Quote:
Originally posted by da-burb
HO52 stronger?? That must be why they put the Dana 60 behind the big blocks. There has to be some logic behind why the factory made the Dana 60 standard with the 396-402 engines. A much better gear ratio (3:54) is one, but they still stand up to the torque as good or better than the HO52. The fact that you can still find parts for the Dana is just icing on the cake.
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While I do not know why the d60 was put behind 3/4 ton BB trucks, the ho52 IS definitely stronger than the d60. it is bigger (10.5" ring gear vs 9.75" for d60, 1.55" diameter axleshafts vs 1.31" for d60), also as 69oldie pointed out, the ho52 and ho72 were the same basic axle, only differences were the size of the drums and backing plates. 52 and 72 correlate to 5200 and 7200 pound capacities, respectively.
i want to run one of these because it will be very strong and i want to use something other than your run of the mill 14bff. i plan on 35" tires which arent that extreme. plus, i got a great deal on mine with a No-Spin already inside. also, these axles have better ground clearance than either the d60 or 14bff, they have a dropout centersection, and I like the oil plug on the diff cover, which the 14bff doesnt have.