dedenbear dana 60 knuckles

stone

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
charleston
after shearing my right hydro arm off my passanger knuckle twice this weekend i am looking into the dedenbear knuckles because the offer the 5th stud on the front where the sheer stres is high. has anyone used them? is there a more resonable alternative. i saw some pics of i think cranes that have a casting that you can cut out of your arm that helps with the sheer stess. are there any other brands i should look at? also i read an artlie by billavista and he says factory gm studs are the only ones that are tapered and that are strong enough. well they dont make a highsteet stud, so are all these after market studs tappered? so many questions, i think i need some direction.
 
Reid - are your hi-steer arms just a bolt-on deal now, without tapered lugs? Or are you just trying to move boulders with your steering?

Also, studs aren't tapered, the nuts that bolt to them are.

The crane's have a raised slot in them, but it's designed to match with their histeer arms that have a matching relief cut into them.

I really dig these...
dana60double.jpg

Uses studs with tapered nuts, and the kingpin is separate from the steering..
 
I'm a dealer for them, just bought three sets for myself and a couple others. Yes they have a 5th bolt hole. The reason I replaced my stock knuckles ,was due to the knuckle itself breaking as pictured

aimg.photobucket.com_albums_v478_gmanstone_100_0127.jpg


Ford knuckles are sorta known to have this problem, Dedenbear ribs the top of the knuckle and a total of 6 extra lbs of steel are in it. They use 2 grades higher than stock cast quality (whatever that is?). The are thicker in the critical areas.
That being said, the Crane knuckles are badass along with the interlocking steering arms. You just need a big wallet to buy them. I can sell a set of the Dedenbears for cheap in comparison to Cranes. However, cheap is still pretty pricey, this isn't a 2 or 3 hundered dollar fix.
You may also want to double check the throw on your ram and make sure the steering stops are adjusted correctly. That can break all kinds of studs.
Pm me if your interested in the Dedenbears. Greg
 
greg,
my failure is due to coming down school bus with all the weight on the front, hitting a rock that came inside my beadlock ring and pushed the tire back to the control arm. it was shitty driving on my part. i like the idea of the 5th bolt on the front side where the strength is needed.
 
So can the knuckle have extra steel welded to it to strengthen it or are the metals incompatable ?

JB
 
I'd say shitty driving and improperly installed and maintained fasteners.

Got pics of your setup, Reid? If you're shearing off 4 1/2" fasteners on a regular basis, one extra bolt isn't going to help.
 
saf-t scissors said:
I'd say shitty driving and improperly installed and maintained fasteners.

Got pics of your setup, Reid? If you're shearing off 4 1/2" fasteners on a regular basis, one extra bolt isn't going to help.
Click to expand...

the first time was shitty driving, but it could happen to anyone with fullwidth, 2inch bs, and 14.5 swampers coming down schoolbus. its a wide rig and a narrow trail with rocks jutting out, that and night time dont equal compadability. in no way is it possible the fastners were not installed correctly or maintained improperly. going down hill quickly, with all the weight on the front axle, and a rock hitting the hub and getting stuck inside the bead lock ring, full hydro which has no rebound is going to equal sheared parts at the weakest point. i am looking for some kind of solution to make it stronger. you break a stock item and u put a stronger one on. its simple. i just want to know who likes the dedenbear or the crane. i like the idea behind the crane arm. either way i dont like the 259 per knuckle plus all new steerign arms. its lookign to be a 900 dollar upgrade.

the second time was because the napa up there only had grade 5 bolts and i couldnt drill one of the four out. so it only had 3 of 4 and only grade 5. so the second time was guarnteed just a matter of when.
 
so are you using studs or bolts? i think lee just went through the stud vs bolt discussion for his YJ. seems that standard steering studs are harder than grade 8 bolts? just a thought
 
Call Madd 4wheel drive and get the ARP studs, much stronger than bolts. Use 1/2" fine thread, tappered, lug nuts if your steering arms are drilled for a tappered nut, as the stock ones are. A cheap fix until you're ready to drop big $$$...Greg
 
Rockeater said:
So can the knuckle have extra steel welded to it to strengthen it or are the metals incompatable ?

JB
Click to expand...
Yes, search on Pirate several big write ups on it. It didn't look easy but turning loose of the cash for the Dedenbears wasn't easy either.
 
stone said:
in no way is it possible the fastners were not installed correctly or maintained improperly.
Click to expand...

When was the last time you checked the torque on them?
 
it is possible but highly unlikely that the studs were loose. the one that held was properly torqued after the other three broke. The steering arm was using studs with tapered nuts. stone was haulin ass down school bus and just got a little to close to the rock. i have seen several other rigs brake steering arms, tie rods, and track bars on the same rock. to reinterate i am sure that installation or improper maintenance was not the issue.
 
and another note it was the drivewr side not the passenger side. and the passenger side took him the rest of the way down school bus and down slickrock the next night with a high lift body bloted between the two stock steering points on the knuckle. if improper maintenance had been the case the added stress on the passenger arm from pushing both 42's at low single digit pressure would have surely ripped those bolts clean out. stone has told me of two other instances where he stopped the truck in its tracks in unf by slamming into something with the right front tire. not tryin to be an ass just clearing up the situation.
 
thanks for clarifying mazer. i think i am having a hard time putting down the cash on the aftermarket knuckles. of all the ones out there i think rich has it figured out with the crane arms with relief cuts. i am running the sky hydro arms now and if i get the crane arms i have to run the crane arms, but it appears to be the best setup i have seen. if i do step up in the world its going to be crane arms i think. unless greg can get a smokin deal on some dedenbears.
 
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