PR44 and rear Trail 60 for 37" tires?

RedFox

New member
Ok. So there are many threads that cover this subject here and there, but I hope that information gathered here on this thread can help people like myself whom are on a tighter than others budget.

I know I do not have the funds to ball on 40" tires, full d60's front and rear, double throwdown front and rear, etc; however I do dream of being able to run 37" tires as efficiently as a tight budget would allow. I also feel that while there are many threads on how great the PR 60 rear is, I haven't seen many threads on here about the trail 60 rear by dynatrac. That being said:

1- how reliable is a front pro rock 44 with ARB lockers for running 37" tires. And can the front PR44 only be had in the stock 5x5 bolt pattern?

2- being that I am interested in the PR44 for the front, how would a Dynatrac trail 60 rear fare on 37" tires Being that it is not full float, not high pinion, and re-uses stock brakes and calipers. This is important because the trail 60 matches the 5x5 bolt pattern of the PR44 whereas the rear PR60 does not come in 5x5 bolt pattern (but correct me if I'm wrong here). This saves me money as far as wheels are concerned.

3- aside from high pinion, bigger brakes, what else is different in a trail 60 and PR60. Is the housing thicker?

I'm hoping that people can shine some light on the trail 60 because I haven't read much about it on here and I really don't wanna go with another manufacturer. I'm convinced dynatrac makes quality axles, I just hope this combo would work for 37" tires as reliable as PR60 front and rear would for 40" tires. Thanks guys.
 

Rottenbelly

New member
How hard do you plan on wheeling would be my first question.
I run a PR 44 front with arb and 35 spline rcvs. Rear I did the arb and 35 spline axles.
Ran 37 mud grapplers for a while and now 37 trail grapplers.
I worry more about my 5:38 gears holding up than anything else.
I feel it's a plenty strong enough combo for 37' s.
 

RedFox

New member
I would also worry about the R&P with 37" tires but to compensate I would not use RCV axle a shafts and use chromoly shafts instead. Maybe that would take some load off the gears. I live in Cali so light rock crawling is what i wanna use the axles for. I have read that the front ring and pinion on JK's are actually larger than previous generation d44 and being a high pinion up front is actually pushing on the strong side of the ring gear. I mean, the vengeance build had a 44/60 hybrid axle that used a 44 R&P up front so it has to be reliable, right? Also, being that the axle shafts and outers are all d60 then I'm assuming it would make the smaller d44 gears the weak link in that set up, so maybe sticking to a pr44 with chromoly shafts is a reliable method for tires up to 37"? I think I'm confusing myself...
 

bl17z90

New member
Eddie and Cindy are running a PR44 on Rubicat with a stock Dana 44 in the rear and I beleive 5.13 gears.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
1- how reliable is a front pro rock 44 with ARB lockers for running 37" tires. And can the front PR44 only be had in the stock 5x5 bolt pattern?

Very reliable so long as you keep your R&P to 5.13. At 5.38, your pinion will be really really small and it will be your weak link. Unless you run a 44/60 hybrid setup, 5x5 is the bolt pattern you will have to run.

2- being that I am interested in the PR44 for the front, how would a Dynatrac trail 60 rear fare on 37" tires Being that it is not full float, not high pinion, and re-uses stock brakes and calipers. This is important because the trail 60 matches the 5x5 bolt pattern of the PR44 whereas the rear PR60 does not come in 5x5 bolt pattern (but correct me if I'm wrong here). This saves me money as far as wheels are concerned.

Actually, the Trail 60 is a high pinion axle but no, it is not a full float. For running just 37's, this is fine. Yes, it re-uses stock brakes and calipers but, they are your rear brakes and won't be doing the same amount of work as your fronts and therefore, really aren't necessary. This is a great option to consider especially being that you can get the axle in a JK width and with a 5x5 bolt pattern.

3- aside from high pinion, bigger brakes, what else is different in a trail 60 and PR60. Is the housing thicker?

The PR60 comes in a full width housing, has thicker tubes, has slightly bigger brakes, is available in a full-float setup and of course, comes with a proprietary profiled housing that offers as much clearance as a Dana 44 housing. Again, the Trail 60 is available in a high pinion setup and, depending on how much you want to spend, can be customized to meet more of your needs.

For your needs, it's a great setup that I would highly recommend.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Eddie and Cindy are running a PR44 on Rubicat with a stock Dana 44 in the rear and I beleive 5.13 gears.

Yup, that's what we're running but from experience, I can tell you that our rear won't last. That's why we will be installing Moby's old PR60 on it.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Will you just run spacers up front and switch your bolt pattern on your wheels.

Well, technically, they would be wheel "adapters" as they convert the bolt pattern from a 5x5 to a 5x5.5 but yeah, they will space out our wheels as well and make our front axle width about what the rear will be.
 

rtguy1

New member
I run a pr44 and rear 60. U can pm me with any questions. Keep in mind the trail 60 can be had at stock width with the upgraded PROROCK housing. So you are basically getting semi float stock width pr60. Plenty for 37's
 

suicideking

New member
Keep in mind the trail 60 can be had at stock width with the upgraded PROROCK housing. So you are basically getting semi float stock width pr60. Plenty for 37's

I might go this route too. I don't plan on going larger than 37's. How much would a built Trail 60 with PR housing cost compared to a PR 44? Wouldn't a PR44 also be plenty for 37's?
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I might go this route too. I don't plan on going larger than 37's. How much would a built Trail 60 with PR housing cost compared to a PR 44? Wouldn't a PR44 also be plenty for 37's?

The PR44 is only available as a front axle. The factory rear axle is already bigger than the factory front but of course, it also see the brunt of the work. When you're ready to upgrade, you will want to get a Trail 60 or better.
 

suicideking

New member
The PR44 is only available as a front axle. The factory rear axle is already bigger than the factory front but of course, it also see the brunt of the work. When you're ready to upgrade, you will want to get a Trail 60 or better.

Copy that. I didn't know you couldn't get a PR44 rear. Crap! :doh:

So if I have a Rubi D44 front with Evo sleeve and gussets. Rear is the Sport D44 with ARB locker, but no reinforcement. If I keep banging it on rocks, which will be most likely to break first assuming I move from 35's to 37's?

My original plan was to do the front PR44 in steps -- Maybe get just the housing (swap all Rubi D44 parts), pay that off, then get the locker and everything else as step two.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Copy that. I didn't know you couldn't get a PR44 rear. Crap! :doh:

So if I have a Rubi D44 front with Evo sleeve and gussets. Rear is the Sport D44 with ARB locker, but no reinforcement. If I keep banging it on rocks, which will be most likely to break first assuming I move from 35's to 37's? My original plan was to do the front PR44 in steps -- Maybe get just the housing (swap all Rubi D44 parts), pay that off, then get the locker and everything else as step two.

Unlike the factory front Dana 44 which is a Dana 44 in name only thanks to the differential (tubes and end forgings are the same as a Dana 30), the factory rear Dana 44 is a pretty tough axle with 3" tubes. It'll take the rocks just fine and so long as you keep your gear ratio to 5.13, will handle that as well. If you have a Sport 44, all the better as you can get upgrade it with 35 spline shafts. Where you will start to see problems with bending is with coil overs as they will allow you to drive so much faster. And, speed will break more stuff on your Jeep than rocks any day of the week. Having said that, between the two, your rear will go first. The PR44 is built to be better and stronger than a true Dana 44.
 
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