do you think a power trax locker in the rear of my rig would hold up? the reason i ask is they say in some reviews "there only as strong as the carrier you put them in" that sounds pretty f'd up to me. so what do you think? powertrax or the more expensive truetrac?

 

You get what you pay for, one user posted about his experience with the true trac and I'm sold on it...Getting one myself as soon as funds allow.

 

i had a true track in a front axle that held up find to harsh abuse, i've been told to stay away from powertrax in a fullsize, and an x is about as fullsize as you can get. they work great in light rigs with 35's or less, i know it sucks that everything is so pricey for the sterling

 

Newbie question but.. when you mentioned "sterling" was that in reference to the model name of the rear diff? I have found this TRUE TRAC FORD 10 1/4 STERLING

It is specific to sterling, do you know if this is the one needed?

 

I just had the truetrac installed last week. From what I have read it is the way to go, yes more $$$ but as the old saying goes you get what you pay for, so if you pay ppeanuts you may get monkeys. lol. Good luck with whatever your choice may be. If you have the $$$ my opinion obviously would be trutrac.

 

Ok, roughly same question to you. Where did you order them from if online and do you have the part #??

 

That is exactly true. And the open carrier was not designed for use with a lunchbox locker.

But ... be very careful here ...

In my book the powertrax for the 10.5 open carrier is marked as "NLA"; No Longer Available.

The available 10.5" Powertrax only fits into the Tracklok (limited slip) case.

Close. The Ex has a Ford/Sterling 10.5" rear axle. The Truetrax fits both.

I would not recommend a powetrax (or any locker) for mostly street use unless the owner is the only driver and is prepared for the non-standard handling characteristics and possible noises associated with lockers on asphalt.

 

I just realized the OP is BigRigMike. You might be the exception, prolly OK for you to use a Detroit Locker. *

I think your use is too much for anything inside an 8 year old stock case.

* as long as you prep all other drivers.

 

The Truetrac part number is 915A550.

I'm not a fan of insert style 'lunch box' lockers but the Powertrax version is smoother than any other type. Combine that with the stronger Trac Loc case and it could be a winning combination. Do not confuse the PowerTrax with the Lock Right (they are both made by Richmond Gear). While they both install into your factory carrier, their method of operation is completely different.

Detroit Lockers are a bit harsher than the PowerTrax but still not a terrible choice. Detroits have less harshness as they get larger and in long heavy A/T equipped rigs they are nearly invisible. I say nearly but you will feel them from time to time. I have them in both of my Jeeps with D60s (both A/T) and they are fine for any driver. My wife will drive the Jeep again. After having a CJ5 with a D44, a T-18 trans and a Detroit, my wife said she'd never drive a Jeep again.

I love the Truetrac in my X. The traction is so much better than any factory option that it will go where I need to take it. I don't NEED a locker and even a selectable would be a poor choice because I want the added traction even if I don't know I need the added traction.

 

well i guess i should go for the stronger unit since i do mob the X on all terrains that i can get my wheels on

 

And hear them! The little clunks and ratcheting prolly OK in an Ex, lots of distance and sound deadening between the driver's ears and the diff. But the occasional/rare loud bang will scare the wits out of the unprepared. I actually got out and looked one time, expecting to see gear oil & metal on the pavement

 

How loud was it that you got out to check. I have not even noticeed any noise change at all. I have been told you may feel a little bit during slow speeds and high speeds, which i havent either. From what i read it was the right choice for my X.

 

The noise you get depends on the model. Detroit changed the locker in mid to late 90's and added a few shims and springs to make what is called the Sof-Locker. This design is used on nearly all models excluding any application that requires a c-clip for axle retention. You should hear nearly nothing except the ocasional bang or pop. As howler said, some have been pretty loud but my old CJ (it didn't have a Sof-Locker) was very loud and there were times I thought the rear end blew up. A Dana 35, Ford 8.8 or GM 8.5 is much louder than the 10.5".

 

x2, in a 9inch on the street with the older detroits you would swear you broke a u joit or something, like said above if you go detroit make sure that if anyone else drives it that you explain that it can have strange handling quirks even on dry pavement

 

I should have been clear that the Detroit Locker was in the rear Dana 44 on a Scout II.
Which is right in the same ballpark as the rears that Digger mentioned, not like the beefier 10.5. Loud enough though that the loudest bangs will still be audible in the Ex.

I would bet that the softly sprung Ex could be taught to bark with a Detroit Locker:
Drive in a tight circle fast enough to pitch the weight to one side. Hold the throttle steady. As the inside tire lifts, it will grab and slip, and bark like a seal.

Since you can do that making a fast left turn into traffic, I expect that a lot of folks here would not be happy.