A lot of people say skip the 44 because its junk, and go straight to a 60. I have to disagree with this statement. Obviously the 60 is stronger, no question. But look at weight, and size of the axles. Not every build needs a D60 to be a solid wheeler. There are several builds on here where a d44 is implemented and has seen little no breakage. IMO an axle the size of a 60 is pointless unless you are running 40s and/or some big HP.
in the scheme of things its mere incremental-ism that bugs me... that makes it look like i am a d44 hater.....they sure as hell have their place...you see many many people go from 44 to 60 after wasting ridiculous amounts of money on shafts etc that originally thought the 60 was overrated or too expensive....then again theres guys with 351's running d28's with 36-40 in tires somehow.
sure a stock drum brake eb 44 to me is junk. theres a reason for that.
as an upgrade over a d35...they are
but that is coming from my perspective...i always ranged between 260-330ish hp...and using it.
a hp 44 with 35 spline upgrade with rcv shafts.... or d60 knuckles and shafts is brilliant to me.
because the weight and girth of a 60 is obviously really out of hand if your running 35's as a max on your all around trail truck.
i dont think many will disagree with that.
but honestly....
depending on actual needs....so is swapping in a d44. its a piss waste of time for the majority if your not running big tires and horsepower...and at that point...big tires and hp you need a built 44 or a d60...
i know for damn sure i can make a ttb act like a slinky. if i spend some coin on custom shafts (which i have to do with a eb axle anyway) and go to a 30 spline arb with ttb 44 outers its all bolt in go at your own pace incremental building one investment at a time. rig never has to be down longer then a few hours.
depends on your main usage.
in the end....its all up to you.
the easiest to install on the all around...no wheel change or width worries...
coming from a 2wd or d28 and stock powerlevels or if a guy simply wants a straight axle...... running a good hp d30 is my first choice for those staying in the 33-35 in tire range. they are everywhere and cheeeeeep. they are light and get the job done. leaf units are gravy install.
outside of that you need an eb setup or something from a scout or older jeep waggy/j truck. all will work, whether or not its worth it over the 35 is the question. that is individual concern.
all in all...i see more that dont regret it then do once the deed is done....
of the ones that do have regret.....
its usually because they didnt go big enough the first time.
thats why the only logical step for me from a d35 ttb is a dana 60.
i do have a bigger engine....and i do use big tires sometimes.
and i just went out into my yard and took a look at the ranger which is a kingpin 60 full width and the bronco 2 which has the gay eb axle in it. the damn pig is nearly center on them retarded eb things. i didnt like it in the 80's...and i still dont like it now.
but with just one t case and a 4.0 in the b2 along with 33-36 in tires being the norm....i sure as hell wont be changing it. it works excellent like it is....but if it had my d35 setup from my ranger in it it wouldnt bug me a bit.
and an 8.8 from a fullsize are pretty cheap, dont need a big dollar 9.
explorer 8.8 and a eb or waggy axle with a hub swap work out great.