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Re-Gearing Ford Super Duty Axles with Yukon Gears
Ford Super Duty axles are arguably the most common setup swapped in to other vehicles, and it is easy to see why. The Super Duty is one of the last vehicles on the market equipped with front and rear solid axles, and the only with a high-pinion Dana 60 front end. By starting with heavy-duty, eight-lug axles with 35-spline axle shafts we didn't feel is necessary to upgrade shafts or U-joints, even when planning to run 40-inch-tall Milestar Patagonia M/Ts on our full-size truck. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, or that all Super Duty axles are created equal. We recently went to Axleline to upgrade the Super Duty axles in our latest project with Yukon components for improved strength and trail prowess. Axleline's head honcho, Aaron Lechner, showed us the strengths and weaknesses of Super Duty axles, along with the changes that have been made over the last 20 years that Ford has been using these axles. Yukon makes lockers, ring and pinion sets, and installation kits for every generation of Dana 60 and Sterling axle. We recommend starting with the newest axles you can find since they have the biggest components to support the increases in power and tow capacity as the Super Duty has evolved. Then just add lockers and low gears and you are ready to hit the trail! Super Duty Dana 60s Through the Years While not as bad as the variations of Dana 44, where zero components from a Dana 44 under a new Wrangler JL are shared with the Dana 44 under a CJ-5, Dana 60s still have quite a bit of variation, even the ones found under Super Duty pickups. Starting in 1999, Super Duty trucks used Dana 50 axles under F-250s and single-rear-wheel (SRW) F-350s. High-pinion Dana 60s were used on dual-rear-wheel (DRW) Dana 60s starting in 2002. These axles had spring perches for leaf springs until 2004 with virtually no axle tube sticking out of the casting on the short side, making it a challenge to mount coils or links. In 2005 Ford went to coil springs, along with bigger knuckles and brakes on the Dana 60 front axles. F-450 and F-550 trucks of this era came with "Super 60" front axles that use a larger 10-inch ring gear, 37-spline axle shafts, and 1550 U-joints for even greater strength. These axles have 10-lug adapters, but removing the adapters converts them to the normal Super Duty 8x170 bolt pattern. Sterling Rears Through the Years Not all rear Sterling axles are the same, but the differential covers, axle shafts, and carriers are all interchangeable. These are full-floating axles with 1 1/2-inch, 35-spline axle shafts that are very strong. They don't benefit from the third pinion bearing that makes the 14-bolt the king of rear axles though, and the axle tubes can spin in the center section under hard use. Early 1985-1992 Sterling 10 1/4 axles used drum brakes, an 8-on-6 1/2 bolt pattern, and short pinion splines. The second generation (1993-1998) of Sterling axles used longer pinion splines and a different yoke, but were otherwise the same. The introduction of the Super Duty in 1999 brought the introduction of the Sterling 10 1/2-inch, which has a different inner pinion bearing than the Sterling 10 1/4. The 10 1/2 also uses disc brakes and an 8-on-170mm bolt pattern. In 2005 the brakes were upgraded to 13.4-inch brake rotors, and in 2013 they grew even larger to 14.3 inches.
Off-Road Ready Gear Sets For The Jeep JL
When the JL platform hit the trails in 2018 it was quickly embraced by Jeep enthusiasts and most of these Jeep fans were soon on the warpath for performance parts. Like every other Jeep platform, opportunities for aftermarket manufacturers to modify, lift, and accessorize were in wide and varied. In fact, parts were in the pipelines before the JLs were dropped off at dealerships. Jeep’s New Differentials Aftermarket drivetrain engineers working on the new Jeep JL platform were met with a number with design challenges when it came to the ring and pinion gears. The JL launched with a new set of differentials including the D44JL Rear (M220), D44JL Front (M210), and D35JL (M200). Factory engineers designed the ring and pinions for higher efficiencies. Whether this had to do with the JL’s front axle disconnect feature for increased fuel mileage or other powertrain revisions, differential upgrading needed extra engineering focus. Superior Engineering From a design perspective, this factory revision denotes a decrease in the hypoid offset compared to previous JK designs, resulting in a smaller pinion head diameter with increased loading on the teeth. Most aftermarket manufacturers recognized the design change... that was the easy part. Only Yukon noticed that the design change required improvements to the metallurgy as well. Stronger alloys, most notably an increase in the nickel content, were required to handle the additional loads. Superior Metallurgy Diagnosing the significant changes in the OE gears for the JL platform, our team of engineers examined countless material and heat treatment options to effectively address the new hypoid offset. Yukon realized the need to manufacture the JL ring and pinion line with a premium higher strength 4320 material to hold up to the abuse and provide even higher strength than the JK. After testing Yukon against other aftermarket brands, it appeared we were the only aftermarket company to move to higher strength material and produce the strongest aftermarket gears associated with the Jeep JL line. *An increase in the Nickel content (Ni) provides higher tensile and yield strength and improved impact properties.**Aftermarket competitors benchmarked for JL gears show use of lower Nickel (Ni) materials.***Tensile and Yield strengths are approximate Providing top-of-the-line drivetrain products has been the goal of Yukon Gear & Axle from Day One. Yukon quality labs and engineers go the extra mile to provide you with a product that can be trusted no matter how sketchy the terrain gets. Yukon’s selection of products from gears, traction devices, driveshafts, kits, and covers to name a few, are the highest quality in the industry and we continue to exceed industry standards so you can wheel with confidence.
How to set Ring and Pinion Backlash
Once you have installed and set the proper pinion gear depth with either a pinion depth gauge or by the pattern revealed when using a gear marking compound, it’s time to address backlash. Ring and pinion backlash refers to the amount of play between the gears. An abundance of play can become a factor on vehicles that are heavy or rigs that tow or haul hefty loads. Loose tolerances between the gears can cause binding under acceleration and deceleration and lead to noise, overheating, and ultimately gear and/or bearing failure. Shim For The Win It’s always a good practice to start the process with your factory carrier shims. Make sure they’re clean and measure them in three places to ensure a proper fitment. Add some oil to the outside of the shims to allow for easier installation. Start with the right-hand side to prevent tooth binding with the pinion and drive each shim completely into place. Then install the left-hand shims and your carrier should be in place. Dialing It In Once fully seated, install and tighten down the carrier pads. Always install and tighten the right side first. With the carrier assembly installed, attach your dial indicator with the plunger at a 90-degree angle from the face of the ring gear teeth. Gently rock the carrier back and forth to measure your backlash. You’ll want to do this in three separate locations on the ring gear to check for runout. If the backlash is too tight, move the carrier away from the pinion by adjusting the carrier shim. If the backlash is too wide, adjust the carrier toward the pinion. When adjusting the backlash, a rule of thumb is 10 thousandths of carrier shim adjustment will result in around 7 thou of backlash adjustment. Rock the carrier back and forth until little to no free play is evident. To see how setting backlash works check out the accompanying video.
Yukon Hardcore Diff Covers
Engineered for Those Who's Favorite Road is None At All. Engineered for Extreme Terrain and Violent Impact. Yukon Differential Covers are made from thick-walled high strength nodular steel to fend off the most severe hits in off road driving. Yukon diff covers are designed to protect lockers, gears, and axles from violent impact. These covers come with a durable powder coat finish, magnetic drain plug, and high strength steel fasteners for easy bolt-on installation. When strength, performance, and durability matter, choose Yukon Hardcore performance differential covers. Anatomy of a Yukon Gear & Axle Hardcore Diff Cover Ductile nodular iron covers are tough, not brittle, allowing them to absorb impacts from rocks and debris Precisely engineered to ensure perfect fitment covering all gear ratios and differential combinations Streamlined inside contours direct oil flow to the pinion bearings reducing heat and wear Stainless steel brand plate prevents rust Reliable and leak free, even in the most rugged terrain High strength steel fasteners come with all Yukon Hardcore covers Covers fit a wide range of applications Heavy duty protection for long life and peace-of-mind Bullet Proof Differential Cover. Literally. Ok, ok, unless you attack it with an AR-15. Just watch. BULLET PROOF DIFF COVER how tough is a Yukon Gear and Axle diff cover?. Well, Ian at Big Tire Garage found out that it was Bullet Proof.....for the most part. Let's Unbox One of these Bad Boys. YUKON UNBOXING - HARDCORE DANA 44 COVER Get a quick rundown of the product features on Yukon's Hardcore Differential Cover for Dana 44. A rugged upgrade for Jeeps (and other vehicles) that see regular trail usage to protect critical differential components. Tough as... well... tough as engineered thick Ductile Nodular Iron. What is Ductile Nodular Iron you ask? Well here's the Wikipedia article and a good read from a well respected foundry. What are you waiting for? Your factory diff cover to implode? Check these bad boys out. 866-631-0196 -OR- SHOP ALL HARDCORE DIFF COVERS item name part number proxy price hardcore diff cover for dana 30, 10 bolt yhcc-d30 29103 $186.28 hardcore diff cover for jeep jl dana 30, 12 bolt yhcc-d30jl 29111 $191.44 hardcore diff cover for jeep jl dana 35, 12 bolt yhcc-d35jl 29110 $191.44 hardcore diff cover for dana 44 yhcc-d44 29101 $191.44 hardcore diff cover for jeep jl 44 front, (m220) yhcc-d44jl-front 29109 $191.44 hardcore diff cover for jeep jl 44 rear, (m210) yhcc-d44jl-rear 29112 $191.44 hardcore diff cover for dana 50, 60, & 70 yhcc-d60 32352 $212.62 hardcore diff cover for ford 8.8” yhcc-f8.8 29107 $169.87 hardcore diff cover for gm 14 bolt truck, w/ m8 bolts yhcc-gm14t-m 29106 $197.84 hardcore diff cover for gm 14 bolt truck, w/ 3/8” bolts yhcc-gm14t-s 29105 $197.84 hardcore diff cover for gm 8.5” metric yhcc-gm8.5-m 29114 $197.84 hardcore diff cover for gm 8.5” standard yhcc-gm8.5-s 29113 $197.84 hardcore diff cover for model 35 rear yhcc-m35 29104 $186.28
Why You Need to Re-Gear Your Jeep JL
There are two main reasons to re-gear your ride. The first is to recapture the lost drivability and fuel efficiency of a daily driven vehicle that has been upgraded with larger wheels and tires. The second is to fine tune the performance characteristics of a vehicle that is a dedicated off-roader where the focus is more on low-end grunt and acceleration. We have identified a troublesome trend in the Jeep world. It seems too many Jeep JL owners think since they have an eight-speed transmission they don’t have to upgrade their gearset when they jump up in tire size. The thought process is the transmission’s gear ratios cover a wide spread and ‘compensate’ for the additional tire diameter that comes with rolling 40s. The Jeep JL’s eight-speed automatic does a fine job of adapting to the increased load of larger tires, but you wind up not realizing the full benefit of the tire upgrade if the transmission won't shift into higher gears. It's not uncommon to see the tranny hanging out in sixth at light throttle on the freeway with oversized tires. Or to feel it shuttle shifting, trying to find the right gear for the situation. Even if you’re okay with that, the undue stress on the transmission can lead to early failure and a big hit to your wallet. Changing ring and pinion gears is the answer. Check out the accompanying video and learn more about the benefits of re-gearing your JL Wrangler with Nic Ashby, the 2020 American SuperJeep Challenge Builder of the Year from Rockstar Garage. Call Now 866-631-0196 Shop All Re-Gear kits
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