I have a '97 F250 HD that is in serious need of traction. (4wd, 7.3, upgraded intake/exhaust/injectors/tuner, bulletproofed auto, 4.10 gears.)

It sees both farm and road use, and has currently been pulling regular loads down the highway that approach CDL combined weights. Trouble is, the red clay here on the farm is saturated from all of the precipitation that we have been experiencing this winter, and the limited slip has long been inoperable. This has lately left me stuck on more than one occasion. There is a very deep gravel road base, but it does no good when the clay has become the consistency of toothpaste. I'm sure that there are those of you who know what I'm talking about: the road just mushes out around the tires and you leave deep ruts without wheel spin - even though there's enough stone in the mud that you can barely work a shovel into it.

I am thinking of installing either a Detroit Locker or a Truetrac in the rear, (Sterling 10.25,) and possibly an E-locker in the front - if one exists for the D50.

Road manners are a concern, which lean me a bit towards the Truetrac, however reliability and durability are key. Is the Truetrac up to my kind of use and abuse, or do I need to go for the full-on locker? If the locker, then will the "soft" version hold it's own under these conditions? Are there any other better options out there that I should be considering?

I should probably go ahead and say that I don't really like the idea of an E-Locker or ARB system for the rear, and would like to avoid the complexity and expense of an ARB system up front as well - if at all possible. Also, my tires could definitely be more aggressive for the mud and snow, but I've kinda been sticking to the middle of the road with tread patterns, given the percentage of pavement time that I also see.

Thoughts?

 

I would not use a Detroit locker in a DD that may see snow or tows. Their penchant for going straight under load is a negative for trailers and slick roads.

True Trac is a great diff, but it is expensive. It is a biasing diff and is a wonderful invention. If it does get in a situation where the biasing is not able to work well due to a severe loss of traction on one wheel, simply holding the brake pedal and over riding the brakes with throttle will make it have near locker performance.

You can get a rebuild kit for the Trac Loc you already have with new clutches and springs for cheap. It works well and is inexpensive to fix.

A limited slip is what you want, so Tru Trac or fix your Trac Loc is really the best way to go.


Now for the front, Tru Trac or selectable is the only way to go. The negative of a Tru Trac in the front is that it will bias under braking as well as under power. If your hubs are locked, even if the case is in 2WD, if will tend to make the truck want to go straight and not want to turn.

An ARB in the front is the ultimate.

 

I've installed a Trutrac in my Regular cab with basically the same mods as you and 4.10 gears. It definitely is a huge improvement over the factory trac lock and it functions seamlessly. If its really sloppy and it doesn't engage a kick of the brake gets it working.

I think the best thing would be an E locker in the rear, however I couldn't find one when I blew my factory trac lock, so i did the Trutrac and I've been happy with it.

 

You absolutely do not want a locker in the front, it will make the truck impossible to steer. My suggestion would be a TruTrac in the front and a selectable locker in the rear, that will produce maximum traction in the mud and not bind up the axles and potentially cause damage on the road.

 

+1 on the Eaton Trutrac.

Just installed one in my '96 F250.

BIG difference when pulling my trailer and plowing snow. Smooth power transfer when turning. No more one tire slipping when taking off from a stop uphill on a wet road.

Money WELL spent

Todd

"My suggestion would be a TruTrac in the front"

I agree but sadly they dont make a Trutrac for the D50

 

I'll give similar advice to what you're already getting. Automatic lockers in the rear of a pickup that will do heavy towing aren't such a great idea. When going around corners they only drive the inside tire (the outside tire is allowed to freewheel faster to prevent tire scrub). Towing a heavy trailer takes more traction and you just won't have it from only one tire (especially since a trailer doesn't add much weight to the drive wheels to help them get more traction. You often end up spinning a tire even when starting on pavement.

I've never used a Truetrac, but from what I know of them I think one would be ideal for the rear axle of a towing truck. At some point (when the budget allows) I'll add one to mine.

A selectable locker is another option for the rear. All of the benefits of an open diff when you don't need it, but solid traction when you do. Personally I'd lean toward the Truetrac for better manners when it's needed as well as not having to think about it, but a selectable would work well too.

In the front I wouldn't consider anything other than an open diff or a selectable locker. I had an automatic locker in the front of a truck once. Granted automatic lockers are going to have the worst manners of anything, but the sudden direction changes with it jerking the steering wheel away from me as one side or the other gained or los traction convinced me that I'll never have any traction-aiding diff in the front end while driving, in any vehicle ever. A selectable locker that I could use only when needed (and the shut off right away) would be good. But I never want to allow one side of the front to pull stronger than the other in any driving situation.

 

Cool. Thanks for the responses. It sounds like the consensus is that a Truetrac in the rear is the way to go., which is kind of the direction that I have been thinking. It is, then, up to the challenge of 24-28K GCVW? That is my foremost concern. Has anyone loaded one like this in a 10.25?

I am definitely liking the idea of a selectable lock in the front. I have, for years, habitually used 4wd to build momentum in a straight line, and shifted to 2wd before turns when possible in order to minimize damage to the fields due to tire slippage from drivetrain binding. I can always do the same with an ARB. Heck, I could even wire a relay into something like the 4wd indicator circuit to automatically disable the front axle lock when in 2wd as a safety. Maybe that's already a part of the ARB package, though. It sure would make sense from a liability standpoint.

Anyhow, I routinely run my ATV with the front diff lock engaged while pulling a trailer, so I know how that feels in the mud, snow, and ice. In the slippery stuff, two wheels pulling the front end into a corner against a locked rear axle definitely beat one. All of the tires in these situations are capable of experiencing plenty of slip, anyhow. No biggie, although I surely wouldn't want to try it on pavement with a trailer!

 

I have only had mine in since late last summer. I think the max combined weight I've had on it is around 11k lb. I did alot of reading before I bought mine. Never heard of anyone breaking one.

I can tell you the diff is VERY heavy when lifting it in. I did it myself but probably should have had help. Not as young as I used to be!!

Todd

 

A friend of mine has an '06 Dodge 3500 with a Trutrac in it. The truck has 15X,XXX miles on it, all heavy towing (hot shot rig). The unit still worked, but he was noticing a little binding. Pulled the cover and it looked like metal flake paint! With all the constant heavy towing, it keeps the pinion gears pushed out against the inside of the housing and had worn thru the housing from the inside out. Now like I said, it had 15X,XXX miles of heavy towing, and was still working, so that tells a little about reliability, strength, and lifespan. Heck, if he would have changed diff fluid more often, who knows how long it would have lasted.

 

Nice. So far, it's sounding like the Truetrac is the solution that I was hoping it would be.

I'm looking at a PDF copy of the "Performance Differentials Application Guide" from Eaton's website, and they are listing an ELocker for the Dana 44. Since this is in their 3/4 Ton Ford pickup section and the 44 and 50 series diffs are so similar, I'm hoping that it's just an oversight on their part that the 50 is not mentioned and that the same part will bolt into my front end. They have it highlighted as a new product, and list two part numbers: 19977-010 for 3.73 ratios and down, and 19969-010 for 3.92 ratios and up. I'm thinking that I would probably rather go this route than ARB, provided fitment is the same. Any thoughts on this one?

 

You're not going to like it but my suggestion is a selectable and specifically an ARB in both ends.

Seems you're already settled on a selectable up front. You still don't get more rugged and reliable then an ARB.

If going through the effort of an air supply, which really anyone that does what you do should have anyway. Then there is no downside to using it for the rear also.

The Truetrac is a fantastic unit, for simple effective all use traction it's great. However it has a few downsides you may run into. It doesn't do well with shock loads, for example a trailer on the back, spinning tires to get to a area with traction then a sudden hookup. It is more prone to heat issues, heat kills gear sets, and loads at speed cause heat. If you decide on a Truetrac I suggest a cooler. It's never 100% locked or unlocked, that is going down the highway you want it open, better on fuel, better on tires, better road manners, stays cooler, etc. When having a tough time in the clay you want it 100% locked, the truetrac will still spin a tire much like a clutch type limited slip. It does do a much better job but loaded up a hill, one tire on ice the other on clear pavement, it will never give 100% torque to the tire with traction.

I get the impression your traction needs differ largely between needing everything you can get on the farm, and needing little on the highway with not a whole lot in between. For this the 100% on or 100% off nature of a selectable is perfect. A unit like the Truetrac is fantastic for people going between pavement and windy gravel/dirt back roads. You need more then that.

As for the D50, I'm 99% sure the D50 uses a D44 carrier.

You really need an air supply on your truck anyway. Airing down your tires is likely to be a huge help when off road. And airing up and down with load variation is nice to your back. On board air for that purpose is easily used to run the ARBs.

 

question for you guys, I have a 4x4 F150 XLT with manual hubs, is there an easy way to tell if i have some sort locking system in my front axle? can I do the same test for the rear by lifting up the front and spin the wheels and see if they both spin while locked or if only one spins?


Been using my 4x4 lately with the crappy snow and ice in my street to get into the drive way and my truck seems to buck a tad now as if its locked in place, so I just wanted to ask.


Thanks!

 

Air lockers front and rear.

RD158 is for the D50
RD140 is for the 10.25

The D44 e-locker will not fit either TTB axle. Also, a D50 carrier is different than a D44.

 

Jaime, unless someone modified it, you won't have a front LS or locker. In 4wd you will feel a jerking when turning because the front wheels are traveling a different arc and speed from the rear. But, to test:
Raise both front wheels off the ground. Hubs locked in, t-case in 2wd, engine off. Spin one tire slowly. Does opposite tire spin the opposite direction or same direction?

Same direction means a clutch type LS. Opposite means either open or possibly locker.

Now, spin the tire hard and fast. Did you feel and hear a hard clunk and the opposite wheel spin the same direction or did it still go the opposite direction?

Opposite means open, same means ratcheting locker.

The Truetrac is the monkey in the wrench here as it only transfers torque when it senses a differential in wheel speed UNDER POWER and only when both wheels have SOME traction. It will act like an open in this testing. Only real way I know (other than taking the diff apart) would be to chain up your truck to a big tree on some sand and spin the front tires to see what happens LOL

I really doubt someone took the time to lock a TTB, but it has been done.

 

Well, you certainly have given me a lot to think about regarding selectable lockers.

BruteFord: You are absolutely right regarding my use patterns. The more that I think about it, the more I think that ARB may really be the way to go in my situation, although I'm not yet ready to rule out the ELockers. Onboard air would definitely be a real asset, but I'm having a hard time getting over the price. Maybe I could swing just a rear unit for now, but I'd have to come up with my own on board air system, which certainly isn't out of the question. I've been considering an engine driven A/C compressor based system for a long time - since my IH Scout days. There was a lot more room under the hood of one of those, though.

Lots to think about. I suppose that I should let it all percolate for a while.