When you are tackling vertical rock faces, deep mud bogs, or high-speed desert trails, your factory steering components simply will not survive the abuse. For fabricators and off-road enthusiasts building a heavy-duty front end, upgrading to a Dana 60 Kingpin High Steer Kit is the ultimate way to bulletproof your rig and gain absolute control over massive tires.
In this breakdown, we will examine the premium materials and engineering that make a complete high-steer package a mandatory upgrade for 1-ton axle swaps.
Overcoming Factory Limitations with Crossover Steering Dana 60
Stock push-pull steering configurations are notorious for creating massive bump steer on lifted vehicles, making the truck unpredictable and dangerous to drive. Upgrading to a Crossover Steering Dana 60 setup completely alters the geometry, moving the drag link across the axle to the passenger side. This flattens the operating angle, separating your steering input from the up-and-down movement of your suspension.
By installing a dedicated 1 Ton High Steer Kit, you also relocate your tie rod high above the axle centerline. This crucial move protects your steering linkages from catastrophic rock damage.
The Backbone of Your Build: American Made Dana 60 High Steer Parts
A high-performance steering system is only as strong as its anchor points. To prevent failures on the trail, professional builders insist on American Made Dana 60 High Steer parts rather than weak, imported castings.
The centerpiece of this upgrade is the Dana 60 High Steer Arm Pair. These parts feature a true Dana 60 High Steer Arms Billet construction, machined entirely from solid domestic steel blocks. The East West Offroad Dana 60 kit provides 1.25 inch thick Dana 60 billet arms, ensuring zero deflection under extreme lateral loads.
Furthermore, they utilize a robust 5 hole pattern Dana 60 steering arms design. This gives you the ultimate clamping force against the knuckle, ensuring your steering arms remain firmly in place no matter how much torque you apply to the steering wheel.
Unpacking the Billet Dana 60 High Steer Complete Package
Piecing together a custom steering setup often leads to mismatched parts and weak links. Investing in a Complete Dana 60 Steering Kit ensures every individual component is engineered to work in perfect harmony.
To guarantee those thick billet arms never shear off, the EWO kingpin crossover complete kit includes ten 180000 PSI high strength fine thread studs complete with tapered nuts. Standard bolts stretch and snap under these loads, but 180k PSI studs provide the permanent holding power a 1-ton rig demands.
Additionally, the kit addresses the infamous "Kingpin death wobble." Factory plastic kingpin cones compress and wear out under the weight of oversized tires. This complete Dana 60 kingpin steering kit replaces them with Dana 60 Kingpin bronze bushings, creating a tight, metal-on-metal pivot that resists wear and keeps your handling razor-sharp.
DOM Tubing Steering Kit Dana 60 and Heavy-Duty Rod Ends
The linkages connecting your steering box to your wheels must be virtually indestructible. This DOM Tubing Steering Kit Dana 60 supplies you with exactly what you need to fabricate bomb-proof links:
- Heavy-Wall Material: You receive 54" and 43" sections of 1.50 OD 250 wall DOM tubing. This quarter-inch wall thickness can take direct rock hits without bowing or bending.
- Premium Drag Link Ends: It includes ES2026R ES2027L drag link ends (with all hardware) to handle the extreme articulation of your pitman arm connection.
- Massive Tie Rod Ends: It includes ES2234L ES2234R tie rod ends (with all hardware) to keep your front wheels tracking flawlessly together.
- Adjustability: The kit provides left and right 7/8-18 weld bungs and jam nuts. Once welded into your custom-cut DOM tubing, these allow you to fine-tune your toe alignment quickly and easily.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can I use this Dana 60 Kingpin Crossover Steering setup on a vehicle that is driven on the street? A: Absolutely. While engineered for extreme off-road abuse, correcting your steering geometry and utilizing rigid, American-made billet components will vastly improve your vehicle's on-road handling and eliminate the "wandering" feeling common in lifted trucks.
Q: Why do I need to cut and weld the 1.50 OD 250 wall DOM tubing myself? A: Because axle widths and steering box locations vary drastically from one custom build to the next. By providing the tubing in longer 54" and 43" lengths alongside the 7/8-18 weld bungs and jam nuts, you have the exact raw materials needed to fabricate a steering setup that perfectly fits the measurements of your specific rig.
Q: Is a drop pitman arm included with the kit? A: No. A pitman arm is optional. The amount of "drop" required for your pitman arm depends entirely on your specific suspension lift height. This allows you to source the exact arm needed to keep your drag link angle as flat as possible.
Q: How do the 5 hole pattern Dana 60 steering arms benefit me if my factory knuckles only have 4 holes? A: Many premium aftermarket heavy-duty knuckles feature a 5th mounting hole for maximum security. While these Billet Dana 60 High Steer Complete arms will bolt perfectly onto a standard 4-hole flat-top knuckle, the 5th hole ensures your steering arms are already compatible if you ever decide to upgrade your knuckles in the future.