My 2nd gen 2001 2500 2wd is worthless off the pavement. The ice we have atop mud leaves me spinning one wheel.
I am really a plug and play sort of guy so the best bet for me is to obtain a similarly geared complete rear, reseal it and go.
At the pick and pull how realistic a fantasy is it? It's usually rust and transmissions that kill these trucks.

 

Depends on your rear brake setup. Drum brake axles are easy to find, disc brake might be more of a challenge. Plus you need to make sure the axle has the LSD init.

 

Drum rears on mine.Do the 4wd trucks usually have the same ratios as the 2wd? Short of a tag on the differential cover any hint on identifying one?

 

Have to open it up. The great ratio will also be marked on the ring gear

 

Went to the build sheet and it says 3.55. ratio.

Was that ratio commonly used on 4x4 trucks?

What would the spline count be? The truck was lightly used, has 75 k miles on it and just might be worth a new lsd.

The used units I have looked at all are on 200K+ trucks run hard.

The later model all disc brake axles would need at the least different master cylinder, proportioning valves, and to have the computer reflashed. Possibly lines as well.

 

Does the 9.25 get a clutch based limited grip? 'Cause if so anything you find used will be as good as an open diff.

Honestly your best option is to pay a qualified shop to install a quality LSD or TAD of your choice. Or if there's a lunchbox locker like the Spartan available for the 9.25, that's another option and you can DIY

Beyond that, studded tires and weight in the bed....

edit: you're 2500 so D70 or D80 pig with 70 outers. But same answer applies

 

Is there a tone ring in this era of 2500? 'Cause the obvious choice is 14b and Detroit Would have to move spring perches, easy for a weld shop.

Also OP if you're truly going to look for another Dodge/Dana rear, watch that mileage. The '02 2500 I service dug a groove a mile wide in the D70 spindle with the wheel seal. I sleeved it but a Scotseal is likely a better option.

 

build sheet indicates a dana sixty.
this piece of information on dana axle information might belong in the archives. It tells you how to identify what you have.
Its from Axlebuilder. https://www.axlebuilder.com/dana_60_rear_high.html
All Dana axles have a Bill of Materials (BOM) number stamped into the long axle tube that can be used to look up many of the axle's important details including the gear ratio, ring gear rotation, differential type and spline count, as well as a complete list of replacement parts. While the Dana Expert BOM Tool can be helpful, it lists many obsolete parts, has many dead ends, and much of the useful information is hard to decipher or cross reference. Lucky for us, the team at Crawlpedia.com spent weeks going through the information and put together the Ultimate Dana 60 BOM List with the exact information needed to find the parts you need. A modified version of that table is posted below and we've added links to pages that contain parts specific to each axle.

 

It's hard to justify putting 12-17 hundred dollars in the Truck. I will keep cruising the local pick and pull and hope I luck out.



If I find a 4.10 rear, are there speedometer sensors that have to be changed?

 

I swapped a 4.10 disc brake limited slip Dana 60 into my truck a while back. I found the whole Dana 60 rear used off Craigslist and sold my drum brake Dana 60. Check Facebook Marketplace, too. As long as you find a 2nd gen Dana 60, it will have the tone ring in it and the sensor on top of the center of the rear. I changed my sensor, since the Dana 60 I purchased came out of a later model truck and my truck is a 1996 Ram 2500 4x4 - the sensor changed, but only the plug end changed and I wanted to keep things plug and play. If the rear is unmolested, there should be a tag on one of the inspection cover bolts that will tell you the gear ratio of the rear. With the rear off the ground, if you turn one side and the other side turns in the same direction, it is highly likely to have a limited slip unit in it. I added limited slip for the same reason that you are...