It was fine driving around town. there was the odd time it banged but never had a problem. I always tried to coast around sharp corners since the outer wheel tracks a longer path so the inside tire would sometimes scrub. Always keep the tire pressure the same in those rear tires, I checked often. use 75-140w XP gear oil. They are awesome for traction, I loved mine in my bronco. I you have no ice I say go for it.

 

I have read how these will turn your rig into a death trap on ice and snow. I havent noticed a bit of difference. Of course Utah hasnt had the winter this year that the East has.

 

I be got a locker in my truck and I wouldn't have it any other way. Snow and ice use common sense! I live in Michigan where snow and ice is what happens in the winter
You want a cheap and dumb idea... Weld your spider gears together...

 

I saw that in a youtube video but did not watch.. What would that do to the differential part of the rear end when going around corners and turns, etc.

I am thinking it would be rough, but not sure.. have you done this?? any one done this or have first hand knowledge??

 

ICE is a no go.. period.. i stay home and watch TV or surf net.. that is if we have power which we did not have from 5AM till 4PM.. Lucky i have a nice generator I got after hurricane Fran came through Raleigh some years ago.

Never got the chance to use it much till now and it was nice.. was able to power me completely and my neighbors reefer for the whole time. We had heat was well with gas furnace.

 

Locker or nothing

 

Like I said I have a locker. It may as well be a spool. Both tires go the same rpm no matter what. Use common sense and you'll be fine. You're going to get different opinions from different people, find someone who has one and see if thell let you drive their truck. Then make your own opinion.

I have welded spider gears for a friend of mine on his mud bogger and it acts just like my truck does. For a daily driver I would stay away from doing it, it's a reliability factor. If something let's loose everything inside is trashed. I'm a 6G stick and Tig certified pipe welder too, so that helps.

 

No disrespect but I will summons my age and experience and chime in here. Ice and snow in MI are expected but you don't have a hill there big enough to ski on and hills is where a locker can be a problem. A locked rear will either save your butt or sink it depending on the circumstances. A locked rear will slide to the downhill side if you are spinning on an incline but if one wheel is on solid ground you are good to go. A limited slip will not necessarily save you either but it will help. If you had a limited slip that you could lock manually you would have the best of both worlds but that is not available. A limited slip in the back and a locker in the front might be a good idea. You could just lock one hub up front and prevent the front end from sliding sideways in a jamb.

 

Man, it sucks to actually have real-world experience these days. The internet makes experts out of everyone overnight. I guess I wasted the majority of my adult life and should have become a veterinarian or something instead. All I had to do was come here and figure out how stuff works. I feel dumb now.

I guess it's better than giving out blatantly wrong information and being praised for it though.

 

I get the feeling you arent going to be running the rubicon trail in your truck? While the locker has more "man" appeal. I just couldnt justify it. I only go off road during hunting season. And then the hard stuff goes to my rhino. I have only "noticed" the True-Trac once. That was while flipping a U-turn while towing a trailer. The rear end barked a little. I am the type that reads about a part for a month or two before making up my mind and buying it.
Most of that reading is done here. I absolutely love the true-trac. But I dont need a full locker. I would base your decision off of your driving style/habits.

 

I have a 2000 dually with factory lsd. I back a dump trailer down a dirt incline. Dumped the trailer and went to move forward and only spun one rear set of tires. My friend kept saying, I thought you said it had an lsd. He finally had to pull me out with his titan. Very disappointing. I am looking at a truetrac, but what the hell, have had all my service down at ford, is my lsd not working, or is it a poor design as discussed in prevous post.

 

Guys correct me if I am wrong. From what I understand A limited slip works like this. The rear wheels are locked together when there is straight traction. Now picture this. Jack up one side and the other on the ground. Try to tighten a lug nut. The limited slip will hold the wheel from turning until X-amount of torque is applied and then the wheel will turn. This is to get the vehicle around the corner on concrete without jumping.

 

I am thinking that you are right. I thought that there was a clutch pack in there that let the wheels spin independently after a certain amount of pressure was on them. If you get stuck one will spin but the clutch pack will help with the other wheel to a certain point. My 1990 E-250 has a Dana 60 LS in it and that is what it feels like to me.

 

The biggest difference in the two Eaton differentials (detroit truetrac, detroit locker) is that the truetrac acts like an open diff until you get wheelspin, at which point it will transfer torque to the high traction wheel. The Locker on the other hand always sends equal torque to both wheels, and only decouples when there is a wheel speed difference. i.e. during a turn.

The locker is superior for drag racing, mud bogs, rock climbing, etc., but they kind of suck on the street. They are loud, clunky, eat tires, and as previously mentioned they'll toss you in the ditch when faced with a sudden loss of traction.

The truetrac is IMO a superior choice for a primarily street driven truck as during "normal" operation you'll never know it's there, but it will provide positive traction when you need it.

Welding the gears or a spool are a bad idea for a vehicle that sees street use because things like....... turning..... become very difficult.

Price is decent, and installation looks straightforward. Just be aware of what you're getting. That is a locker, not a limited slip.