Tech Article Request: Lockers, Posi's, Spools, Selectables. Need everyone's input

[raleigh_bronco]

Guys,

Just like the title says I plan on writing a Tech Article for the website. What I need from you is anything you care to type on the subject including; anecdotes, old wives tale's, etc. Seriously, I want to include info like;

A) When you should use what.
B) What's best for snow, ice, rain, mud, rocks, on the street, etc.
C) Bad experiences with a particular unit including ARB's, OX, E-lockers, Posi's, spools, mini-spools, soft lockers, etc. Pucker up moments. Faulty equipment or easily broken components. Does it require chromo axles? etc.
D) Good experiences with a particular unit. Is it bulletproof. Unbreakable???
E) Comments requested for dual lockers, dual Posi's, one of each, etc. How do they perform. Likes and Dislikes.

I want this to be an all encompassing article so that anyone can read the information and make the best choice based on their individual driving habits. So start posting the info now and I'll make a rough draft sometime on Sunday evening. Thanks.

 

[68 Broncoholic]

Use it or loose it, thats what I always say! ;D

 

[rednck21]

ive always run spools in the rear of my trail rigs. cheap and strong ;D you can use them on the street, but they will wear your tires out alot faster. arb's seem to be really popular...ive seen a few of them leak, though they are kinda pricey, too. my personal all around favorite is the tried and true detroit. its always there when you need it and it will unlock when there is no power going to it. i put an OX in the front af an eb about a month ago and was really impressed with it. its a cable locker(no air lines to leak) and it came with a new diff cover that was super beefy ;D

 

[raleigh_bronco]

come on guys and chip in your $.02 to help out your fellow Bronco addicts

 

[orange69]

I went w/ a mini spool for two reasons: One they are dirt cheap $30 bucks and two I know of other bronco owners who have run them w/ great success. My budget is super tight so it was a great fit in that department. Benefits they work awesome off-road. Alway there and will never disengage,( but in some cases that can be a bad thing). I like that the fact that they never disengage, it allows them to be very predictable-no scary lane changes that can sometimes happen w/ short wheelbase vehicles when a locker suddenly disengages. I'm not putting down lockers because if I had the money I would go for selectable lockers. Simple fact that selectable lockers are the best of both worlds.
As for driving on the street, it takes some getting used to. I can no longer coast into a parking spot when turning sharply. Rather I have to "power" into a spot. Tires squeel quite frequently when turning sharp corners at slow speeds, but handles fine the rest of the time.
Overall I am pleased w/ the mini spool.

One more thing I noticed, the "return to center" when coming out of a corner is faster.

 

[bandit]

I like ARB'S

I have owned several trucks and Broncos that came with factory Ford limited slips,all of these were almost useless,and all of them burned out the clutches very fast. i'm in Wyoming ,were snow ,icy roads,and high winds are very common,even in summer months(no kidding).I had a Detroit Locker in my rear end,it was great off road ,but on slick icy roads could get scary.If you go around a real slick road,give it just the wrong amount of throttle,it could make you slide sideways when it kicked in.It broke in Moab.I am now running ARB's,but always wondered if a selectable locker that also has a limited slip was a better choice?
BANDIT

 

[wildbill]

;D ;D ;D I think that you cant beat a detroit locker in the rear. They just keep on working low maint. and for the front I would say the true-track also works very well and is very low maint. They have been running in mine since 1974 and yet to have a problem with eather of them. I dont like ones with to meney moveing parts as a lot more to bugger up. air lines,wires,cable's ect. And my bronco spent all but the last 13 years in sunny So. Ca. Bill %)

 

[Mark]

but always wondered if a selectable locker that also has a limited slip was a better choice?
BANDIT

Who makes a selectable locker that also has limited slip?

 

[Mr Joe]

Who makes a selectable locker that also has limited slip?

The Electrac is a locker (L/S) when disengaged and a spool when engaged.

 

[rednck21]

the ox is open when not engaged

 

[boomeroid]

Soft Locker?

Is there a difference between a detroit Locker and a Detroit SOFT Locker????

 

[Mark]

the ox is open when not engaged

Is it available for the 9 inch?
Uses a cable correct?
The company is stable? I heard rumor they were almost under.

 

[Mr Joe]

Is it available for the 9 inch?
Uses a cable correct?
The company is stable? I heard rumor they were almost under.

Actually, they were going under a few years ago. That's what steered me to the Electrac. I have heard that they have since been sold to, or gone in partnership with the folks that own 4WP...

 

[BUCKETOBOLTS]

Is there a difference between a detroit Locker and a Detroit SOFT Locker????

The "soft locker" is the newest version of the Detroit. Tractec has added a few springs to keep the diff from clunking and popping as much as the old style without any loss of reliability or performance.

 

[74bob]

I've had a Detroit in the rear for more than 18 years with no problems.
Dislikes or drawbacks are:
1. On slick (ice and/or snow covered) streets will cause the ends to swap very easily unless in 4WD or at the least with the front hubs engaged.

2. Tricky to drive when in the mountains and you wish to downshift going downhill into a curve.

3. Tricky when passing someone and you hit passing gear to pull out around another then and you promptly return to the lane you just left.

4. While 4 wheeling and you need to make a tight turn or switchback you may have to back up and try again due to both rear tires pushing to the outside of the curve. ( I know this first hand going down Black Bear into Telluride)

5. Rapid tire wear due to #'s 1, 2, 3 and 4 below.

Now for the +'s
1. Have one tire off the ground and still have forward momentum.;D ;D

2. Fun to drive on the street and turn a corner squealing the inside tire the whole time.;D

3. Always get a chirp out of the tires on the street when the auto hits second gear.;D

4. Fun to drive period.;D ;D

I also have an ARB in the front and it gets used very rarely due to the rear locker and how well it works. I might swap the Detroit for a selectable locker and when I upgrade to 31 spline axles.

 

[rednck21]

Is it available for the 9 inch?
Uses a cable correct?
The company is stable? I heard rumor they were almost under.

not sure if they make one for the 9". i would think not since it doesnt have a cover and it would probably be hard to get the fork and cable mechanism in there

Joe- i work for 4WP and have heard nothing about that ?:? ill have to see what i can find out ;D

 

[admin]

An all encompassing locker article is going to be a tall order. Just listing all the available lockers and describing the differences between them would be a whole article in itself. (and very helpfull I might add)

 

[Tom Dummer]

I have run the ARB in the rear for a few years now and the only problem was a dumb installer trick that I fixed ( I had a broken exhaust that melted the line). I want either an ARB or an OX for up front. I'm leaning towards the ox because it will add a shifter on the floor to go with the NP435, twinstick and PTO that are already there. I'll probably custom build an OX shifter so it looks as crazy as the grenade thats threaded onto the PTO shifter.

 

[broncnaz]

Pretty tough subject for a article as everyone has there own opinion on them and many 4x4 magazines have covered this many times although they usually dont have every locker listed.
Generally speaking any locker or limited slip except for the selectable types are iffy in snow and ice also slick side hills can be tricky with lockers also.
Mud full lockers are good as long as you dont run into any off camber stuff. LS will get you farther but still tends to let the axle with traction to slip.
Sand to me all pretty close in performance.

most of my experiance is with the factory ford 9in trac loc LS.( Currie has a billet steel version that they sell) its pretty decent but they are weak After I blew the clutch cover out of mine (3.50 gears 31" tires and too much gas pedal) I discovered that this is a very common occurance.( I can post a pic of this if you want it) But I decided to keep it as I didnt want to spend $400+ on a new locker at the time. I upgraded the clutch cover with a currie enterprises billet steel cover they claim its never been broken its held up good for the last 8 years. I also shimmed the clutches up on the tight side so it works really good still.
The factory LS will get you a lot farther than a open diff and has better road manners than a full locker. but it still has the bad habits of a full locker on ice and snow. Like most LS's it will leave the tire with traction without power while the slipping tire just keeps slipping although sometimes you can fool the LS into locking up with a little brake pressure.

 

[bmc69]

I have, on various rigs, the following:

1. 9" Rear with Auburn LS, 44Front with shimmed Trak-Loc LS in a '78 fullsize Bronco

2. D60 with Detroit Locker rear and 44HP with ARB front in '69 Bronco.

My favorite pieces in both combos are the Auburn LS and the ARB. The shimmed Trak-Loc works well too but those 'organic' clutches wear out too quickly...

The Auburn LS has been around forever and was the factory LS option for many a Dodge/Plymouth in the muscle-car era. They last for about ever and work better all around than a conventional LS clutch posi.