As great as today's Dodge trucks are, they still have a few areas in need of improvement. One of these is the feared fuel-economy-robbing unit bearing assemblies found on the front axle. Since 1994, 4WD Dodge trucks have been equipped with unit bearings. This switch was made simply to save money producing the vehicles. Unit bearings actually have a longer service life than a standard hub, but they are not rebuildable. The problem with the absence of a locking hub is that there is no means of preventing the axle components from spinning while in 2WD. As a result, premature wear, reduced mileage and a heavy feel to the steering can exist. The guys at Dynatrac have a great solution for the OEM shortcomings. We ordered up their Free-spin HDHC (heavy-duty hub conversion) kit with the optional DynaLoc hubs and went to work bringing the Dodge up to snuff! Oh, and for you Ford fans, Dynatrac offers a kit for you, too! After getting the truck up in the air and the front wheels removed, we unbolted the brake calipers and tied them safely out of the way. With that being done, the factory unit bearings were next to be removed......After getting the truck up in the air and the front wheels removed, we unbolted the brake ......A point worth mentioning here is that the unit bearing woul still not come loose, even with the four bolts removed. The unit bearing is a factory pressed fit into the knuckle and definitely takes a bit of muscle to break it free............A point worth mentioning here is that the unit bearing woul still not come loose, ev ......After a little head scratching, we came up with a solution. By threading each of the four bolts back into the unit bearing slightly, we used a socket and a spacer block and relied upon the power steering pump as a hydraulic jack of sorts to drive out the unit bearing.............After a little head scratching, we came up with a solution. By threading each of the .......As it turns out, Snap-On offers a driver for this task but we found that our method worked great. Of course, it is necessary to alternate from bolt to bolt to drive the unit out evenly. Remember to keep yourself out of harm's way and have clear communication with the person sitting in the drivers seat doing the steering!.......As it turns out, Snap-On offers a driver for this task but we found that our method As a safe precaution we had new U-joints pressed in place joining the factory axle to the beefy 35-spline Dynatrac stub shafts.As a safe precaution we had new U-joints pressed in place joining the factory axle to the The wheel studs were then placed..... .....in the Dynatrac outer hubs. The ...... ......fit was then confirmed in the rotor just to be safe. At this point we opted to drain the differential, lube, and inspected the gear set. Although this is not a required step, we felt it was prudent-and besides, we wanted to button things back up with a fresh gasket and a supply of Red Line 75-90W synthetic gear lube.At this point we opted to drain the differential, lube, and inspected the gear set. Althou With everything cleaned up it was time for the assembly. A liberal coating of Never-Seez was applied to the face of the knuckle to make a future disassembly a breeze......With everything cleaned up it was time for the assembly. A liberal coating of Never-Seez w ......The new axle seals were put into place, the wheel bearings thoroughly packed with grease, and axles installed.......The new axle seals were put into place, the wheel bearings thoroughly packed with gr Next came the outer hub, complete with an ABS tone ring to allow the OEM ABS system to function just as it did from the factory. With all of this accomplished we moved to the DynaLoc hub kit......Next came the outer hub, complete with an ABS tone ring to allow the OEM ABS system to fun ......This system features a unique tooth design on the Teflon coated, heat-treated chromoly gears that prevents them from disengaging under a high-torque load............This system features a unique tooth design on the Teflon coated, heat-treated chromo ....... Add this with a low profile knob assembly that only requires 1/5 of a turn to engage and disengage and you have a winning combination........ Add this with a low profile knob assembly that only requires 1/5 of a turn to enga With everything in place, properly torqued and checked, we hit the road for a test drive. Even before leaving the parking lot, a much lighter feel in the steering was detected as if we had replaced the 37-inch Toyos with 33s! The maiden voyage was a 350-mile cross-state freeway drive and our mileage jumped a full 1.2 mpg. This fuel savings combined with the added strength and serviceability makes the Dynatrac Free-Spin kit a winner.With everything in place, properly torqued and checked, we hit the road for a test drive. Sources Dynatrac 7392 Count Circle Huntington Beach CA 92647 714-596-4461 www.dynatrac.com By Colin McLemore Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
