Rear axle offset question

[57taskforce]

I don’t think it being a long wheel base 1 ton is the whole deal, like I said, a lot of the 3/4 ton trucks came with the HO52 which is basically the same setup as the HO72 from your 1 ton. Part of the reason that the yoke and center housing is offset is because of the design of the removable 3rd member from that design of axle. In order for the third member to be removed the ring gear has to be able to clear the housing when coming out. The axles without a removable third member don’t have to deal with this so the pinion can be placed more centered in the housing if that makes sense. 14 bolt FF axles for instance (and likely the dana 60) just like your HO72 actually have a left and right axle shaft because of this, the driver side axle is shorter than the passenger, with the pinion being more centered it moves the ring gear and carrier further to the drivers side of the truck. The gear housing where the third member bolts up on the HO52/72 is more noticeable with this in my opinion with the big ole round center section on display. Heres a picture of a 14 bolt with the cover off and pinion yoke visible to illustrate this, which will be basically the same as the Dana 60 you posted above.

Hopefully that kind of makes sense. The HO52/72/110 can trace there roots back to the late 30’s/early 40’s, a lot of what you see in the later axles are just refinements and changes over time. I like removable 3rd member axles my self. They are pretty convenient for gear swaps and rebuilds. And they are tough as nails.