Front Axle Disconnect

[BTS Warrior]

Hello all,
So, my front axle disconnect is shot. This is the first time I have encountered the issue, but from reading around, it seems to be a fairly common problem. I don't want to replace this thing every few years, so this put a few thoughts in my head.
Do the 4x4s without the 4WD Auto have the FAD?
Can it be permanently "locked" in the "on" position?
Can the axle be swapped for a non-auto axle?
Sorry for all the questions, but I came from a 2008 Ram (with 4WD Auto) that I owned for 12 years and never saw this issue.

 

[Bt10]

I don't believe that you can get away from the FAD. It is in the differential housing, and enables the front half of the 4wd, along with the transfer case. It takes the place of the old fashioned "hubs". All trims, and makes, use FAD now.

 

[CalvinC]

If you can find a way to accomplish what you are after, there would be no ill effects other than perhaps a slight drop in MPG.

Ford has the same issue with their version of FAD (IWE) which is so prevalent that starting in the 23 model, they just did away with the entire system on the F150s, so that now the front axle is engaged and spins full time. In fact if you bring earlier F150s into Ford to fix issues related to this, their "fix" is to delete the IWE system all together.

Dorman also made delete kits for the F150, because it was a better solution than replacing it all the time.

Unfortunately after a quick search, I am not seeing anything from Dorman or others for deleting the FAD on a Ram. Might just have to replace the unit for ~$200 a pop.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Hello all,
So, my front axle disconnect is shot. This is the first time I have encountered the issue, but from reading around, it seems to be a fairly common problem. I don't want to replace this thing every few years, so this put a few thoughts in my head.
Do the 4x4s without the 4WD Auto have the FAD?
Can it be permanently "locked" in the "on" position?
Can the axle be swapped for a non-auto axle?
Sorry for all the questions, but I came from a 2008 Ram (with 4WD Auto) that I owned for 12 years and never saw this issue.

This is the first I have heard of this issue, so being "fairly common" might be a bit of a stretch. And if it is indeed "fairly common" then you probably should have stumbled onto a solution during your reading.

 

[BTS Warrior]

This is the first I have heard of this issue, so being "fairly common" might be a bit of a stretch. And if it is indeed "fairly common" then you probably should have stumbled onto a solution during your reading.

The solution that I've found is to replace the FAD...which is what I will do. I was just wondering if there was a "delete", as it were.