New version of Ford's 9.75" axle?

JIMNLIN wrote:
looking at the design in the clicky shows the 3/4 full floater uses ball bearings instead of tapered roller bearings like a HD full floater.
Having come from the era when ball bearings were much in use on those old cars and light duty trucks I would pass on having them on my truck.
Granted ball bearing have much less rolling resistance than roller bearing but at what cost in long term reliability.

I was an engineer for Timken for nearly 20 years so I know a little about bearings. A properly installed taper roller bearing can carry more load in a given space but is more likely to be damaged by dirt or misalignment. I have seen both enjoy long lives or suffer short lives depending on how they are installed and taken care of. I have also seen ball bearing outlast tapered roller in industrial applications were there is a lot of dirt and alignment is difficult.