I've got the lockright in front. Works great. Alittle noisey in turns just with the hubs locked, wouldn't be without it/. If they made a detroit for the front of a D50 I'd have one in there also..No noise.


Dick

 

Don't be too hard on yourself but it is your responsibility to educate yourself on how these systems work. They have been calling it 4 wheel drive for a long time and nothing has really changed on how these systems work from a basic stand point. Anything you purchase, especially expensive ones you should fully review, find out how they work, find the ones that best suit you and check reviews, ad's and other peoples opinions etc.. This of coarse doesn't eliminate any possible future problems but will give you a better piece of mind in the long run.

 

No no no, now you have to give up that habbit to save up for an LS unit

 

Nah! just keep drinking and it won't bother you as much.

 

My theory is with the high scrap value of aluminum, i've invested my savings into a less stealable form... cans! ya know a gallon milk jug full of just the tabs will fetch you at least $40 now, and you can still get your $.10 deposit back!

 

I know our trucks are normally open fronts... but there are still folks I run into every so often that insist they have LS front and rear. Did Ford ever put LS in the front of any truck? Or any other auto company for that matter put LS in the front of a factory truck? If I had the money selectable would be the way to go. Maybe there isnt a huge difference with a LS or locker in the front, but my open slips enough as it is on my F150.

 

I had a 75' F250 and it was LS front and rear, not sure if it was factory or not though. I loved that truck, 390, granny 4 speed, 4.10 limited at both ends! All I done was add a set of 33x12.50 Super Swampers and drove the wheels off it. The truck didn't have a stright body panel on it but had every stick of chrome it left the factory with still intact!

 

Sadly, it is very rare these days to have an LS in the front. I submit a couple likely reasons:

A) Liablility. As others alluded to, an LS or locker in the hands of a clueless idiot can result in sideslipping and loss of control. And having this happen with the front would really scare the idiot, causing them to do even more stupid things..... For some ASININE reason, juries say wrecks like this would bet the fault of the manufacturer, not the idiot. History has shown that if the manufacturer does anything different than their competition, it poses liability risk. Stupid and counterproductive, but that is the way it works in the US.
B) Cost/benefit. They cost more to install and they put more stress on driveline - which increases warranty claims. And very, very few folks are aware or care enough to want LS.

Frankly, I am impressed that Toyota and Jeep had the bravery to put selectable lockers on the front diffs in the Land Cruiser and Rubicons. Then again, those were in very high priced "specialty" vehicles catering to a special clientele who is less likely to be clueless. And there are probably 48 pages of warnings in the owners manual.

 

You're lucky you had 3 wheel drive. Even with Ford's LS (or Piece Of Limited Slip POLS as I call it) you are really only guaranteed to have power to 2 wheels, one front and one rear. That's usually enough to get you through most situations though.

 

Absolutely! Wouldn't work with ESOF, but excellent on full manuals. The cheap way to do this is "Lincoln Lock" the front diff - ie, weld up the spider gears so they can't turn. Very low cost!

As you mentioned, turning gets VERY stiff and generates a huge loads when both front wheels are locked together. For that reason, it is wise to always leave one hub unlocked unless you really need it, and then only lock it for the short distance you really need it.

And I say offroading with locked diff and one hub locked is arguably better than the stock open diff. With open diff, when either wheel hits low friction surface of loses contact, you lose all drive.
With one locked, you will lose drive when that wheel loses contact or traction, but since you KNOW which wheel has no drive, you can pick your lines carefully to take advantage of your known positive drive wheel.

 

You know, thats what I have been wondering for years but never investigated... putting something like a spool in the front and just locking one hub. At least then you know which tire has 100% and its not always the one with the least traction like it'll be with opens. Never heard it done before but its not like I hang around off roaders... just get the truck in the mud around the farms and during hunting season. My 150 is all open f/r and with just 33's that thing is unstoppable so far. I think its much lighter weight, super short wheelbase, and stick shift all help where a SD might not fare as well just due to its weight mainly. IDK. But I've been up to the axles in mud and up to the bumper in snow never been stuck yet (knock knock) and thats about as extreme as it gets. Last time I drove between the two farms through the field path which has a big valley inbetween, it was so slippery mud that the truck slid down the path with the brakes locked and even started to slid sideways... i was getting really worried about not being able to get up the other side which was steeper but it was no prob. Only thing she dont handle well is slippery smooth pavement (icey, etc) even with the mudders siped... hit a guard rail backwards a few weeks ago. Only damage: impact must have loosened something on my exhaust because it rattles now. Thats why I drive a truck! My wifes lexus... wonder how much that guardrail would have cost... thousands probably.

 

So just put a lockright in front and lock one wheel, same thing. A spool isn't something you want to put into anything but a drag vehicle. Plus when you get off the gas with a locker it releases..


Dick

 

Trust me, having broken a front hub while out way way back in the woods in real deep snow, a true 3 wheel drive system does not work to get you through anything much tougher than wet pavement. Wasn't a good trip, until another 4 wheeler came down the mountain and assisted me....well, he really had no choice. He couldn't get off of the side of the mountain until I got out of the way.

One trick you might try next time, while the front wheels are starting to spin, gently apply your brakes. The open differential sends all of the torque to the wheel spinning the fastest (which does you no good). Feeding a little brake into the equation will stop that wheel from spinning and allows the differential to send torque to the other tire, essentially acting as a poor man's LS unit.

 

Redford, A freind of mine tried that with his '73 F250 4x4 when we were elk hunting over by Packwood back '79. He broke the inner and outer axles on the right front. Moral of the story, BE CAREFUL. Dan.

 

Please people dont even think about puting a spool/welding the front diff of a street driven rig. 4x4 becomes vituraly useless. Its hardly an option in trail only rigs as far as unlocking one hub you put up to 100% of the torque to the other wheel and if it has good traction and the rear dosent then it will break somthing (the d50 is good but not that good) as far as a locker or LS in the front go for it the results will surprise you best 500$ you can spend as far as traction goes.