Hey guys! Iv got a f250, 460, auto, 4x4 and I was wonderin how much of a pain it would be if I welded my spider gears? Will this just completely make my truck unbearable? Or will it just kinda grab if I turn too sharp? I dont have the cash to buy a posi or LS so this seems like the next best option. This is probably a newb question so fire away!

 

The spider gears are there for a reason, so you can turn corners. You'd essentially be creating a spool and a locked rear axle. The truck would want to plow when trying to turn corners, tear up tires very quickly, and be potentially dangerous to drive in rain or snow. I've read many positive reviews of the Detroit Locker on here, and a 50/50 mix on the Powertrax Lock-Rite.

 

Get a locker.. The only reason to weld your spiders would be for crawling and strictly offroad use, and even then its pretty stupid to do.

blkF250HD pretty much listed all the reasons not to do it.

 

Whew! $670 lol. Without shipping.

How do those work? Are they essentially like a posi and kick in when the tires start to spin?

 

dont weld it please it not a good idea

 

If you get a manual one, there will be a button to activate it. Whether it is air or not.. Depends on what you get.

If you get an automatic one, itll engage automatically when you drive, and disengage when you ease up on the throttle.

I think they also have some that lock automatically when the rpm's on each side vary by a certain amount.

 

This is always an interesting topic to read.
A selectable locker like an arb or an electronic locking diff will STILL be a crappy open diff until you flick the switch and THEN it's basically a welded diff because it locks the two axles solid. So on the road you drive in "open" mode" just like you do now.... No difference, and when you mash the gas at a stoplight, you're still a one tire fire with wheelhop and no traction.
You can't just flick the switch and mash the gas, because that's hard on the locker. You should be stopped, and then ease into throttle until one tire spins enough to engage the locker.
Now an LSD or helical or torsion diff, these are what a street/towing/work truck should have. They work without you knowing, they slip when needed, and apply power when they can. "when they can" is the correct wording because each has their limitations as well. LSD fails when times get tough and you really need it. A helical and torsion needs resistance to work as well and you need to spin a tire significantly to get it to work.
Mechanical lockers are great for offroad and racing and where you really need both tires to spin.
Let's say you buy a Detroit locker. You're Thinking awesome locker. But if you tow a heavy trailer, and you power around a corner without letting off gas, it will stay locked in and cause he same "damage" as a welded diff because it won't unlock.

If you rarely tow super heavy stuff or in and out of traffic, or expect awesome turning a welded diff is fine

 

Welding the spiders is a bad idea.
The spider gears are the weakest link in a diff. You would most likely break them after welding them and untempering them.
Say your hauling a heavy trailer or a heavy load in the bed, you've increased the weight on the tires giving the tires more traction and when you turn you will most likely break an axle or this mess you've made out of the spider gears.
Now how do you get this GOB of welded junk out of your diff?
It's not worth the money it will cost you to replace the carrier.

 

If i had a choice between open diff and welded spider gears, id weld the spider gears. Its gonna burn up tires, but at least you have grip and wont do a 1 wheel peel.

 

Another option, if your patient, is to find a salvage yard factory unit and rebuild it with new clutches. For what it is, the factory unit does fairly well assuming you're not mud bogging or beating the snot out of it.

 

That sounds like the best option so far lol. How hard is it to rebuilt a posi unit? Or would a LS be better?

 

Posi-traction is GM's name for a limited slip differential. Trac-Loc, or traction-lock is another name used by other manufacturers. With the exception of Detroit True-trac, they all work with clutches. The True-Trac works with helical gears that bind when one tire spins faster than the other.

I have a Detroit Locker in the rear my Jeep, and the only time I have noticed it back there on the road is on the ice, and both back tires spun and I didn't go anywhere until I locked in the front axle. No clunking in turns or when parking at all. I actually notice the limited slip in the back of my F-250 more, give it gas around a corner in the wet and the rear end will slide right around.

 

Hehe I love slidin round corners. Not safe but fun!

I had a LS in my Ranger and it was a ton of fun. Iv never drove a "posi" to compare lol