who have snapped dana 44's and 12 bolts on here.
I snapped a 1/2 ton (1310) u-joint and later sheared the bearing journal off of a 12 bolt detroit before I swapped to 1 tons. This was all on 33's and on the street. Believe it or not, I was nicer to my junk on the trail
I snapped a 1/2 ton (1310) u-joint and later sheared the bearing journal off of a 12 bolt detroit before I swapped to 1 tons. This was all on 33's and on the street. Believe it or not, I was nicer to my junk on the trail
mostwanted
1/2 ton status
would welding the spider gears pretty much prevent them from breaking?
I have never broken a 12 or 44, but I have taken care of a 10 bolt. I know PLENTLY of people here have broken 12's or 44's. Trust me, some people can break anything.
My brother just snapped a 60 axle shaft on the street last week. Guess that 454 and a little clutch drop is too much for them.
My brother just snapped a 60 axle shaft on the street last week. Guess that 454 and a little clutch drop is too much for them.
YZEATER
1/2 ton status
mostwanted said:
welding them will make the axle shafts break easier. there will be no give to that axle, instead of transfering the torque to the other side.
d44's and 12 bolts are half ton's as well as 10 bolts. a 3/4 ton truck with a 10 bolt front is still a 10 bolt with 8 lug outers. all the same strength.
pauly383
Daddy383
I broke my original Gov Loc , but that doesn't count , everyone breaks those .
In Moab ( or with help from a trail I ran the week before here ) I broke some teeth on the front 10 bolt ring gear , but it wasn't neccessarily the axle or ring gears fault . Upon disassembly the cap bolts were all loose and unthreaded ( I got axle second hand ) . Also in Moab , I boke a weld on the housing to axle tube on the 12 bolt .
To be fair and honest , I was running with no front locker , and using 35 inch tires with 3.73 gears . So wheelspeed and some hopping happened .
So far so good with a replacement housing , 4.56 front and rear , and front locker . I am crawling better with less throttle input on hairier stuff , since the front can pull much better .
Much of the breakage you hear about all has its own story , and I am sure some of it was misuse , and some of it was old parts , and yes some of it was while wheeling .
Yes I am still on 1/2 tons , unlike some , but realistically I know at some point I am biting the bullet and upgrading when the tires get bigger again . I am thinking if it comes down to it , I can go 14bsf and keep my rims and have better than 1/2 ton strength . ( did I say that in public )
In Moab ( or with help from a trail I ran the week before here ) I broke some teeth on the front 10 bolt ring gear , but it wasn't neccessarily the axle or ring gears fault . Upon disassembly the cap bolts were all loose and unthreaded ( I got axle second hand ) . Also in Moab , I boke a weld on the housing to axle tube on the 12 bolt .
To be fair and honest , I was running with no front locker , and using 35 inch tires with 3.73 gears . So wheelspeed and some hopping happened .
So far so good with a replacement housing , 4.56 front and rear , and front locker . I am crawling better with less throttle input on hairier stuff , since the front can pull much better .
Much of the breakage you hear about all has its own story , and I am sure some of it was misuse , and some of it was old parts , and yes some of it was while wheeling .
Yes I am still on 1/2 tons , unlike some , but realistically I know at some point I am biting the bullet and upgrading when the tires get bigger again . I am thinking if it comes down to it , I can go 14bsf and keep my rims and have better than 1/2 ton strength . ( did I say that in public
)
Friend has a 12 bolt in his K5 that came out of his previous wheeling rig. 3.73's and 35's it's managed to live a LONG time. (5+ years) It's an open diff which I think is what has enabled it to survive this long.
Now though the axle tubes are turning in the housing, and he was able to find a 6 lug 14SF with the same gears, so that's his solution.
Now though the axle tubes are turning in the housing, and he was able to find a 6 lug 14SF with the same gears, so that's his solution.
I think the better question would be, "Has anyone managed to NOT break a 12b or D44?"1978Blazerk5 said:
Heck people have broken D60 and 14b stuff.
I never had an issue with front axles. I stripped teeth off my ring gear in the 12bolt. But then there was some debate about whether the gears had been setup properly after a Detroit install. Plus they were almost 40yrs old by the date stamp.
Anyone can break axles, the challenge is not break them.
87BrnRsd
1/2 ton status
Ah...I knew I was close.38377k5 said:Dana 60's have a 9.75" ring gear
-Harrison
1978Blazerk5
1/2 ton status
hey kinda off topic how hard is it to swap out the 12 bolt and the dana 44 for a 14 bolt and a dana 60
