Dana 60 - Axle Alternatives - Tech

Some call it the poor man's Dana 60. It's not as big, and it's not as strong, but it'll do the job of a heavy-duty Dana 44 and then some for roughly the same cost. So why is the Dana 50 one of the least used and rarely spoken of Dana differential offerings? For many years, the reason rested with the aftermarket. A lack of available upgrade parts left the Dana 50 to use its wimpy OE 30-spline axleshafts and gearsets, which were more at home on the highway than the trail. As the Dana 60 continues to elevate in price, though, and useable Dana 44 axlehousings become more and more scarce, scads of 4x4 enthusiasts are taking another look at the other Dana differential.

Dana produced two versions of the Dana 50 throughout the years: a reverse-rotation monobeam unit and a twin-traction beam (TTB) version, both of which were used as front axles in Ford pickups. The Dana 50 monobeam front axle went under most Ford 1/2-ton pickups from the early-'80s to present. This is the axle we'll be referring to in this article. The Dana 50 monobeam unit uses essentially the same axlehousing as the Dana 60 units, though the interior casting is thicker to allow for a smaller carrier and 9-inch ring gear. The pinion is also much shorter in the Dana 50, which can be a great asset to a short-wheelbase rig when the axle is used for a rear application. With its smaller interior 'housing, the Dana 50 also experiences less pinion walk than the Dana 60, as well as offering more available exterior material to be shaved from the 'housing to create more ground clearance than a Dana 60 can provide.

One of the reasons these assemblies are so plentiful in salvage yards is due to the aforementioned OE 30-spline axleshafts and the lack of available gearsets and lockers. Many Ford truck owners found that they could swap in a Dana 60 without adding a great deal more weight, getting a wide selection of gearsets and lockers to choose from as well 35-spline axleshafts. After swapping out his share of Dana 50s for Ford truck customers, Jason Bunch of Tri County Gear in Pomona, California, decided to take a second look at this seemingly undesirable unit. Being that the Dana 50 was a reverse-rotation assembly, it looked to be a great fit for a Jeep rear-axle application. Jason knew well, however, that 30-spline 'shafts would never cut it on the trail, especially combined with the heavier-than-a-Dana-44 'housing. To be worth the effort and to rightly position it as a viable option between the Dana 44 and Dana 60, the Dana 50 needed 35-spline axleshafts. Jason presented the predicament to ARB, and the two eventually worked together to produce a solution. The ARB Air Locker offers the ability to interchange the spline side gears, so the same unit can be used in the same differential should a customer decide to install larger axleshafts. On this premise, 35-spline side gears were installed in the Dana 50 ARB, along with a set of 35-spline 'shafts. The available gearset offerings have also improved over the years, with ratios as low as 5.13. Put it all together and you have a reverse-rotation rear-axle outfit with an ARB Air Locker, 35-spline axleshafts, and an increasingly wider selection of gearsets ranging from 3.54 to 5.13. The Dana 50 also shares the same cover as the Dana 60, meaning than most aftermarket skidplates or rock guards can easily be installed on these units.

If your rig is on the rise and rapidly outgrowing its stock axles, the Dana 50 might just be the ticket. It's cheaper and more plentiful than a Dana 60, while offering more ring-and-pinion and 'housing strength than the Dana 44. It's the other Dana differential. And it's finally worth its weight in keeping up with the demands that Dana intended it to meet in the first place.

Dana 50 Gearset AvailabilityPrecision Gear and other manufacturers offer the following ring-and-pinion gearsets for the Dana 50 differential.3.54
3.73
4.10
4.30
4.56
4.88
5.13

Dana 44 vs. Dana 50 vs. Dana 60