What is a good limited slip rear end for towing? I just bought a 1996 2wd F250 with a 460 and a 4.10 rear end. The plan is to use it to tow my 2 horse trailer and my race car and trailer.

This truck will not spend much time off road-horse pastures and some gravel service roads at races-so I really do not need anything too serious. Would a stock Ford unit be adequate? Or should I look for a locker?

Thanks for any advice.

Matt R

 

Now I can't say that I made the right choice or not, but I just bought a Trac-Loc (Ford) LS from Reider Racing this week (rec'd it yesterday). I also ordered new gears (4.10's) for the front & rear. I am in the same boat you are in. The truck did not come w/a LS or a tow pkg, so I am upgrading to get better pulling. I asked the Reider Racing guy if this would suit my application, towing first, light off-roading second. He said it should be fine. They had many others that were more expensive, but I didn't think my application justified the extra expense.

 

The Ford LS is not known to be one of the better units. In fact, a lot of people complain about it not working at all in no/low-traction conditions. Even wet grass tends to give people grief.

I had an Auburn LS installed in a '97 Expy that we used to own. It worked very well and would recommend it for any use.

 

personaly I would get a detriot locker for it. If that is too expsive, get a factory T-loc, and rebuild it. When overshimmed, and setup correctly, the factory T-loc can work very very well, but it's still not a locker.

 

Well, I was hoping for the inexpensive solution. I guess my bigger question is, how useful is a limited slip/locker for towing? Is this something to put at the top of my list? I am not planning anything extreme-I just need the ability to get around the occasional pasture with my truck and trailer.

 

You dont need a limited slip or a locker for towing on the highway. It doesnt hurt to have it though and like you said, it will give you extra traction when off the road. A Detroit Locker may be overkill for what you are doing, and they are not cheap iether. I have the factory Ford limited slip in the Bronco and as long as you put in the friction modifier lube when you change the gear oil, it works fine for most normal offroading. There are probably better limited slip diffs for about the same price as the factory one though.

 

When I was researching for my diff change, the automatic lockers and factory-type limited slips were not really recommended for towing, and I'm not sure why. One of the deciding factors in buying my Truetrac was that is was touted as being strong enough for towing. That's what I would recommend! Cheaper than a selectable.

BTW... the Truetracs (made by detroit) cost the same or less than factory type LS diffs.