Shop Now for 1974-1979 Dodge and Plymouth 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton 4x4 Dana 44 Front Axle parts, tools, & manuals. In stock for quick shipping.
Introduced with the debut of the 1974 Dodge Ramcharger, the full time, live spindle type, monobeam, open knuckle Dana 44 front drive axle would, over the next year replace the previous adjustable wheel bearing and lockout hub equipped Dodge Dana 44 axle with in all Dodge 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton 4x4 trucks. The new axle, which was designed for use with the full-time NP203 transfer case has a splined wheel hub with pressed on wheel bearings was supposed to reduce maintenance and component cost. The wheel hub and bearing configuration proved to be the most troublesome part of the design due to the lack of adjustment to compensate for normal wear and poor fuel economy resulting from the full-time axle/transfer case combination. No other manufacturer used this axle design which was dropped by Dodge after the 1979 model year in favor of an adjustable wheel bearing setup and part time transfer cases. The key to keeping these axles in service is making sure the wheel bearings and bearing support components (hub, retainer, steering knuckle) are in good condition and properly lubricated.