I can't answer that question for you but I am assuming going that tall you are looking to run 40's. If so I would recommend Fusion 4X4 Fusion 60/44 Hybrid and Semi-Float 60 or better yet the Elite Kingpin 60 | Elite 60 Full Float. They will make them anyway you like.

 

Fusion axles are beefy but I don't have the money to buy one. My plan is to build some 44s and use them for a while. I have the feeling that after so long I will go up to a 1 ton set up but until then I don't have the large sum of money needed to build tons let alone the "while I'm at it" parts.

 

I am looking into an Ultimate Dana 44 crate axle and have a couple of questions about it. I'm hoping someone could give me some insight.

1. Does the housing take account for caster angle for taller lifts (Looking at about a 5.5 metcloak kit)

YES!

2. Does anyone make a truss for it? Does a Rubi 44 truss work?

IT SHOULD. CONTACT ARTEC TO VERIFY

3. Does anyone make C gussets?

YES BUT DOUBT YOU WILL NEED THEM AS THEY ARE BEEFED UP OVER OEM ALREADY.

 

As long as you aren’t doing 40s I think the ultimate Dana 44 is a great option. I am expecting to take delivery of mine tomorrow. I plan on running 37s with my 2.5 inch Metalcloak lift. The axle does allow for extra caster angle (around 2-3 degrees extra) thanks to a pinion angle that is optimized for a lifted Jeep. I think I’ve heard of people running 8 caster on these axles and it running good. I haven’t heard of anyone trussing these, I’m not too sure you’ll need to unless you plan on hitting it really hard or desert running. It seems to be a pretty beefy axle and is much stronger than a stock Dana 44 on a rubicon. I would definitely email or call Dana to see what kind of truss would work with it, as the axle is thicker than a standard d44

 

How long do you think I could make a UD44 work on 40s? I have buddies who run that set up and have no problems but I want someone opinion without peer pressure behind it

 

not good with 40s, not wide enough!

 

The biggest issue to me would be gearing. To run 40's you need 5.38 gears, and with the size of the ring and pinion on a D44 the pinion is really small at that gear ratio. All the heavy duty housing, tubes, and brackets isn't going to change that. Plus you are still running a unit bearing made for much smaller tires.
Can you do it? Sure. If you are careful and don't beat on it you may be able to make it work. But what fun is that? Having a Jeep on 40's and having to baby it doesn't make sense to me.

 

I am used to jeeps on 43 stickies and 5.13 gears so the pedal feels and things like that are not my biggest problems. I know running 40s on dana 44s is a controversial topic but if I cant make it work then I won't. I have been looking into just doing a 1-ton of setup. I know that tons will handle the 40s so I'm not worried about that end of it. The price is what scares me.

 

To answer a couple of your questions from the OP. I installed a UD44 last year. With 3.5" AEV springs on my JKU I only netted 4.4° caster with the front pinion angle set around 0.5°. At 5.5" of lift the caster may not be enough for good drivability. I managed to put an Artec Rubi 44 truss on it but I had to do a bunch of fitting and grinding. Ymmv.

 

Look at it this way.
You want tons and 40s, right? Say tons cost 15,581.00 built with all your stuff (lockers, BBK, steering, chromo shafts fully built and assembled ready to bolt and go)
Then you think UD44 is about 5,500.00. then add in the re-gear and locker plus truss and chromos for the rear for about 3500.00. Now add a full BBK for the front and rear (another 1000.00) oh yea the spicer ball joints are junk in the UD44 so add another 600.00.
So call it 10,000 for the beefy but not adequate Dana 44 build.
Take that 10,000 and add it to the cost of tons and now you are 25 K + into a one ton build…
I just went through this very decision making process for the past year or so. I ordered my tons last week. (I bought a set of Rubie take offs and was gonna build them for 37s and ended up selling them after a couple of weeks)
In my opinion don’t waste your calories building the 44s. Heck, the UD44 is barely stronger than stock anyways. The tubes are only 5/16 wall. For a better upgrade you are looking at Dynatrac or Teraflex for 1/2” wall.
If I recall correctly stock are 1/4” wall.

 

Look at it this way.
You want tons and 40s, right? Say tons cost 15,581.00 built with all your stuff (lockers, BBK, steering, chromo shafts fully built and assembled ready to bolt and go)
Then you think UD44 is about 5,500.00. then add in the re-gear and locker plus truss and chromos for the rear for about 3500.00. Now add a full BBK for the front and rear (another 1000.00) oh yea the spicer ball joints are junk in the UD44 so add another 600.00.
So call it 10,000 for the beefy but not adequate Dana 44 build.
Take that 10,000 and add it to the cost of tons and now you are 25 K + into a one ton build…
I just went through this very decision-making process for the past year or so. I ordered my tons last week. (I bought a set of Rubie take-offs and was gonna build them for 37s and ended up selling them after a couple of weeks)
In my opinion, don’t waste your calories building the 44s. Heck, the UD44 is barely stronger than stock anyways. The tubes are only 5/16 wall. For a better upgrade, you are looking at Dynatrac or Teraflex for a 1/2” wall.
If I recall correctly stock is 1/4” wall.

I am going to end up building my 44s to hold 37s on a conservative side of wheeling. I am going to do that so i can still wheel while I am building my 1 ton. I already have a rear sterling 10.5 with a truss that I was going to run in my Tj but have since changed goals. I now just need to find and build a Dana 60 front.

 

I also started out with a PR44 and ended up with a set of PR60s. Although I resold the PR44 for a good price, the whole endeavor cost much more than it could have going straight to 60s. I bought the PR60s (complete with lockers) directly from Dynatrac for $13K (pre China virus), which by today’s standards is a great price.

 

What size tire did you run on the PR 44? 37s?

 

I don’t know any details of failures you’re referring to, but I would not run 5.38s in the 44 package. In my opinion they are too weak and would be prone to failure. (I’m sure one or more folks will chime in and say I’m full of it, they’ve run 5.38s for years with no problems, etc., etc. Doesn’t change my opinion.)

The other issues you see when running 37s or larger tires on the 44 platform include ball joint wear/failure, unit bearing wear/play, tie rod bending. Basically the 44 is marginal with 37s. You can get stronger aftermarket ball joints and tie rods. I’m not aware of stronger unit bearings, but fortunately they tend to develop noticeable play rather than catastrophically failing, and they are easy and reasonably cheap to replace.

You already know that the stock 44 housing is marginal on 37s. You can get a stronger housing. The UD44 appears to be marginally stronger, but if you’re dropping the coin for that why not go with something better like a PR44.

 

A PR44 with the parts I will need is 5k. Granted I have a shop account with Dynatrac and could be getting an even better price it is still a fair chunk of change. I am only building a UD44 to run for a limited amount of time while I build my tons. I don't know the second-hand market price for the PR44 but I have a feeling that I will probably not make my money back out of it. I am fine with replacing the ball joints a little more often along with unit bearings if so needed. I am only looking for an axle that will withhold a 37 for a small amount of time so I can still have fun along with being able to move it around without the need of a forklift or a chassis rolling system. I will not see a whole lot of abuse on the trail due to the fact that I only go wheeling a couple of times a year. I know I am looking into an overkill build for only wheeling a couple times a year but this is the build I have been looking forward too.

 

In my opinion, a stronger housing like the UD44, or even a Teraflex or Dynatrac housing, doesn’t really address the biggest shortcomings of running 37’s with a D44. As mentioned, the weaknesses of the D44 with 37’s is more about things like ball joints, axle shafts, and bearings.
You can bend a D44 housing with 37’s. But only if you do something stupid. But wear and tear on things like ball joints and bearings is going to happen either way.

 

...But wear and tear on things like ball joints and bearings is going to happen either way.

Yep that is why I am going kingpin and full float 60's.

 

Something else to consider
East Coast Gear Supply has the ultimate 44 housing for 1600, or their match to the PR for 2400.00 it has 3 inch tubes at 1/2 inch thick…
They also have a semi float 60 rear and can do 5x5 and custom width on both….

I almost went that way but once I started the math and plus the fact, ultimately I wanted bigger the switch to tons made sense.

My Jeep is paid for so after careful consideration I filled out a application with LightStream and Voila, tons and a minimal payment with low interest.

 

Something else to consider
East Coast Gear Supply has the ultimate 44 housing for 1600, or their match to the PR for 2400.00 it has 3 inch tubes at 1/2 inch thick…
They also have a semi float 60 rear and can do 5x5 and custom width on both….

I almost went that way but once I started the math and plus the fact, ultimately I wanted bigger the switch to tons made sense.

My Jeep is paid for so after careful consideration I filled out a application with LightStream and Voila, tons and a minimal payment with low interest.

Is the ECGS axle as good as the Dynatrac? the D489F-NR-JK FRONT AXLE

 

I’d say yes, especially if you go with the Dynatrac ball joints.
I talked to them about the axle and they gave me the specs and I was impressed. I was going to do the axle like I said but finally settled on their D60s… I can’t wait for them be built…
I have no financial interest at ECGS. But I have been a satisfied customer for over 10 years. I know several of the guys that work there, I wheel with them. They have always treated me well and never steered me wrong or tried to steer me one way or the other.

 

Do your think I should just go to 60s? Mine is going to be a medium-wheeled JK so if 60s mean less chance of breaking and more reliability. If you don't mind me asking how much were your 60s?

 

I do think you should go 60s. The way I see it build as bulletproof as possible, wheel like you got some sense, and let it be someone else who breaks. Not to mention the ton build will hold its value tremendously better than ANY Dana 44. Today 40s are the new 35s.

I built my TJ that I sold 4 times, with 2 re-gears. I am on my 2nd build right now on my JKU. (I swapped out my 1st lift with a Metalcloak game changer.) While I learned a lot with all the builds I certainly would have saved a ton of money by building the absolute best the 1st time.

I'll add my wheeling preferences have changed significantly over the years as well, and thatwas the main reason why I built so many times....

As far as price, I got a couple discounts that you may not get, so I don't wanna give you an exact price. I will say that I am under the website pricing. I'd suggest calling them and getting a quote for you. I am expecting another 4500 for wheels and tires.

 

If going to 60s I would (and did) install an Atlas t/c while everything is apart.

 

Did you go with a 3.8:1 or a 4.0:1?

 

This guy’s a dreamer.

 

Thanks for the compliment. I really do appreciate it.

 

Get off the guys back, he asked a question and you can take the time to answer or not.

 

Thanks man.

 

UD44…35’s…2.5” Metalcloak….breezed through Rubicon. It’s a great axle, but don’t go over 37.