Are all Ford 4wds open diff'd on the front? Mine is an FX4, if that makes any difference.

 

I thought the Detroits would still allow the outer wheel in a turn to overrun the inner wheel while under power because it involves something external dragging the outer tire faster than the powered wheel. A true spool won't allow any differentiation at all, and one tire has to scuff. When the ARB is engaged, one tire will have to scuff in any turn. A detroit locker isn't a spool, that's the whole point of it being "locked" but still allowing one wheel to precess under applied power.

 

Yes, all factory superduty's are open front. The Fx4 directly gives you skid plates, rancho branded shocks, and the sticker...though it has to be ordered w/ the limited slip as well.

 

Are you saying that it COULD have a LS front if it was ordered that way or just that it can be ordered with the LS rear. Mine has the LS rear, I know.

 

nothing but open in the front no matter what you order, Ford hasn't added a front LS since the late 70's in their trucks

 

So, what I'm gathering is the best advice is either do nothing or add a rear Detroit locker. Anyone know of anything that can be done for the front, OTHER than the air locker? Pretty expensive and sounds like it does care much for when curves come into play.

 

Sorry, I meant the Fx4 had to be ordered w/ the rear LS. Like Scaler said, no factory limited slips on the front.

Actually, I think most people have suggested a Detroit TruTrac, which is a gear driven limited slip, it's different from a Detroit Locker. And you're right, they're quite a bit cheaper than an air locker. You can put them in the front and rear if you want, but personally for mostly on road driving I'd just put it in the rear and see how it works. Can always add it to the front later.

 

personally the rear is all you will need, once u get the rear locked up youd go through almost anything

 

Cool! Thanks for the help. Last questions (promise). Is this a pro or do it yourself job and roughly what should it cost and how long should it take?

 

Sorry, missed that there was a difference between the locker and the TruTrac. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Why? There's got to be some reason, especially since Chevy has had an e-locker for years now. Has Ford not seen the videos of their stranded trucks? I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I'm disappointed in what I thought was a pretty solid drive system.

 

Don't follow chev much anymore but I thought the elocker was rear end only. Think the dodge power wagon was the only pickup that comes with front and rear selective lockers. I know Ford has done some prototypes with those options but never into production. Probably because the marketing folks didn't think it would sell.

 

I have not seen any kind of limited slip or selectable locker in the front axle of any "domestic" truck for decades.

Main reason? With front axle locked, steering gets very, very difficult. Especially on a HEAVY truck with good tires. They do not want to "scuff" or skid. Difficult enough to make a clueless driver think something is wrong. For the same reasons, it gets very easy to break things (shafts, joints, splines) if engaged on high traction surfaces. With the hard as plastic tires 40 years ago, not so much of an issue.

In the front, I would go ONLY with a selectable, and engage ONLY when you absolutely need it. Like when stuck or nearly stuck. Leave it open the rest of the time to allow steering and avoid breaking stuff. ESPECIALLY on high traction surfaces. You don't need it then, and that is when it will break stuff.

 

Current power wagons come with front and rear selective lockers. Ford offered a limited slip in the front until at least the mid 90's. Manual for my 93 shows a limited slip front option.

 

You sure learn a lot hanging around here. Sounds like good advice to me. Anybody got a LS on the front that disagrees?
To answer my own question from earlier, 4 wheel parts says 5 hours labor, about $1000 plus tax on each end, and DIY is your own judgement.