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10.4 - Front Axle

Type: Dana 60, high pinion (reverse rotation)

Source: 2005-2010 Ford F-350 Super Duty, SRW

Locker: ARB RD166 Air Locker

Axle Shafts: Factory Dana/Spicer 35 spline

Specifications

Specification Value
Type Dana 60, high pinion reverse rotation
Source 2005-2010 Ford F-350 Super Duty (SRW)1
Differential Drop Driver's side (Ford convention)2
Width (WMS) 69.25"1
Bolt Pattern 8x1701
Spline Count 35 inner, 35 outer1
Tube 3.5" x 0.500" wall1
Knuckles Factory cast steel
Locker ARB RD1663

Ring & Pinion

Specification Value
Ratio 5.13
Manufacturer Revolution Gear
Part D60 reverse, standard thickness
Install Kit D60 reverse master install kit

Gear Thickness

ARB RD166 is the 4.56-and-up carrier. Gear must be standard thickness. Do not order D60-513RT (thick) or the REV-F350-513-K package.

Differential

Specification Value
Locker ARB RD166 Air Locker3
Spline 35
Carrier Series 4-series (4.56 & up)3
Control SwitchPros Button 9, OUTPUT-17

See Air Lockers for wiring, air line routing, and operation.

Axle Shafts

Specification Value
Manufacturer Dana/Spicer (factory)
Spline Count 35
U-Joint Spicer SPL55-3X1
Quantity 4 (2 installed, 2 spare)

Stock shafts retained. Chromoly and 1550-series joints deferred: the 8" ram caps steering at 40 degrees, which is where factory 1480-series joints bind, so larger joints buy no usable angle. Bolt-in upgrade if shafts prove marginal.5

Hubs

Specification Value
Type Yukon Hardcore manual locking
Part YHC700111
Spline 35
Engagement 1/3 turn

Factory wheel end retained. Yukon hubs replace factory lockouts. No free-spin conversion required.

Ball Joints

Specification Value
Type American Iron ball joint delete
Style Press-fit, welded per AI instructions
Bushing Offset TBD #298 (0, 1.5, or 3 degree)
Hardware AI-1900 trail hardware kit

Upper and lower both required. Lower addresses shaft push-out on breakage.6

Caster Adjustment

Bushing offset sets caster and camber together, summing to the bushing rating. Every 15 degrees of bushing rotation gives 0.5 degrees of change on a 3-degree set. Buying caster at the knuckle avoids rotating the inner Cs, which would also rotate the pinion.

Inner Cs

Factory inner Cs retained, no gussets. Accepted deviation from the weld-once-for-future-power principle. Revisit only with an engine change.6

Housing Preparation

Item Part
Truss Motobilt
Differential Cover Motobilt
Pinion Yoke 1350, 29 spline, strap style1
Breather Relocated; braided line routed high into the engine bay

All welding completed before internals installed.

ABS and Tone Ring

No ABS on this build; speed is GPS-sourced via the Dakota Digital GPS-50-2. Tone rings omitted and the wheel-end sensor openings plugged. Plug sizes: TBD #310.

Steering

Specification Value
High Steer Arms Offroad Anonymous 05-16 SD60 full hydro weld-on4
Ram PSC 8" double ended (see Steering)
Ram Mount Barnes 4WD universal DIY
Target Angle 40 degrees4

ORA published travel-to-angle: 8" travel gives 40 degrees, 9" gives 45, 10" gives 50, measured at the innermost mounting hole. Multiple mounting holes allow trading angle for mechanical advantage.4

Steering Stops

Stops must satisfy both the u-joint bind angle and ram stroke. Set with paint inside the joints, run stops in until paint rubs off, back out one turn. Leave 1/8" at each end of ram travel so the cylinder never bottoms internally. Verify under load, not by hand.

Ball joint delete clearance against the high steer arms: TBD #299.

Brakes

Factory Super Duty calipers and rotors. See Brakes.

Outstanding Items

🔴 Critical (1)

High (8)

📋 Medium (9)

📝 Low (2)

Build Tasks

  • Confirm factory hub type before ordering (auto vs manual lockout)
  • Set and verify steering stops under load
  • Preheat knuckles before welding high steer arms
  • Cite an OEM or vendor source for WMS width, tube size, and spline counts before bracket layout or wheel order
  • Locate and plumb the axle breather before the truss is welded
  • Confirm the Motobilt cover fill plug clears the truss, and whether it includes a drain plug
  • Lay out link brackets and the ram mount before the truss is welded
  • Verify beadlock clearance to the ram and links at full lock and full droop

  1. Owner build notes, 2026-09-16 — donor range, WMS width, bolt pattern, spline counts, tube size, u-joint series, hub part number, and pinion yoke spline. Not yet backed by an OEM or vendor citation; see Build Tasks. ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Ford front Dana 60 axles are driver's-side differential drop with reverse-cut (high pinion) gears: "Ford versions are driver's side differential drop, reverse-cut gears" (Wikipedia, Dana 60 — Dodge and GM front 60s are passenger-side drop); "All these Ford front axles were drivers side differential, reverse-cut (high pinion) gears, and kingpin knuckles to 1991.5 and balljoints thereafter" (Blue Oval Trucks, "Ford Super Duty Dana 50 vs Dana 60"). Both accessed 2026-09-18. This matches the NP241OR transfer case's driver's-side front output — see Transfer Case. ↩

  3. ARB RD166 — Air Locker, Dana 60HD, 35 spline, 4.56 & up (4-series carrier); $1,399.95 list. Revolution Gear listing, accessed 2026-09-16. Supersedes the RD116 (30-spline Dana 44) previously specified for the front. ↩↩↩

  4. Offroad Anonymous 05-16 Super Duty Dana 60 Weld-On High Steer Kit (full hydro option) — ORA publishes "8″ steering travel provides 40° steering angle" for the 05-10 knuckle version. offroadanonymous.com, accessed 2026-09-16. The 9"/45° and 10"/50° figures are owner notes from the same listing. ↩↩↩

  5. Owner decision, 2026-09-16 — factory Dana/Spicer 35-spline shafts retained; chromoly shafts and 1550-series joints deferred because the 40° steering cap set by the 8" ram is where the factory joints bind. ↩

  6. Owner decision, 2026-09-16 — American Iron ball joint delete (upper and lower, welded per AI instructions); factory inner Cs retained without gussets. ↩↩