dana 60 ff vs 14 semi float

[chris989]

I have a ff 60 i was going to swap into my 3/4 ton suburban. I wanted the ff before i dumped $ into an axle.

I have a 14FF also but it really cuts into the ground clearance. The truck is mainly for towing and trails rides. Nothing to extreme and running 35s.

any input???

Chris

[Cabnchassis]

You may sometimes hear bad things about the 14sf because a lot of them had eaton limited slip/posi unit but it's a good axle. They are in 2wd and 4wd 3/4 ton vehicles.

If you aren't familiar with it the eaton limited slip/posi unit aka g80, you won't have to look far to find a bunch of people who hate it. Normally it works like an open diff until you get too much wheel spin then it limits and , if you overspin that wheel you'll feel the posi engage. As soon as you release the torque demand (let off the throttle too far) it disengages.

More moving parts=more stuff to break. I have personally seen one explode but it was in a half ton z71 doing a brake stand in a parking lot. Two pieces of debris actually shot out through the diff cover. They won't tolerate abuse on pavement and being that it has clutches and the like you should periodically inspect it just like you would any other aging vehicle. That said more survive without issue than fail by a wide margin, you just don't hear from the happy people often. I mean it's a standard part of the z71 package and gm made more than just a few of those. It's been around since the 70s. The internet is just hard on it.

The internet will tell you that g80s eat babies and kick puppies but the internet also says all 6.2 diesel grenade if you load them heavy or sneeze while driving, and that dodge trucks that don't come with cummins engines are worth owning. Lots of BS out there to sift through. Just separate the eaton bs from the 14sf cause it's a solid piece of equipment.

[andrewmp6]

Have you looked in to a 14ff shave kit?A shop will have to do it but you gain ground clearance under the diff.

[Cabnchassis]

When you shave a 14 that lower bolt barely holds the diff cover on, and it rips off kind of easy according to guys who've done it. I've seen what they called a well done shave on a 14 ff and i'd call it ruined. The bottom of the pumpkin cover barely has any lip left and there are too many people who have done that say the pumpkin cover tears off too easy to be trusted. Most of the guys I've talked to that use them have them on seriously modded rigs and are usually doing competition type stuff or a lot of trails and have spotters a lot of the time. IMO it's just not worth it. If was going to start spending money on an axle I'd just use the SF and buy it quality gear sets and put in a true locker. I like my gear oil to stay in my diff when I'm on a trail by myself miles from where I get any cell reception and for that reason I'll never shave one.

[chris989]

no love for the ff 60?? would it be a better choice over the SF 14?

[NorCalAnthony]

Quick Google search turned up a bunch of Dana 60 vs 14 Bolt FF threads and most everyone says the 14 Bolt FF is the better axle. It has thicker axle shafts and a stronger pinion with an extra bearing. Another plus for the 14 Bolt FF is how common they are so if you ever need a new shaft or hub assembly you should be able to find several at any junk yard anywhere. The only real downside is a slightly more limited gear selection (shouldn't be an issue with your 35's) and less ground clearance but it doesn't sound like you'll be doing any serious off roading to where that will be a factor either...

[Cabnchassis]

Make you sure are able to tell the difference between a dual rear wheel 14ff and the single , they different shaft lengths but stripped down they look somewhat similar. I'd image the gears are all interchangeable but I don't know that as a fact.

3/4 ton GMT 400 burbs all have the swr 14ff, or at least all the ones I've looked under. Seems like 4.10 is the most common gear ratio I see in those and the only ratio I've seen in a diesel model. If you can use the gear set from the drw then you can probably find 4.56 or 4.88 rears easy enough. Look at cab and chassis trucks for those, and don't forget there are a lot of "bread boxes" that are gm cab and chassis vehicles that have 14ffs. That's the big reason to go with it.

I had to change the drw in my 91 cause i let all the seals leak and never added gear oil for probably close to a year. It made all kinds of clunks and had large debris on the magnet idk what was but it still drove when I pulled it. The gears were in good shape though and it sold on cl for $20 less than the pick n pull replacement I used.

I'd still use the 14sf vs shaving the ff. Unless you're crawling hard or running some massive hp/tq engine in front of it, I don't really see how the sf wouldn't be enough axle. Another plus is at some point you'll have to do the drum brakes. You have to pull the axle shafts out of the ff to remove the the drums and requires a special socket most people won't have in their box. Also worth mentioning that the ff is a boat anchor compared to the sf weight wise.

Idk squat about the dana, but as the previous poster pointed out the corporate axles are very plentiful.

[andrewmp6]

Cabnchassis there is two ways to shave a 14 bolt.Some just take a grinder to the bottom of it.Or use a weld in kit like http://www.tmrcustoms.com/store/inde...oducts_id=2124 http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...it_p_1728.html The ones that just took a grinder to it i have seen fail,The weld in kits i have yet to see one fail.

[Cabnchassis]

I like those a lot better than the driveway shaves for sure. I just question if he will actually ever use the truck hard enough for it to be worth the effort of the shave and relocating the spring perches and shock mounts on an ff. I've only seen rock crawlers break an ff axle shaft, and they're mostly locked or spooled and running 40" or bigger tires. The only sfs I've heard of breaking were being treated hard as well. The axles are the same diameter I believe but the 14 sf axles narrow at the splines and have a few less splines. I guess what I'm saying is choosing between these three axles is a good problem to have, they're all pretty tough.