So after having the highboy out for its first true mud test i quickly found that the non limited slip rear end isnt going to cut it. Im not looking to spend a ton on a locker but what are my options? I need something to keep both wheels spinning. This truck will be used on the road and the mud/trails, maybe 50/50. Is welding the spider gears an option? Any cheaper lockers out there?

 

Weld up the rear, get a locker for the front.

 

If you are going to be spending time on the road I would think welding spiders is a no no. A good investment would be air or electric lockers, so they can be unlocked when not needed. Detroit lockers would be ok to I suppose.

 

welding up the rear isn't a problem. I've DD'd a few Mustangs with spools... You can only tell it's spooled during tight turns like in parking lots.

 

This would be better to ask in the offroad and 4x4 forum. Welding the rear is an option, but it'll be harsh on the street. My spider gears broke and got stuck, having the same effect as welding them together. I REALLY didn't like it on the street at all. Going around corners the axle would twist left to right until my suspension bound, and then BAM! The tire would kick itself where it was supposed to be. Some guys swear by daily driving trucks with welded/spooled differentials, maybe they'll chime in. After just a day driving around town like that i was sick of it. I had to replace it anyways so I got a Detroit. Either way it will definitely be worth it off road but on road a locker will be much better. Looking back i would have spent some extra cash on a selectable locker of some sort like an Ox or ARB. I can't really feel my Detroit around town, probably because my truck is so long. Off road it is amazing!

Look up a Powetrax lock right locker. They work like a Detroit but they drop into your existing carrier. They're cheaper (about 350 vs 600) and you don't have to have your gears set again. They're not as expensive and I've heard they're not as strong. Detroits are crazy strong, and you'll probably break everything else on your axle before it goes. So what's more expensive? Buying a cheap locker that breaks or buying a more expensive one that won't? Get a detroit if you can.

If you mean 50/50 as driving 10 miles to the trail and then drive 10 miles you could probably put up with welding the dif. Just my 2 cents!

 

And if you have selectable front difs you can weld the front and only engage one side for the easy stuff and do both when it gets thick(and you don't need to turn!) Don't expect your dana 44 front(I'm assuming) to last long though!

 

The effects of a welded rear axle depend on the vehicle. On an f-150...it may not be so bad. It has less weight and bigger axle shafts....so it will probably just scrub the tires a little without too much drama. But the smaller axles on the F-250 will twist more.....and may cause the tires to bind, slip and hop when making sharp corners on pavement.

 

Yes by 50/50 i mean road half and off road half. I do have a 44 up front and for right now im only going to worry about the rear. I dont want to do both and go over 1000$ right now. Welding them seems easier but i dont want to have major problems on the road.

 

when I bought my 70 f100 it had a spool in the back, which is what a lincoln locker( welded) acts like, the truck did horrible on the road, and if it was raining just a little I feared for my life making a turn, do yourself a favor save up your money and go buy a locker of some type, it's worth it

 

I am doing the exact thing in my 79 F250 I am going to put in a Powertrax Lock Right locker I have an open carrier that will let me do this............hope this helps

part number Powertrax Lock Right 2620

I think this is the one you'll need I have a 14B going in mine so my part number is a different one