When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I strongly suggest you install a limited slip differential ONLY for front drive applications. A front locker is only beneficial if rock crawling, and has no place on a nose heavy truck.
Additionally, a locker hinders handling(both straight and while turning) and places undue stress on drive-train components. I recommend a helical style limited slip, such as the True-trac by Eaton. Auburn Gear also makes a very nice USA made limited slip differential.
Front lockers are fine if you know how to use them. They are great for uneven terrain when you suspension articulates, leaving one tire up front with not much weight on it. Mud, snow drifts, etc...where you need momentum.
I think some of you have forgotten that the Power Wagon and Jeep Rubicons have had factory front lockers for years and years now...
Yes and it was worth every penny. It removed the one wheel spin commonly encountered if one tire even had a tiny bit more traction than the other.
I have a 1995 YJ with a selectable front locker, and would never run it on an icy or snow covered road locked in. It tends to go straight and straight only locked in. Minor corrections are impossible.
Originally Posted by ATC Crazy
Front lockers are fine if you know how to use them. They are great for uneven terrain when you suspension articulates, leaving one tire up front with not much weight on it. Mud, snow drifts, etc...where you need momentum.
I think some of you have forgotten that the Power Wagon and Jeep Rubicons have had factory front lockers for years and years now...
Agree that a front locker is needed if rock crawling (suspension articulating), but not worth much in snowy or muddy conditions on level ground, aka driving home during a snow storm in a 7500lb diesel truck.
The power wagon manual itself even cautions against leaving the front axle in a locked state: "Do not use the locked axle position for normal driving. A locked front axle is intended for off-road driving only. Locking the front axle during on-road driving will reduce the steering ability. This could cause a collision and you may be seriously injured." "Do not lock the front or rear axle on hard surfaced roads. The ability to steer the vehicle is reduced and damage to the drivetrain may occur when the axles are locked on hard surfaced roads."
So if its (demonstrably) dangerous to leave a front axle locked while driving at any appreciable speed, then why have it at all if it needs to be unlocked? It won't perform any better than the oem carrier.
I fully support having a torsen/helical style limited slip up front for the intended use of the SD trucks. This is the reason why Ford opted to include a limited slip front carrier differential in the 2020 Tremor package.
Agree that a front locker is needed if rock crawling (suspension articulating), but not worth much in snowy or muddy conditions on level ground, aka driving home during a snow storm in a 7500lb diesel truck.
The power wagon manual itself even cautions against leaving the front axle in a locked state: "Do not use the locked axle position for normal driving. A locked front axle is intended for off-road driving only. Locking the front axle during on-road driving will reduce the steering ability. This could cause a collision and you may be seriously injured." "Do not lock the front or rear axle on hard surfaced roads. The ability to steer the vehicle is reduced and damage to the drivetrain may occur when the axles are locked on hard surfaced roads."
So if its (demonstrably) dangerous to leave a front axle locked while driving at any appreciable speed, then why have it at all if it needs to be unlocked? It won't perform any better than the oem carrier.
I fully support having a torsen/helical style limited slip up front for the intended use of the SD trucks. This is the reason why Ford opted to include a limited slip front carrier differential in the 2020 Tremor package.
That's why I said "if you know how to use them" in my post. Anyone with a brain knows not to use a locker on pavement!
Also, the manufacturers are going to put all kinds of warnings and stipulations on it because they have to cater to the lowest common denominator...stupid people. They have to cover their *** to the sue-happy idiots who can't drive and have never owned a 4x4.
Lockers are very beneficial for a lot more than just "rock crawling"....
Well with traction control your certainly not getting very far unless you disable it, or are running 4 low, otherwise the rear locker disengages. The traction control de powers the truck until you come to a stop. Oh, and the traction control comes back on even when you think you have disabled it. There is a mod which stops the rear locker from disengaging at 20 mph. You use an upfitter. If I were doing it, I would put air lockers in front and rear. And yeah, a front receiver and a winch that can pull from the front or the rear would be handy too. In my case, two truck loads of firewood and my brother had to pull me twice in one morning with his 400,000 km, SD F350 with a rear LSD. My truck had 40,000 km, original tires were done, and we got overnight snow.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
