It's good to get feed back about a locker on ice. What got me started on what kind of diff was when I got my truck stuck on a snow pile. It was kind of embarrassing to have to pull out my 3/4 ton with 4L engaged by my fiances subaru station wagon.

 

Thats worse than when I had too have my dad pull mine out of some mud in my back yard with a S-10 4X4.

 

Since I only have a 2wd I was considering the same option with some decent A/T tires on the back. I figure 2 wheels is better than 1 even it they are both on the back?? Opinions??

 

2 points to consider.

First, you can have the best lockers money can buy, but if your tires are crap you're still going to get stuck. Get good tires.

Second, if you know how to drive an open differential vehicle they are not terrible. What you when you get stuck is feed the vehicle throttle until you get wheels spinning, then you hold the throttle where it is and slowly apply the brakes with your other foot. This causes the spinning tires to slow down, which transfers power to the non-spinning tire. This is the strategy that a lot of sophisticated high end SUVs (such as Mercedes or Lexus) use, although computer controlled, for traction control.

 

Front vs rear?

Im thinking a front trutrac might make the most sense for me. More commuting and towing than anything but i do have some hunting leases that are pretty rough logging roads in winter. I like the idea of the front because in 2wd id still have the more predictable open rear setup for towing and highway driving.

My question is these trucks are jumpy/jerky when turning tight in 4wd as is will the tru track up front make this much worse?

 

The high end traction controlled vehicles only apply brake to the wheel that spins to transfer power to the others. It's a lot more effective than applying brakes to all.

 

Here is my .02, from experience alone....

Contrary to popular belief, Detroits don't negatively affect tire wear (dramatically speaking) unless you habitually drive in circles on pavement.

Obviously the way the truck is driven will affect it some, but the non-scientific comparisons I have witnessed show virtually the same tire wear on SD's equipped with factory LS diffs, and those with Detroits. Additionally, I have never seen a Super Duty with a broken driveline component that could be attributed to a Detroit, towing or not.

I have seen 1/2 ton trucks with lockers of all kinds break axles, those axles are obviously extremely weak.

My '03 6.0 truck has had a Detroit since 1000 miles, only has 42k, but a major portion of those miles have been towing 7-14k.

My '02 7.3 truck has had a Detroit since 17k, now has 110k with nearly all of it towing.

Both trucks have 4.30's, and 38" Toyo M/T's.

My brother has an '02 7.3 truck with a stock LS diff, running 38" tall Toyo M/T's.

I have two friends we routinely tow to Glamis and the river with, one a '00 7.3and the other an '04 6.0. Both trucks run 37" Toyo M/T's, and have factory LS diffs.

All five of these trucks wear tires virtually identically. We run 38F-35R light and 38F-50R when towing. All trucks get rotations between 3 and 5k. I have several other friends with lifted SD's, but different tires, so a good comparison is difficult.

My trucks bang around once in a while when the locker disengages, but not like a short WB truck or a Jeep. Conversely, when towing, I never feel the locker engage/disengage. It may be masked by the weight, but I don't feel it.

Anyway, the Detroits have been good for me.

 

Not good on ice though, but you don't get any of that.

 

I hate to break it to you but nothing is good on ice I don't care what diff you have. Most people who wreck on ice would do it regardless up what fills their diff case. Most wreck due to their own neglegence, IE junk tires, wrong tires (like mud tires), driving too fast, not paying attention, panic and etc.

If you don't offroad much a truetrac would be a good option.

 

An open differential is best on ice, so if one tire spins the other can maintain traction.

 

It gets some side traction thats it, otherwise its along for the ride and provides no forward/reverse traction, basically prevents wheel slippage by doing nothing. The *** end kicking out is pretty predictable with a LSD or locker and can be somewhat controlled with the gas pedal. I'd much rather have both rears spinning and dealing with some rear end walk and keep moving than sitting in the middle of the intersection or mountain waiting for someone to hit me or help me. On ice I'm always more concerned with stopping than going anyway.

 

Question; given I have the E Locker does that mean I have an open diff or would it still be LS?

 

Means you have an open, until you turn the rlocker **** then it is locked

 

Detroit all the way. Have had mine for many years and love it..Ice is no problem you just need to know how to drive. Push on gas too much wheels spin DAH...I live in ice country and never remember going sideways..I'm not a dukes of hazard driver. I plow and use the truck for hauling heavy loads. No switches pumps or concerns and my tires are fine and its bullet proof.. One tire off the ground or on ice no problem you are going home..IMO


Dick

 

Actually we do. I live at the base of the San Bernardino National Forest, 20 mins. I am at 6500 ft. In winter I am there often.

My '02 and '03 trucks have been in ice in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. I love traveling in inclement weather.

I grew up driving Big Block Chevrolets with posi's that worked, I learned early on to drive with a lot of throttle, and still do. Ice has never been a problem for me.

The best thing is that I have NEVER been stuck. The closest time was earlier this year when I was on vacation near Priest Lake, Idaho. I was on a pretty secluded fire road, it was snowing good, and I came across a family (from Minnesota of all places) in a buried 3/4T 4WD Suburban. The fire road was a little off camber and the driver had panicked, braked, and slid off into a ditch. I hadn't even aired down, so it took a couple of tries, with some serious throttle, but we got them out. That thing was heavy.

Anyway, as previously stated, the Detroits (combined with the right tire) work for me.