I had one in my Nissan and I couldn't turn the steering wheel and press the gas while going slow at the same time without tires chirping and loud banging engagement/disengagement. I would never buy one again. That was a 4,600 lb vehicle though. It was a slip and slide on snowy pavement too. It was great off-road! Not worth it for my driving though.

 

In my experience, in dry-*** Colorado/Arizona, you need to replace seals at the pumpkin every 3-4 years, and that you won't know they are bad until you get stuck somewhere and try to engage the locker.... I'm not saying they are a bad product, just that they seriously lack simplicity.. I'm not running the Baja 1000 and neither is the OP. Not bashing ARB's products just saying their air locker system is overpriced, overly complex and overkill for anyone who doesn't spend every weekend off roading and a day per week maintaining/cleaning/testing components.

The Truetrac was my choice. No wiring, no fuses, no compressor, no air lines, no seals, no clutch packs... no fuss. It works every time. It's an F250... not the best choice for off-roading to begin with! But if you're stuck in a field, or on a beach... it will lock when you need it to.

 

Truetracs are a great choice if you don’t need a locker which most people don’t.

I liked how my truetrac worked On snowy/icy roads much better then a locker or spool.

 

Sounds like it was installed wrong to me. I put one in a Ford ranger and never had any problems. That being said I never locked it on dry pavement and tried to turn. You can't expect that to work well.

 

The locking mechanism is not selectable on a Detroit Locker, it's automatic and it's fairly unpredictable on pavement.

When I say turning at full lock I am referring to the steering wheel. For example: I could not do a u-turn without it auto-locking and binding the tires, even with zero throttle. It was installed just fine and locked as it should, worked for 40,000 miles before I sold the truck.

 

I mis-read what you wrote. I thought you had an ARB. Disregard...

 

I have no issues turning on pavement with my Detroit locker, it unlocks like it should.

 

(just playing with the multi quote)

Before I bought my Detroit Locker I did a ton of research. Seemed to me the the majority of users that did not like how it behaved on the street were light short wheelbase trucks and jeeps. I am very happy with mine. It just works. I even survived driving it last winter in the snow, rain, ice, and slush. And by that I mean none of the "bad" things happened to me that you hear about. Granted I drive with a little common sense but will slide around a snowy corner for fun. In my opinion it was much better than the open diff before and overall more capable than my old 4x4.

Yes I have said this many times. I just feel it is one of the best decisions I have made on my truck.

 

Is there a specific model # for the Detroit? My LSD has never worked properly. As far as install goes can you just unbolt the ring gear, match the shims on the bearings and install, or do you have to mess with the pinion as well?

 

 

perfect...

 

The part number I have sitting in my garage is 225SL56A (225SL56A | Eaton Detroit Locker Differential | Eaton)

I don't think you have to mess with the pinion. Brandon might be able to shed some light about his installation.

 

They only make one that fits all model years of the Ford 10.25/10.5. No you don't have to mess with the pinion if you just changing carriers, you just have to measure backlash before you remove the carrier then set it the same when you install the locker.

 

Thanks guys! That makes for an easier install if not messing w pinion.