Often times on these pages you will read stories about upgrades that are done preemptively. We swap in larger axle assemblies before we are left stranded on the trail with a broken ring gear, or we install a full cage before we experience a rollover. Both of these examples are worthwhile upgrades, even if you cannot quantify how long your old axle or factory sport cage would get the job done. By contrast, the installation of these Dynatrac Heavy Duty Ball Joints is not as esoteric.
After multiple trips under a 7,000-pound truck, culminating in a 2,300-mile road trip to Baja for the Mexican (October ’17), the ball joints in the Dana 60 front axle under our Ford were done. Like, stick-a-fork-in-them done. These weren’t cheap import ball joints either, but factory Spicer parts that we hold in high regard. They were simply out of their depth contending with 42-inch Pit Bull tires and hydraulic assist steering. Dynatrac picks up where Spicer leaves off, with heat-treated billet housings and chromoly balls. Grease fittings allow us to service the ball joints and the Teflon coatings reduce friction and wear. They are more expensive that factory replacement parts, but prematurely cupping and wearing out a set of 42-inch tires puts the price into perspective.
We had installed the Spicer joints instead of spending the money initially on Dynatrac ball joints thinking that the tires were the only cost to putting off the upgrade. As it turns out, that was not the case. After going through a few sets of knurled ball joints, the bores of our steering knuckles were enlarged to the point that the Dynatrac ball joints were a loose fit. “Owners of Ram trucks are even worse off because the ball joint presses into the end forging, not the knuckle,” explained Dynatrac’s head honcho Jim McGean. Dynatrac offers their heavy duty ball joints for Ford and Dodge Dana 60s, Ram AAM 9.25 axles, and Jeep JK Dana 30 and Dana 44 front axles.
If we had a stock Super Duty front axle, we likely would have sourced a set of wrecking yard knuckles to replace our damaged ones. We have a set of Dynatrac knuckles that have provisions on the top for steering arms though, and they are not as cheap and easy to replace as stock knuckles. While they are not fond of knurled ball joints, Dynatrac does offer their ball joints with a knurl for people in the same situation as we are. These provided a much tighter fit in the bores, solving our issues.
We aren’t naive enough to think that the Dynatrac ball joints will last forever under our big Ford. Like tie rod ends and brake pads, ball joints are wear items. The beauty of Dynatrac’s ball joints is that instead of tossing them when they wear out, you can rebuild them with simple hand tools. They don’t need to be removed from the knuckles, ensuring that the bores do not enlarge further and preserving our steering knuckles. Learn from our mistakes and do it right the first time with Dynatrac ball joints. As we learned the hard way, there is more at stake than accelerated tire wear.
Even though the name sounds small, the function is big. Ball joints help support your car’s weight by serving as a connection and pivot point between the suspension and your tires. In today’s cars these parts are typically lubricated so that you never need to re-lube them. A vehicle may have an upper and lower ball joint on each side, or, in the case of many modern cars, it may have a MacPherson strut suspension which utilizes only one joint on each side. While the lubrication usually lasts for the life of the part, the ball joints themselves can wear out and go bad. Signs that your ball joints need replacing include:
Because ball joints take a considerable amount of stress due to repeated turns, as well as bearing the weight of the vehicle, you want to ensure that you’re buying replacement joints that are strong, durable, and made of quality materials.
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Keep a few things in mind to make sure you’re getting good quality ball joints:
Verify the correct fit first :Check your owner’s manual or the carmaker’s website to get exact specifications for your part. You’ll need to find out whether your car has upper and lower, or just one on each side, and double-check that you’re using the correct one before installing because the upper and lower parts are different from each other.
Choose a quality design: Even though the parts are basically all the same – bearings, spring or washer, housing, and end cover, and ball stud, that doesn’t mean the durability is equal on the inside. You want high-strength metal bearings that will go the distance.
Choose quality materials: Hardened steel and other heavy-duty materials are superior because they resist wear.
Look for high-resistance coating: This protects the parts from corrosion caused by contaminants.
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