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I thought it was the best choice for something that is also used to tow with.
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yup, mine will be a pavement princess pulling the 9k lb toy hauler to campgrounds, where it always seems to rain while we are there.
couple of times, the Suburban's 4wd spun holes in the ground trying to get out of the campgrounds... figured the Excursion should get a TrueTrac and fix that problem.
yup, mine will be a pavement princess pulling the 9k lb toy hauler to campgrounds, where it always seems to rain while we are there.
couple of times, the Suburban's 4wd spun holes in the ground trying to get out of the campgrounds... figured the Excursion should get a TrueTrac and fix that problem.
That is exactly where I would want/need a locker. Not necessarily for wheeling on trails, but for getting out of parking lots that are really fields at events after or during rainy weather. Like concerts, races, camp grounds, etc. Or hunting when that dirt road that was fine while going in to the forest at 5am, but turned into a mud pit when leaving at noon. Could probably throw slimy boat ramps in there too.
all other Locker versions, are not as Friendly for the type of use, you and I need, just getting out of Muddy campgrounds or farmer's fields at Rally Events.....
it always seems dry when I pull in, but halfway through the Event, it starts Raining....
and yup, the 4wd Suburban's open diffs proved that some type of Locker is needed.
My research ended with the TrueTrac, as it is an Open diff for normal dry surface travel, but if one wheel slips the tiniest bit, the Worm Gears immediate slide the Locker into a Solid Axle.
I have yet to feel it lock up on dry pavement, and my local rural area, has a LOT of 90 degree to tighter short turns that I need to go around, all at slower speeds of course.
I rarely exceed 20 mph in a turn, even on the OFF Ramps for the US-169 here near me, those turns make a 270 degree turn before they connect to the intersecting highway, and the Speed Limit is 15 mph on one of them, it is that Tight.....
I absolutely love my front locker. It's gotten me through holes that swallowed trucks on 40s. If your budget affords a locker, I don't think you can go wrong with it.
Forget the leaf sprung Dana 60 swap. For a little more work you can go to coils and have a considerably better setup. I thought I'd be doing myself a favor sticking to leaf springs, but if I was in that position again I wouldn't hesitate to go to coils instead. I still may go to coils anyway.
If you're not going to be wheeling hard or riding on anything over 35s, the Dana 50 should work okay anyway.
If you're curious at regearing on your own, you should reach out to @01__Excursion . He just bought everything to do it the prim and proper way and I'm sure he'd impart some hard-earned wisdom. I shopped it out to a local 4x4 shop. Total was approximately $4500 for 4.88 gears and master install kits, TrueTrac (for the rear), E-locker (for the Dana 60 front), and installation.
TrueTrac here. Had it since 2011. It should have come as an option when we purchased it in 2000. Our 1997 Expedition had that option. Why not Excursion? Go figure.
So with 3.73 on 35’s, safe to say that on flat hwys, this combo produces best mpg at 70 mph. Maybe a 4.56 on 35’s combo would be better overall for me instead of 4.88 on 35’s. I won’t being towing every weekend.
This is probably a good idea, I have 33ish tires (305/70R16) and a built motor, with 4.30s, so with 35's which are a bit bigger, a little more gear might be a good idea, bringing you to 4.56.
I have gone back and fourth on wishing I had done 4.10s, then decided that when pulling my 30 ft trailer with a Polaris Ranger 1000 in the back of it, the 4.30s actually seem to be a good fit, and 4.10s probably would have been a bad idea,
my trailer is aluminum enclosed with a steel frame, 4000 empty weight, add in the weight of the UTV at 2400 lbs ish, and i think 4.30s were right on now for 33s, so 4.56 is probably right on for 35s
With my setup, 80 MPH hits at 2620 RPM approximately, and my motor build hits maximum torque around 2100 RPM and rides out well into the upper rpms, so it works!