Detroit Truetrac. What d'ya think?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,264
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Originally Posted by armynavyguy
Anybody got one of these? I'am pondering putting one in each diff. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks
01 Black F-250 V-10, Auto, 3.73s open.
01 Black F-250 V-10, Auto, 3.73s open.
I bought it for hard launches at the drag strip, but I have not even had a chance to put it to the test yet. The good news is, I have not heard of any breaking with the 3-pinion design.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,751
Likes: 3
From: So Oregon
I had them front and rear in a Jeep Wrangler and they worked VERY well with slightly larger than stock tires. Many people thought I had full lockers front and rear when offroading. They are NOT however lockers and will slip, especially when a tire is off the ground. If I buy any traction devices for my F250, it'll more than likely be True Tracs front and rear.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,733
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I do a couple of trips a year into and out of my favorite hunting and fishing locations that are a "challenge" for most 4x4 vehicles.... think typical SUV with mediocre 4x4 systems. I have absolutely zero problems with the factory Ford truck 4x4 system with the open front diff. Thus I have not considered the expense of adding it for my usage.
Years ago I had a CJ that I got into serious off road challenges. Over time I had most all the high end mods and upgrades in that vehicle. Later I got a F250 4x4 and put a air locker in the front on the Dyna 50. She had fairly aggressive rock climber tires that I would air down and then deliberately go the "hard route" back into distant places.
I kept breaking the front drive shaft u-joints and once a left side axle joint. I finally decided that the over all length of a LB truck was not a good platform for real off road climbing and river fording
If I was to scrap the Ford LS unit for a true locker.... it would be rear end only and I would go with an electric unit
Just my .02
If you do put a locker in the front then upgrade the drive shaft u-joints and consider both the drive axles also. The rest of the front suspension and housings are pretty damned stout
Years ago I had a CJ that I got into serious off road challenges. Over time I had most all the high end mods and upgrades in that vehicle. Later I got a F250 4x4 and put a air locker in the front on the Dyna 50. She had fairly aggressive rock climber tires that I would air down and then deliberately go the "hard route" back into distant places.
I kept breaking the front drive shaft u-joints and once a left side axle joint. I finally decided that the over all length of a LB truck was not a good platform for real off road climbing and river fording
If I was to scrap the Ford LS unit for a true locker.... it would be rear end only and I would go with an electric unit
Just my .02
If you do put a locker in the front then upgrade the drive shaft u-joints and consider both the drive axles also. The rest of the front suspension and housings are pretty damned stout
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 7
I agree with Fred. I have run ARB's for years in my Land Cruiser and when my factory LS reaches the end it will be replaced with a selectable locker.
The Truetrac is useless in the rocks and if you have one tire off the ground forget it. With an ARB you get the beefy case and the choice of an open diff for street driving and a full locker when you need it.
The Truetrac is useless in the rocks and if you have one tire off the ground forget it. With an ARB you get the beefy case and the choice of an open diff for street driving and a full locker when you need it.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by Fredvon4
I kept breaking the front drive shaft u-joints and once a left side axle joint. I finally decided that the over all length of a LB truck was not a good platform for real off road climbing and river fording
One thing: Someone makes "fuses" for the Warn hubs that you would use on a Dana 50. The idea is to break the "fuse" instead of the u-joint or axle.
That tells you something about the strength of the Dana 50 axles compared to the Warn hubs
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 6
From: Western New York
I just put a Truetrac in my SD and like it for what I use the truck for. I would have preferred a selectable locker but at a third of the price and I don't wheel my SD it just did not make sense. The orginial LS had served me well but the clutch plates were looking bad after a bearing went bad in the diff and ate them up. I liked the idea of a an all gear LS so went that route. I guess time will tell especially since plow season is just around the corner.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,268
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From: central Louisiana
i don't have any lockers in my SD (yet), but i do have a Detroit EZ locker in my race truck! i installed the locker when i still drove it on the street, and i could DEFENITLY tell it was there! you had to make a pretty sharp turn for it to unlock! and there was no question weather it was locked or not!
one of the reasons i'm planning on installing one in my SD is for towing. i've heard great things about towing w/ a locker. how it distributes the weight to both axles instead of just putting the preasure on one to pull. i would like to choice of a selectable locker also. still undecided on whitch one, i guess budget will determine what i purchase when i get rady to !
one of the reasons i'm planning on installing one in my SD is for towing. i've heard great things about towing w/ a locker. how it distributes the weight to both axles instead of just putting the preasure on one to pull. i would like to choice of a selectable locker also. still undecided on whitch one, i guess budget will determine what i purchase when i get rady to !
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Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 7
Originally Posted by krewat
That Dana 50 isn't a Dana 60... early on in the SD's, people here were complaining that they kept breaking things. I think that may have been the major reason Ford started putting Dana 60's in every SD.
One thing: Someone makes "fuses" for the Warn hubs that you would use on a Dana 50. The idea is to break the "fuse" instead of the u-joint or axle.
That tells you something about the strength of the Dana 50 axles compared to the Warn hubs
One thing: Someone makes "fuses" for the Warn hubs that you would use on a Dana 50. The idea is to break the "fuse" instead of the u-joint or axle.
That tells you something about the strength of the Dana 50 axles compared to the Warn hubs
If your running an ez-locker, lockrite or the like the factory case and locker will likely fracture when the broken axle unloads.
It's pretty safe to say that a person needs to use the front locker as needed and I mostly follow that rule.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 688
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From: right here in michigan
i would shy away from anything but an open dif in the front if you encounter icy conditions.the front will push when taking a slower curve on ice,and i had to give it some gas to get the tires to pull me thru .it just is a little unnerving and a open wouldn't have acted this way.if yer gonna off-road it alot i'd go locker in the back and either a selectable locker or a detroit.the stock limited slip in my 05 sd is really limited.in snow it opens up all the time and i'm going to put a good diff in before winter.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,148
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From: Western New York
Originally Posted by bronco521
the stock limited slip in my 05 sd is really limited.in snow it opens up all the time and i'm going to put a good diff in before winter.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 688
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From: right here in michigan
isn't the factory lube synthetic?the royal purple gear lube i put in my mustang says it has the limited slip additive in it,so would the factory stuff have it?it only has 12,000 miles on it and it has sucked ever since i got the truck.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,751
Likes: 3
From: So Oregon
Originally Posted by saskdiesel
...The Truetrac is useless in the rocks and if you have one tire off the ground forget it. With an ARB you get the beefy case and the choice of an open diff for street driving and a full locker when you need it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Western New York
Originally Posted by bronco521
isn't the factory lube synthetic?the royal purple gear lube i put in my mustang says it has the limited slip additive in it,so would the factory stuff have it?it only has 12,000 miles on it and it has sucked ever since i got the truck.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...ear-diffs.html
I would try adjusting the amount of friction modifier that is in there first before you put in a new LS or locker. Mine worked great from the factory and only went to the Truetrac after my LS clutch plates got chewed up by a bad bearing.
The whole debate on going LS, mechanical locker, selectable locker all depends on how you use your truck and how deep your pockets are. I would have perferred an ARB as I have used them off road and love them but I didn't have the money at the time the the bearing went. The primary use of my truck is plowing so the ARB really would have been overkill when an LS has worked perfectly fine for me. Mechanical lockers sometimes have issues in snow and ice that you normally don't have with an LS so I ruled them out for my use. Finally when I looked at the $300 for the Truetrac vs the $600 for the ARB plus the ARB needing an onboard compressor at another $200 it just did not make sense to me to spend that kind of money.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2006
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Originally Posted by Ace!
I've had True Tracs and a light tap of the brake or couple clicks on the e-brake are usually enough to get both tires turning, even with one off the ground. The True Trac also beefs up the differential (case). I've run most Southern California trails with True Tracs front and rear (in a Jeep) and made all but the top 5% or so of the trails with relative ease. I did have to tap the brakes from time to time, so it's pretty nice for all but the most extreme situations. You also can't tell it's in the front diff because there are no clutch packs "grabbing", it's much smoother than most other "clutch" based limited slips.
Now this is my rock crawler I'm refering to here, not the tow rig. I think LS and the like are good for street trucks if I'm crawling through 4-5 foot rocks I want lockers.
But now that I've been using the ARB I can't see using anything else.