If Jim McGean and the fabricators at Dynatrac have a reputation for any one thing, it is building hard-core axles with the kind of precision and quality control that NASA would be proud of. Every step of the manufacturing process, from the initial materials to the final assembly, is carefully monitored. And by the time one of its axles is loaded onto a freight truck for shipment, it's as much a work of art as it is a functional tool.
The Dynatrac Pro 44 axle has found its way under a lot of hard-core rigs because it's built for serious off-road use. At its heart is a brand-new Dana 44 pumpkin, which can be filled with whatever gears and differential the new owner specifies. From the housing out, though, everything gets bigger and stronger. The tubing has an outer diameter of 2-3/4 inches, but it has a wall thickness of 1/2-inch - dimensions you would expect to see on fullsize trucks. A point that Dynatrac likes to stress is that its tubing is unitized, which is to say it's one-piece. At no time does the company butt-weld pieces of tubing together using internal sleeves to cut down on costs. This ensures that there are no weak points that could later crack under duress. Every axle tube is cut to length on site and then pressed into the housing using a custom-built, hydraulic press.
As part of the Pro 44 setup, Dynatrac uses Dana axleshafts, flat-top Dana 44 knuckles, and a heavy-duty wheel end assembly that includes internally locking hubs, as well as larger-than-stock bearings, spindles, and brakes. In terms of size, the brake setup hearkens back to that on the pre-'78 CJs. The stainless rotors are 11-3/4 inches in diameter and 1-5/16 inches thick. Again, these dimensions are comparable to what you would expect to find on fullsize trucks today.
Dynatrac takes a great deal of pride in its axles, and it shows in the finished product. The Pro 44 axle can be built for TJs and YJs, as well as CJs. For that matter, Dynatrac can accommodate just about any custom application you can imagine. So if you're in the market for one of the finest 44s around, the Pro 44 is it.