Do any of you tow with a locking or limited slip diff? I have an 86F250 and an 84 Bronco both with the 10.25 axle. I am interested in the pros and cons of both types of diffs. The 250 has the c6 and a 351HO, the Bronco has np435 and 351HO, both have 4.10s or 4.11s.

Thanks,
Chris

 

I have a LockRight in the 10.25" rear of my '92 F350 with 351/C6 and 4.56's (33" tires). The locking diff doesn't really do anything for ya on the street (not needed), but does wonders for traction on all other surfaces . I go places in 2wd that used to take 4wd when I had open diffs in both axles.

If you're driving on icy roads, you may not want a full locker, but a limited slip should do fine. If you're really into 4wheelin it, the locker can't be beat. If you just wheel occasionally and keep it on the street most of the time, a good limited slip will probly be all you need. You won't even notice the limited slip on the street, no detriments to having one and towing with it. The lockers are a little trickier to drive with and make a little noise that some may not like. I don't mind the noise and it drives fine on the street as long as I'm smooth with the gas pedal.

As far as towing goes, I haven't seen any detriments to having the locker in there. The limited slip will be smoother though.

My Bronco has limited slips front and rear. Wouldn't want to be without them (unless of course I had lockers instead ).

 

I grew up and also went to college in Maine so unfortunately I am all too familiar with driving in snow and ice. I did have a limited slip in the 9" in the 82 Bronco and had no problems. I do not plan on ever driving in the snow again as I live in central Texas and plan on moving further south.

Has anyone had bad luck with a locker on the street? I don't want to use limited slip diffs anymore. But I have been known to tow other vehicles from time to time.

Chris

 

You need to clarify what kind of locker you are considering. There are many different types. There are the positive locking ones that use clutches with teeth that lock together to provide positive locking such as the classic Detroit locker and LockRight. There are also the passive lockers that only engage when you activate them such as the air controlled ARB Airlocker, the mechanically controlled Ox Locker, and the electrically controlled Detroit E-Locker. Then there are the absolute lockers such as a spool or good ol Lincoln locker. I personally run a classic Detroit locker because they are basically bullet-proof, and still allow some differential action.

The positive lockers have some drawbacks. They use a clutch with locking teeth that engage and disengage with a bang. They are noisy, and many times my Jeep does not have enough weight to actually disengage the clutch in the corners and will squeal the tires. The LockRight is similar in operation, though they are not as loud. These lockers are also pretty bad in the snow, and REQUIRE four wheel drive to keep them going straight. I have never had any problem towing with them, and the Detroit is much stronger than the factory differential.

The absolute lockers are only useful off-road, and I would not recommend them at all.

The passive lockers allow the best of both worlds, they provide an absolute locker when you need it (lock the axles together solidly like a spool), and otherwise allow you to have an open differential (no difference from factory). They are more expensive though, and are also more complicated making them a little more susceptible to failure. Not total failure mind you, they just don't always engage when you need them to, especially if you have an air locker and the air leaks.

Limited slips are a whole different thing. They mostly use clutch packs to lock the axles together, and will slip if the force exceeds the threshold of the clutches. The only problem with these is that the clutches tend to wear out over time, and they will never completely lock the axles together which is only a problem if you have one of the tires off the ground, or one of the wheels is really stuck.

Tractech (makers of Detroit locker) have a geared limited slip that has no clutches to wear out. A lot of people have used them with a lot of success.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, I just wanted to try to be thorough. If you do hard core off roading, go with a Detroit locker, or one of the passive lockers. If you use the Detroit and drive in snow, make sure you have four wheel drive. If you just want better traction than provided by an open diff, go with a limited slip. The LockRight is also a good solution if you are not doing anything really hard core, since they are pretty inexpensive, provide positive locking, and are cheaper to install than the Detroit. In normal use they will never break, but in the rough stuff they will. None of these will drastically affect towing, especially in a big vehicle like the F-250.

 

Thanks freak, I will probably go for the lockright due to costs involved. How do you think it would do in a Bronco with a 10.25 transplanted in the back with 4.10s?

 

As long as you aren't doing anything real crazy, it should hold up just fine. I've seen them do fine in mud, sand, snow, and even moderate rock crawling. Just remember, you have a lot of torque going through it, so use some finess in the rough stuff. Looking at your setup, the LockRite will probably be your fuse, meaning that it will give first, but don't worry, you will have to be pretty hard (i.e. harder than most sane people) on it to tear it up. It looks like you will have a really nice setup. Good luck, and enjoy the new capabilities offered by a locker. Honestly, I can go places in 2wd with my Detroit that I used to have to use 4wd on when I only had the factory limited slip.