dana 44 ball joints?

[dillenger1]

Ive got a prob with my front dana 44 on my 85 prospector.Im getting strange tire wear on the outer tread of the tire like the tire chamber is off.I just did the u joints(theres no play in the ball joints),but it continues.Ive heard the d44 are bad with ball joints.theres no play in the joint,but i wonder if it wore slowly and is froze now.Is there anything else besides balljoints that would cause this(besides u joints)?

[three60fish]

How about your steering/alignment? That's what has always caused uneven wear on my stuff...don't know specifically about d44's though.

[Broncosix]

I have the exact same thing on my jeep with a Dana 44 up front. It is only on one side and the tires is wearing fast on the outside edge. Mine had new ball joints when installed. Only been wheeled two times. I do not have any play in them.

[pb foot]

if the outside tire wear is even on both sides it is probably toe settings. or a sever lack of rotating tires. I have seen wear on one side with the only problem found is a bad toe adjustment but I can not explain how that is possible.

[PwrWagons4ever]

Technically speaking, D44's have king pins, not ball joints! D60's have ball joints...........

[pb foot]

Originally Posted by PwrWagons4ever

Technically speaking, D44's have king pins, not ball joints! D60's have ball joints...........

What's different between a kingpin knuckle and a balljoint knuckle?
Kingpin or balljoint refers to the pivoting parts between the inner and outer knuckles--kingpin knuckles rotate on machined bushings and bearings, while balljoint knuckles rotate on a ball-and-socket joint.

from here http://www.rockstomper.com/catalog/axles/60knuckles.htm

I have never seen a kingpin on a d44 but I hear they are out there and used from the 1940s to very early 1970s. but most of the redily available 44s are balljoint

Ball joint vs. Kingpin With an open-knuckle axle you will have either two ball joints or an upper kingpin and a lower pivot pin around which the knuckle pivots, whereas a closed knuckle only uses a kingpin or pivot-pin design. A ball joint is a metal case that is crimped around a ball that has a threaded shaft protruding from it, while a kingpin is a solid pin that either a bushing or bearing rotates around. As for which is stronger, for the longest time 1-ton axles only came with kingpins, but now they are only available from the factory with ball joints

from here http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techart...ront_axle.html

DANA 60 KING PIN REBUILD KIT
from here http://completeoffroad.com/i-123208-...-706395-r.html


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[Elwenil]

Originally Posted by PwrWagons4ever

Technically speaking, D44's have king pins, not ball joints! D60's have ball joints...........

Um, no. All open knuckle D44s since the mid 1960s have had typical ball joints. Dana 60s had kingpins until the mid 1990s or so when they switched to ball joints.

[PwrWagons4ever]

Originally Posted by Elwenil

Um, no. All open knuckle D44s since the mid 1960s have had typical ball joints. Dana 60s had kingpins until the mid 1990s or so when they switched to ball joints.

Evidently I'm dyslesic............I stand corrected................carry on!