Dana60 yoke removal tip

[mrk5]

I have an tip for anyone swapping out the yoke on a Dana60. The socket required is a 1-5/16". A 12pt socket won't fit down into the yoke, but a 6pt socket will.

Luckily I have both. Here's the back-story. I swapped out my 1310 yoke for a 1410 flavor. B_to_C had done the swap a couple months ago in my shop, so I thought I had it all squared away. We had made a yoke tool that bolts to the yoke to hold it while removing the pinion nut.

When I went to do my yoke the first problem I ran into was the socket wouldn't fit in the center hole of our tool. Then I realized the socket wouldn't even go into the yoke far enough to reach the nut. The outside diameter (OD) was too big.

Then I remembered we have another 1-5/16" socket in one of our crane trucks. I pulled it out and realized the difference. The socket I was first trying to used was 12pt and the other socket was 6pt. The 6pt socket has a smaller OD.

The 6pt socket fit into the yoke perfectly and it worked with the tool. Obviously this was the socket B_to_C had used to do his yoke swap.

So, if you're buying a socket to do this, make sure you get a 6pt socket. Or at the very least, try to verify the OD of the socket will fit in the yoke.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

What brand were the sockets? I had that same problem getting my NP205 yokes off with my Craftsman 1 5/16" socket.

Went to the hardware store and got a cheap socket (that also had thinner walls) and it worked perfectly.

 

[mechted]

i ended up modifying a cheap autozone socket to do this... took like 2 mins with a bench grinder to make it fit.
as for holding the yoke from rotating: BIG pipe-wrench comes in handy (36" or better)

 

[destinbeachman]

Best way to hold the yoke-lock a hub.If you have a tire on the ground,that is

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I had to hold the yoke (with a pipe wrench and cheater) on the first diff I ever setup.

After that I've used my 1/2" IR impact, it has no trouble crushing crush sleeves (even on 14 bolts). I just hold the yoke with my hand and hit the nut with my impact.

 

[twoslo4five0]

its the same on 205s...i took 2 yokes off last week and i used a snap on impact socket and it worked but just barley...it was a 6 point also...

 

[dleroy43]

I used my HF 1" socket set
put socket around nut
put breaker bar into where the u joint caps go with tension twords the ground
used a floor jack attached to ratchet attached to pinion socket
jacked jack till I could turn wrench alone

 

[kitimatdude]

I got a cheapo 3/4 drive set, I just ground the socket a bit and hit it with the impact with a 1/2" adapter no problem...

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I got a cheapo 3/4 drive set, I just ground the socket a bit and hit it with the impact with a 1/2" adapter no problem...

Having done it with and without an impact I don't think I'll ever be willing to deal with another pinion nut without a good impact gun

 

[muddermilitia]

thanks for the tip! gotta swap mine soon

 

[tRustyK5]

I locked the hubs, and used the floor jack under the breaker bar handle. I lucked out on the socket i guess...the only one I have fit just fine. I'm sure it's a 6 point, brand unknown.

Rene

 

[mrk5]

It may be the "cheap" socket that's the trick. The 12pt I have is Craftsman. The 6pt that fit was some off-brand. Either way hopefully this will save someone from spending a lot on a "good" socket only to have it not fit.

When B_to_C did his yoke he wasted a bunch of energy moving the truck around trying to turn the nut. He doesn't have a parking brake. That's why we made the tool. It wasn't that hard. We used some scrap steel. One piece of flat stock minimum 4" wide with 5 holes, 4 little ones where the straps bolt on and 1 big one for the socket on the pinion nut. Then weld on a bar of some sort. Similar to this:

I only have a 150ft-lbs torque wrench. The D60 nut should be torqued to 240-300ft-lbs. We made a 2ft extension for the torque wrench. The trick is the extension goes after the torque wrench. So we welded a socket on to the end of the extension, this is for the torque wrench to attach to. Then slip the other end over another rachet or breaker bar that has the 1-5/16" socket on the pinion nut.

The 2ft extension will double the torque applied by the torque wrench.

Damn, I wish I'd gotten pictures.

 

[mrk5]

Okay here's a pic.

 

[cybrfire]

I've also used a ratchet strap or length of chain up to the frame to stop the pinion from turning. works pretty good actually. Can be done with the axle out on jackstands this way too but obviously not to the frame but spindle or shock mount of whatever.

 

[onetonbb74]

When i did this, i ground down my crapsman 12 pt socket to fit and used an impact. The 1310 yoke came off no problem. When i put it all back together, I used a 1350 yoke and any socket will fit no problem and since all my yokes are 1350, no longer need that ground down socket (trail spare). I used a real expensive torque wrench to torque the new nut down.

I had the same problem with a 14ff in the rear, the socket is 1.5 and all i had was an impact socket, and they are beefy and wont fit (lug socket for a rockwell), but a 1.5 crapsman socket i borrowed works fine.