Axle question: can an axle's number of lugs be easily changed?

Tried to ask this on another website but the response wasn't very kind.

Can an axle's number of lugs be easily changed?

Further, how much different is the axle between an F 350 and an F 450?

 

Interesting.

Theoretically if the diameter, length, number of splines, bearing position and tone rings are the same, axles could be swapped out.

The difference between an F350 and 450 most likely would be spring capacity.

 

Do F350 and F450 axles have different numbers of lugs?

 

Also material of the axle would need to be strong enough

 

F350 has 8 lugs, F450 has 10.

Now that I think about an axle, seems the hub is pretty integral.

 

Yes, pretty common depending on the axle. The unit bearings on my F250 axles are drilled for 8x170 and 8x6.5, and I can buy quite a few other sizes and I think even blanks. Can a F350 hub be converted to a 10 lug pattern? I don't see why not, but not sure if that's a readily available off the shelf product. For unit bearing and full float axles it's pretty easy to do generally speaking.

 

Better question is, what are you trying to accomplish?

 

There is an F450 dump truck I may be able to buy and it appears to have been a 4x4 at some point. I was wondering if it could be a 4x4 again as I came across an F350 being parted out that has 4x4.

 

Way easier to find the F450 axle for the swap.

 

Oh I'm sure it is. I wouldn't be doing any of the work, hire that done. No facility and definitely no spare time for such.

It was just an idea I was tossing around.

 

I might swap a 450 into a 350, but not the other way around.

 

OK, probably most agree with you.