10,000 Miles Later: Dana 60 Axle Upgrade Review and Front-End Mods for Overland Builds
10,000 Miles and Counting: A Full Review of Our Dana 60 Axle Upgrade and Front-End Mods
After 10,000 miles on the road (and off), we’re taking a hard look at how our front axle setup and supporting mods are holding up. From our Dana 60 rebuild to gearing, lockout hubs, and steering performance — here’s what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d do differently after thousands of miles of real-world testing.
Gearing
No surprises here — the 5.38 gearing is performing exactly as planned. We’re sitting at about 2,100 RPM at 60 mph, which is a little higher than ideal, but it delivers excellent low-speed control off-road when paired with the NP205 transfer case. For our balance of highway and trail use, it’s a solid setup.
Lockout Hubs
The Yukon Hardcore hubs have been reliable since installation — but not without some lessons learned. My initial mistake was using grease instead of oil on the splines, which made them extremely stiff. I cleaned and re-lubed everything with oil. Now they turn easily and engage/disengage as they should.
We also discovered compatibility issues with the Stage 8 X-Lock nuts. That mismatch led to a retaining ring failure that temporarily left us without 4WD. More on that in the wheel bearing section below.
Stub Shafts
The stub shafts installed just like OEM components and have been flawless since. No vibrations, no play, no issues. Between the upgraded U-joints and the shafts themselves, I expect them to last the life of the truck.
Steering Stabilizer
Our Fox steering stabilizer continues to perform perfectly — zero complaints. It’s a simple upgrade that’s paid off in smoother steering feedback, especially on rough roads.
Differential Cover
We’re running the same Yukon Hardcore heavy-duty diff cover up front as we are in the rear. It’s built to take a hit — though hopefully it never has to. So far, it’s leak-free and performing as expected.
Steering
The steering setup works, but there’s room for improvement. The wheel is heavy at low speeds, especially on pavement. When stopped or maneuvering in tight spaces, it takes effort to turn. Once moving — especially on dirt — steering feels normal.
When the factory steering box eventually fails, I’ll be looking into an upgrade with hydro-assist or a high pressure pump, but for now, it’s functional and predictable.
ABS System
Getting ABS to work with this axle was a real challenge. We machined a tone ring onto the wheel hub, built custom sensor brackets, and confirmed the computer could read wheel speed. But when installing the rotors, we discovered there wasn’t enough clearance — the sensor sat too tall and hit the inside of the rotor.
We considered machining the rotors, but didn’t want a wear item to require a custom part. Instead, we came up with a workaround that keeps the computer happy and ABS functional (kind of) for now.
Long-term, we’re looking at upgrading to larger brakes — either the 2001–2010 GM 3500 or 2017–2023 Ram 3500 setups. Both would give us 13–14” rotors and multi-piston calipers, plus the clearance needed to properly mount front ABS sensors.
Wheel Bearing Retainers
We originally ran Stage 8 X-Lock wheel bearing retaining nuts on both axles. These feature 22 locking positions and absolutely won’t loosen on their own — they did their job perfectly.
However, we ran into compatibility problems with our Yukon Hardcore hubs. The hub’s internal spring retainer is designed to ride against the stationary inner race of the outer wheel bearing, allowing the hub assembly to rotate freely. Unfortunately, the Stage 8 lock ring has a slightly larger diameter than the factory Dana 60 spec.
This caused the spring retainer to ride on a rotating surface instead of a stationary one — leading to wear, failure, and metal contamination in the bearing.
Yukon’s website does warn against using Stage 8 nuts, and after some research, we found others had similar issues. Some people modified the spring retainers to fit, but we decided to play it safe and switch to a different retaining system.
After contacting Yukon, we replaced the damaged retainers, installed new bearings, and swapped in the Yukon gear and axle spindle nut kit. Since then, everything’s been running smoothly with zero issues.
Locker
So far, we haven’t been in a situation where a front locker would’ve made a difference. We’ve used 4WD a few times in challenging conditions but haven’t been stuck. We’re still happy with our choice to keep the front differential open for easier steering and fewer parts to maintain.
Axle Rebuild
The Dana 60 rebuild used high-quality, USA-sourced components, and everything’s holding up great. No leaks, no odd noises, and no signs of premature wear. Exactly what we were hoping for.
Final Thoughts
At 10,000 miles, the front axle and supporting systems are performing exactly as we built them to. The few issues we encountered were either user error (hello, greasy hub splines) or small compatibility quirks that come with mixing aftermarket components. We do have a plans for brakes, and hydro assist steering in the near future. Overall, the setup is solid, durable, and confidence-inspiring — everything we want for a heavy expedition rig like Rufus.
