In The Ditch ??

[jdkin01]

Okay, I know I'm gonna catch it for this one. I've read a lot of posts about this but never came up with a good answer. All I've found out is the lunch box lockers are not good on snow or ice. Just got a Detroit Truetrac for my D44, not yet installed . Have the Ford TracLoc LSD in the rear. My question: I live in SoCal, but plan on making some trips to Lake Tahoe this winter up 395. There's sometimes a lotta snow north of Bishop. With the TrueTrac in the front and the TracLoc in the rear am I gonna wind up in the ditch, or is the TrueTrac and LSD okay in the snow?
Thanks Jerry

 

[jimmyhat]

i was talking with a guy who does ford 100000% and he told me the best to do is run a locked front open rear and leave one hub open one closed in snow and ice? I don't know what locked is as of yet but will soon find out!

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

i was talking with a guy who does ford 100000% and he told me the best to do is run a locked front open rear and leave one hub open one closed in snow and ice? I don't know what locked is as of yet but will soon find out!

Nobody who has done this would recommend doing it. The front would be pulling very strongly to one side and then instantly pull to the other side the moment you let off the gas. Very unsafe with good traction conditions and even worse in poor conditions.

 

[TOFIC]

From one of the guys in the frozen North that has been around the block a few times.

IN SNOW, lockers are good you want them
ON ICE Open differentials only!! You can get away with a LS (tracloc) but a locker will get you in trouble.
SNOW/ICE combo, go with the lockers and drive sensibly, if she gets real squirrely go to 2 wheel drive. If you have twin stick make it front wheel drive.
DEEP DEEP SNOW YAAAHOOO!!! fun fun fun, this is what we look for. lots of fun, get stuck easy, easy to get unstuck and takes a lot of dumbness to break something. lockers all the way!!

TOFIC

 

[eb66to77]

I had lockers in PA and when I got on ice it didn't matter whether it was open or not if I was goi fast enough. If you are talking about starting from a stop or moving slowly I would want one wheel staying still to keep the truck in one spot and the other pushing in the rear and the front pulling all the time. In snow, like TOFIC says, I loved my lockers. I don't recommend unlocking a hub to get some sort of atmospheric boost or anything of the sort. The thing wasn't designed that way, a 44 has a relatively small ring gear, and has too many moving parts. I would want the front pulling all the time.

 

[wildbill]

When driveing in the snow with a locker just be easy on the gas and you can go just about any were you want. I run a locker in the rear and a true-track in the front good luck and have fun. Bill %) ;D

 

[Mark]

Go with an ARB front and rear.
It'll be an open differential until you press the button, then you're locked.

 

[broncnaz]

Even the limited slips are hairy in the Ice which forms on most of the roads out here in the west. If the LS is tight you'll get sideways taking off and when you let off the gas. I've never had a front LS so I really cant comment there but with a rear only keeping it in 4wd seems to help.

 

[scsm76]

I drove for years w/ a full detroit in the rear and a true trac in the front, I live in the sierra's on steep curvy roads w/ a lot of snow. The true trac is very well mannered in the snow and ice. A full detroit in the rear made it intresting. I also drove a lot with a factory LS front and rear and was more than comfortable. For the roads around Bishop you will be fine just take it easy, as every one should on snow and ice.
As for the unlocking one hub I have used that trick now w/ a full locker up front to be able to traverse a side hill w/o sliding down, but I would not drive down the road that way. It's a good trick to have in yur bag if you ever find your self on a side hill and a trying to keep from sliding down with a front locker. It can also help if you find your self pushing instead of turning.
With the locker in the rear I once had to put one chain on in the rear to keep the ass end from sliding out just to get out of a icy job site. It would always move just not the way I wanted to go.

 

[rellimgneb]

I agree with twin sticking it so you can have front wheen drive on the ice. I'm running an ox in the front and detroit in the back. On ice I'll just run the front wheels with the ox open.

 

[AZMike]

I have a Detroit in the rear, and and open front. Snow is fine - no problems there - actually, I think the Detroit helps when there's more than 12" on the ground.

Ice is a different story - drove it to work ONE day with ice on the ground - had to pull the seat fabric out of my a$$ by the time I got to work - major pucker factor. I took it very slow, but it was still squirrelly - spent about 1/4 of the drive to work sideways, and never got above 20mph.

The wife's Toyota with high performance tires (read: sucky in the ice and snow) handles better in the ice than the Bronco - as an extra bonus, it beeps just before you lose control too

I like the twin stick idea - now I can justify it in my mind even better - it's a SAFETY feature!

 

[ugly74]

my Bronco has limited slips front and back, and it's very manageable on ice and snow. it does"push" around real slick corners a little, but still easy to drive. If you have good snow tires, it shouldn't be much of an issue.
on my Dodge truck, I welded the spider gears together in back, since it is used for plowing mountain roads 95% of the time. but when I do have to drive it around town on slick roads, to gas up or whatever, it is one squirrely sonofa biatch. I'm a natural born driver, and it still keeps me on my toes.
I can be just idling around a corner and the rear will slide out. it's very very stressful to drive, so I don't recommend any kind of full locker in the back.
but then again, it makes powersliding real easy and that's always fun (when it's on purpose)

 

[Mikey]

All I can say is my 74 has 3:50 LS front and rear. I've driven in ice and snow in Arkansas and California (not to mention mud). In 4H, no problems.....rides on rails! Gotta remember that braking is longer and to shift to 2H when I hit dry pavement.
Good luck!
Mikey

 

[Past_Miner]

my Bronco has limited slips front and back, and it's very manageable on ice and snow. it does"push" around real slick corners a little, but still easy to drive. If you have good snow tires, it shouldn't be much of an issue.
on my Dodge truck, I welded the spider gears together in back, since it is used for plowing mountain roads 95% of the time. but when I do have to drive it around town on slick roads, to gas up or whatever, it is one squirrely sonofa biatch. I'm a natural born driver, and it still keeps me on my toes.
I can be just idling around a corner and the rear will slide out. it's very very stressful to drive, so I don't recommend any kind of full locker in the back.
but then again, it makes powersliding real easy and that's always fun (when it's on purpose)

My Detroit pushes me around corners when it's dry half of the time. The first ride in it with anyone that hasn't been in a locked one before is always entertaining. I drive my powerstroke with the LS in the ice and have no problems with that but the full locker is miserable no matter how slow you are going.

 

[74BroncoCO]

You can get by fine with a locked up rig in the snow, just be careful!!!! You will have to pay close attention (especially in a bronco) to what your bronco is doing. One little flick of the throttle can spin you around in a heartbeat. the worst tho is, once you slip the rear, sometimes it takes a second for the momemtum transfer and all the sudden your rear is trying to go first. I agree that you'll just have to be more careful on the hard pack, but once you're in the fluffy stuff off-road, lockers are your friend.

I miss snow bashin'!!

J.D.

 

[scsm76]

When you buy tires look for some with siping, the more the better on snowy and icy roads.