i was looking at lunchbox lockers for my open diff f150 and was pointed at some full carrier replacements. so now my question, what do i have to do to swap my open diff to a full carrier locker preferably selectable? examples would be the tru trac or the e locker

 

The difference between a "lunchbox" locker (fits inside your existing carrier and operates automatically) and a full carrier swap (typically a "selectable" and can be turned on and off at will), is that a carrier swap will, most likely, need the gears setup (involves lots of measurements and adjusting shims to ensure your pinion gear is fully meshed and measured precisely with the ring gear, which is on your carrier). To do gear setup, you usually need a few specialized tools, a lot of time and patience, and (ideally) some experience. It's one of those things I generally would recommend taking to a shop that knows how to do it rather than attempting by yourself (or get a friend who has done it before).

They are also usually a few hundred dollars more expensive, but come with the benefit of pushbutton operation (either through air, a cable, or electronics).

 

Like thecodemunk said youd need to re-setup the gears which is a major pain to do the right way. youll need to get shims and a new set of carrier bearings. I was gonna do that to my truck when i did a lift kit but found it would cost as much to regear and rebuild the axles as it would be to buy a set of one tons.

 

yeah i heard it was for a pro or the experienced i just didnt know what it all consisted of doing, i was thinking when i get the dough the ox cable operated locker and have a shop set it up, is this a specialty thing or can most any shop do it, i know the only way to know for sure is to ask them but i figure if it was a specialty thing i would call only the specialty shops instead of calling every one of them

 

I agree with what others said about full carrier swaps except that I would not say they are typically a selectable.

The only "lunchbox lockers" I am aware of are automatic lockers. They always keep both wheels turning at least as fast as the ring gear, but will always allow one wheel to turn faster than the ring gear (for instance, the outside wheel when turning a corner).

Full carrier swaps include anything and everything, there is no "typical." There are automatic lockers (i.e. Detroit), selectable lockers (ARB, OX), limited slip (True Trac, Trac Loc, Powertrax) and open diffs. All involve a full carrier swap.

The advantages of lunchbox lockers are that they are typically less expensive to buy and they can usually be installed by a shade-tree mechanic. Going to a full carrier swap has the advantages of opening up your options to diffs other than an automatic locker, and to diffs that are stronger than the stock carrier with a lunchbox locker. But you pay more for it and it takes considerably more expertise (that you may need to pay someone else for) to install it.

All automatic lockers have pretty much the same handling quirks. I've had 2 Detroits and a Lock-Rite in 3 different trucks. I don't mind the quirks when I'm not towing and I expect to keep having automatic lockers in trucks that I drive mostly on the street. But personally I would not choose an automatic locker in a truck where I expected to do much heavy towing. Others feel differently, some might not mind it towing, and some will hate it even without a trailer.

By the way, I know my list above is not complete, there are other options available in those categories, and also some "hybrids" (for instance, I'm pretty sure the E-Locker is limited slip and selectable locker).

 

yeah i was thinking either ox or e locker definately not an arb, i'm not that hard core

 

The only difference between the three is how they achieve lockup. One is cable, one is electricity, and one is air. Other than that, the end result is the same.

I have a Detroit Locker in my Jeep CJ-7, and a factory limited slip in my F-250. I actually notice the limited slip in my F-250 more than the DL in the Jeep, but that may be because the Jeep is full-time 4wd, so the driven front end helps to stabilize things.

 

this i know i should of stated that by hard core i mean i didnt have that much cash (1,059 dollars) layin around, cripe i'm going to have to save up even for an e-locker