It all depends on what you want your rig to do, and how skilled you are at wheeling it. I know several guys around here that run 10 bolt fronts with 38s and rarely break anything. The terrain here is mostly muddy though, so I agree that rocks will probably put too much stress on a 10 bolt.
THE axels to run are the Superior ones sold by ORD. They are the toughest available. You can run either a solid 760 u-joint (the 297s are a waste of time)or the CTMs. The axels are about $600 a pair with the 760s. The CTM joints are $185 each (they are warrantied for life though and should be indestructable). I've got a set for my 10 bolt, which will run 38s when I'm done. I'm running 30 spline axels and an ARB in the front with 4.88 gears. The stuff is pricey, but the cost for the good parts is the same, if not more expensive for the D60. You can probably get by with stock D60 shafts, if they are 35 spline, but all of them aren't, so you need to be careful when getting a D60. Most can be converted to 35 spline shafts throughout, but this isn't cheap either and you will need to ream the spindles a bit to get them to fit. Another consideration is that you will have to run 8-lug wheels. Not the best news if you just got a nice set of 6-luggers.
The ball joint issue can be mitigated somewhat by using good parts. I love the new NAPA Gold series chassis stuff. It is way better than the Moog stuff and also carries a lifetime warranty. If it does wear out just take them back and get free new ones. Again, these parts aren't cheap. Figure on about $58 per ball joint, if you've got a connection at the local store similar to mine.
Don't get me wrong. If you want the ultimate in beef and have a heavy right foot and a thrash it till it's out mentality then the D60 is the way to go up front. If you need to save some coin the 10-bolt should last for a while if you are easy on it. There's no shame in calling for the strap!
