Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

Thanks
And load carrying capacity?
Diameter dimensions?
Weight?
I tired to look it up, but no luck.
And finally, if the rear end was going to "break", how would it?
Whats the weakest "link"?

E450 have a Dana 80 rear axle 11.25" ring gear 77.7 inch track 9600lb rating , E350 have a Dana 70 rear axle 10.5" ring gear and a 75.4 inch track 8500lb rating .

Thanks.
What to you think the weakest link would be if the Rear End was to fail due to overloading?
Axle would break?
Bearings? Leaf Spring? Anything else?

Steve,

The rear axle rating is not the only limiting design factor on what weight can be safely carried in the rear of your E350 Born Free. It also involves the frame and spring design.

bfadmin wrote:Steve,

The rear axle rating is not the only limiting design factor on what weight can be safely carried in the rear of your E350 Born Free. It also involves the frame and spring design.

...and wheel bearings.

Of course the wheel bearings are part of the Dana rear axle so are considered in the manufacturer's weight rating on the axle.

whemme wrote:Of course the wheel bearings are part of the Dana rear axle so are considered in the manufacturer's weight rating on the axle.

In my, albeit limited experience, excessive weight breaks wheel bearings first. Racing, jack rabbit starts, etc takes our gears, posi-traction and breaks axles. I fixed a lot of rear ends in both cars and work-trucks before I was 30 and none since. Does that say more about my driving or the quality of vehicles since 1975? Maybe excessive speed with mountain driving would affect bearings as well but I would guess that a person's driving habits are the greater factor - as long as loads are not excessively over spec.

What is the front axle rating of the E350 and E450?

Thank you.

According to my sources, the front axle on both the E350 and E450 chassis is rated at 5,000 lbs.

Do all Born Free's have rear axel posi-traction?

No. Non are equipped with posi-traction that I am aware of. Also the rear axle for the E450 has a increased track width of 4.5" over the rear axle in a E350.

Wouldn't "posi-traction" be a good thing to add? Wonder how much it would cost nowadays?

E450 have a Dana 80 rear axle, with a 77.7 inch track width and a 9600lb maximum weight rating. E350 have a Dana 70 rear axle with a track width of 75.4 inch and a 8500lb maximum weight rating .