I am looking at getting a locking hub conversion for my 03 2500 ctd. Does anyone have any suggestions on this subject? thanks.
I'm looking to do the conversion, but i'm going to get some wear out the stock stuff before replacing it. I plan on keeping my truck till the wheels fall off a few times, so the cost will be worth it in the long run.
Dynatrac will have what you are looking for. They are expensive but the parts that you will be using are, supposed to be, stronger than the stock pieces. I have never seen a truck with the conversion done. Dynatrac's website is a little lacking in some areas. I hope this helps and let us know how it turns out. LT.
I plan on doing this conversion this summer as I have almost 75,000 miles on my hubs and I figure it's just a matter of time before they start dying. DynaTrac is a big player in the off road / rock crawling world with some of the strongest axle set-ups money can buy. The complete kit includes inexpensive, serviceable Timken bearings, cromoly spindles, cast nodular wheel hubs, Warn Premium manual locking hubs, and massive 1.50” diameter, 35-spline outer axle shafts. All made in the USA. I contacted DynaTrac a few weeks ago and asked them for a no B.S. answer on rather or not they have seen any actual fuel mileage savings on the 3rd generation Rams. They said that every one of the Dodge trucks they have installed the conversion on, had seen an immediate 15-20% increase in fuel mileage. Apparently there is about 135 lbs worth of drag that is freed up when the hubs aren't turning everything in the front end. I've only talked to a few guys with the conversion, but they all have claimed between 2-4 mpg increases with the kit. That's good enough for me.
I am also looking at locking hubs and I am leaning toward Solid axle's they come assembled with wheel studs pressed in. I would like to get the extra fuel milage and save spinning a lot of parts for no good reason, but my main reason is so that I can be in 2 wheel drive low ratio for backing my trailer up hill and around a pole to where I park it . The NV5600 is a fairly high reverse gear. I think this conversion would be a lot easier on the clutch. Their web site is solidaxle.com Jim O
I'm going to check on that Solid kit. Looks like a good assembly. I wrote them to ask a few questions about the stubshaft material and whether the u-joints are greasable or not. Lets see if they respond.
Matt at Solid wrote me back. Said the shafts are standard Spicer shafts, but can be upgraded to chromemoly (no price specified) and the u-joints are non-greasable. I've got some greasable u-joints here that I never put in the truck yet. I could press those in the shafts and with the hub assembly already assembled, the Solid kit may be worth looking into.
Other than the fuel mileage, heavy haulers will really like one of these kits purely for the ability to use 2 low for backing heavy trailers. I have a customer that installed the dynatrac kit and he is more than pleased with the outcome. I will have to call him and see how mileage was affected.
