Trutrack vs Air Locker vs Detroit for rear

[kat]

If I go with the Air Lockers it seems I will most likely start ANOTHER thread with questions. But I was looking at the instruction sheet for the ARB and it was said that the third member housing needed to be for tapered bearings. Aren't all bearings tapered in the rear end??....Im just trying to see what I might be up against. Ive looked for a thread but couldn't find anything about the install if had to do any modifications on a Ford 9 inch.

 

[73azbronco]

Have ARB and Elocker on Rubicon. While technically you need to have both wheels turning same speed to lock and unlock, the front wheels do not have to be turned straight ahead, all you need to do is have one wheel unloaded, and or if you find a sweat spot and jiggle the steering wheel they usually unlock or lock right up.

In other words, full lock right on steering wheel, going up hill, should be able to unlock or lock the front by turning wheel a little left and right, removing most power from engine, or rocking the vehicle for aft, or combination of above. All else fails, straighten wheel and repeat.

 

[nvrstuk]

Totally agree what u3 AZ says about engagement...I meant speed, like 10-40mph..

That saidARB recommends several tire rotations of engagement before full power is applied...this after some issues with RD99 units

 

[garberz]

If I go with the Air Lockers it seems I will most likely start ANOTHER thread with questions. But I was looking at the instruction sheet for the ARB and it was said that the third member housing needed to be for tapered bearings. Aren't all bearings tapered in the rear end??....Im just trying to see what I might be up against. Ive looked for a thread but couldn't find anything about the install if had to do any modifications on a Ford 9 inch.

Probably talking about the axle bearings. I know the ARB is only offered in the 31 and 35 spline axle configurations. So plan on spending a bit more money if you currently have 28 spline axles.

Mark

 

[nvrstuk]

Story behind that...when I first got my D44 ARB in 2/87, I asked ARB tech guys when the 9", 28 spline model would be done...they said they would start with the 31 spline for the pickups-since that's "where our market is" and be ready by the end of summer- 6 months as it was their most anticipated seller...

Well, 8 years later they finally squished it all into the housing...

"edited"

 

[Hinmaton]

For what it's worth:
I have a daily driver / trail rig that has Elockers front and rear. It spends 80% of the time on the roads, but 99.9% unlocked. I put it in 4low as often as I can, I wheel it hard and do a lot of rock crawling (I've even flipped it on it's side) but I only engage the lockers if I have to. As in: if I can't make it over an obstacle and I have a line of people waiting or I know the obstacle requires it, otherwise I wheel open/open because it's more challenging and more fun. For me, the lockers are part of my recovery gear. If my driving ability can't get me out, I turn on my lockers, if I still can't get out, then I pull rope.
People here have mentioned using brake biasing to assist with traction using the True Trac, well the same method works with open differentials as well. I do it constantly on trail when running open differentials.

With the type of driving you intend to do, I think putting an ARB system in your rig is going to be about as useful as a single stage of nitrous. You're not going to need to push the button, if you do it will only be because you want to see what it does.

I'm all for spending money to build your rig, but I think you should save your money on this one, or wait for a hell of a deal to come along.

Hinmaton

 

[Nevadasmith]

I absolutely love my trutrac!!!!! I do a lot of hard trails, it's not 100% positive, but it just works, and maybe it's my imagination but it think it " digs" less in the sand and mud than the locright it replaced!!!! Also a joy on snow and ice!

 

[bronconut73]

My vote is Detroit Locker in the rear and Tru Trac in the front.
But my second choice would be Tru Trac front and rear.

After haveling driven a locker in the rear for a long time I would never consider the complexity and cost of an air locker or electric locker. Detroit Locker "Just works" automatically....simple, tuff, reliable.

Prior to my extensive personal experience with the Locker on the road and trail I gave great consideration to an air or electric locker. Now I know better.

But that Ox Locker for the front got my attention though.
Cable actuated design seemed alluring but I stand by my well researched decision. It has worked really well for me. Having said that you may be better off with the Tru Trac front and rear. You really can't go wrong there.
Please consider upgrading to 31 spline rear shafts. Good prices out there for the rear. Good shafts out there for the front too. I went to WH for my shafts.

 

[kat]

My vote is Detroit Locker in the rear and Tru Trac in the front.
But my second choice would be Tru Trac front and rear.

After haveling driven a locker in the rear for a long time I would never consider the complexity and cost of an air locker or electric locker. Detroit Locker "Just works" automatically....simple, tuff, reliable.

Prior to my extensive personal experience with the Locker on the road and trail I gave great consideration to an air or electric locker. Now I know better.

But that Ox Locker for the front got my attention though.
Cable actuated design seemed alluring but I stand by my well researched decision. It has worked really well for me. Having said that you may be better off with the Tru Trac front and rear. You really can't go wrong there.
Please consider upgrading to 31 spline rear shafts. Good prices out there for the rear. Good shafts out there for the front too. I went to WH for my shafts.

For what it's worth:
I have a daily driver / trail rig that has Elockers front and rear. It spends 80% of the time on the roads, but 99.9% unlocked. I put it in 4low as often as I can, I wheel it hard and do a lot of rock crawling (I've even flipped it on it's side) but I only engage the lockers if I have to. As in: if I can't make it over an obstacle and I have a line of people waiting or I know the obstacle requires it, otherwise I wheel open/open because it's more challenging and more fun. For me, the lockers are part of my recovery gear. If my driving ability can't get me out, I turn on my lockers, if I still can't get out, then I pull rope.
People here have mentioned using brake biasing to assist with traction using the True Trac, well the same method works with open differentials as well. I do it constantly on trail when running open differentials.

With the type of driving you intend to do, I think putting an ARB system in your rig is going to be about as useful as a single stage of nitrous. You're not going to need to push the button, if you do it will only be because you want to see what it does.

I'm all for spending money to build your rig, but I think you should save your money on this one, or wait for a hell of a deal to come along.

Hinmaton

Thanks guys, I watched some for video of some guys doing rock crawling with a pair of TrueTracks and I was impressed. Watched some more sand/mud video on them and slept on it. I am ordering the Truetrack for the rear this morning along with 31 spline axles....
Since I busted my front axle I do have to go in the front chunk sooner or later and will look into the 'lunchbox' locker for it. I think the money for the air lockers will go up front. Again I want to thank everybody for the posts and opinions.....I love this bar.

 

[bronconut73]

I love this bar too.

 

[Nothing Special]

....You can't feather the gas when both wheels are locked and not have them both spin. It's what physics demands...when that happens your rig slides sideways....

Not true. With an automatic locker, if you don't give it too much gas you won't spin either tire. Sometimes that's easy to do, but in other conditions it can be close to impossible. And an icy sidehill like you mention is one of the toughest places to keep from spinning both tires with a locker. But since the OP is in Florida (with almost no ice and almost no hills) I don't think that's much of a concern to him.

(And yes, if you spin both tires it's easy for the back end to slide sideways, I'm not challenging that.)

You can disengage the selectable and that now-non spinning tire acts as an anchor to keep you from sliding....

Very true.

(And for what it's worth, a TrueTrac will be very slightly better on icy sidehills than an automatic locker, but an open diff, or an unlocked selectable, will be much better than either)

 

[Nothing Special]

....People here have mentioned using brake biasing to assist with traction using the True Trac, well the same method works with open differentials as well. I do it constantly on trail when running open differentials....

Sometimes that trick works a little with open diffs (or with clutch-type limited slips like the factory TractionLock), but it always works very well with a TrueTrac.

To understand why, say you apply the brake hard enough to require an extra 50 ft-lbs to spin the tire that's not hooking up. Now a open diff (or a clutch-type limited slip) will send 50 lb-ft more torque to the other side as well. But since you've applied the brake to that side, it takes more torque to turn it. If the brakes are exactly balanced it will take the same 50 lb-ft more and you didn't gain anything. So the torque "benefit" is very minor, and there's a 50/50 chance it actually hurts you. It can still help, but more because it can make it easier to apply power slowly, like starting with the trans in 2nd gear. But it's no magic bullet with an open diff.

On the other hand, if you apply 50 lb-ft of brake to a spinning tire with a TrueTrac, the diff will send 3.5x that (2.5x with a lower biased front diff), or 175 lb-ft to the other tire. Yes it has to overcome the brake there as well, but that still 125 ft-lbs more. So it's really effective with a TrueTrac.

 

[Nothing Special]

....Since I busted my front axle I do have to go in the front chunk sooner or later and will look into the 'lunchbox' locker for it....

I would strongly encourage you to rethink that. As big a fan as I am of automatic lockers in the rear axle, I HATE them in the front. The torque steer that's noticeable in the rear axle is DANGEROUS in the front. Dangerous as in the truck can change lanes before you have a chance to correct for it (I had that happen to me twice), and I've heard of it breaking people's thumb or wrist when they were holding the steering wheel wrong.

If you are going slow enough it won't change lanes (not sure about the broken bones). So if you will never use 4WD above about 30 mph I could imagine that it might be OK. But even at very slow speed the torque steer is VERY noticeable. I had a Lock-Right in the front axle of an F-150 for one winter. After the first snow storm I never used 4WD the rest of the winter (except when I knew I'd only be going very slow). Never again.

I've heard that a TrueTrac in the front is pretty seamless, but I can't verify that. That (and wanting a positive locker for rock crawling) are why I'm planning on putting a selectable locker in my Bronco's front axle.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yeah, I wasn't trying to factor in his Florida geography- just stating the fact that if you're on a super slippery slope like we both mentioned it will go sideways you cannot keep the tires from spinning in a non selectable...unless it's an Auburn!! Tried one of those and sold it before the cardboard box got hauled to the recycle bin. Just a light duty unit with a small cone shape for transmitting the friction/torque side to side.

 

[bmc69]

My vote is Detroit Locker in the rear and Tru Trac in the front.
But my second choice would be Tru Trac front and rear.

After haveling driven a locker in the rear for a long time I would never consider the complexity and cost of an air locker or electric locker. Detroit Locker "Just works" automatically....simple, tuff, reliable.

Prior to my extensive personal experience with the Locker on the road and trail I gave great consideration to an air or electric locker. Now I know better.

But that Ox Locker for the front got my attention though.
Cable actuated design seemed alluring but I stand by my well researched decision. It has worked really well for me. Having said that you may be better off with the Tru Trac front and rear. You really can't go wrong there.
Please consider upgrading to 31 spline rear shafts. Good prices out there for the rear. Good shafts out there for the front too. I went to WH for my shafts.

And I won't put anything but an ARB in front of mine and never a Detroit Locker in front or rear. Lessons learned over almost 40 years of hard wheeling about everything there is. . So obviously..opinions differ.

 

[bronconut73]

And.....Bill's opinion carries far more weight than mine....
But he's not nearly as good looking as me though...lol

 

[Skiddy]

I have the same set up trutrac up front and detroit soft locker in the rear. Ive taken it everywhere my 33"tires will let me. If I were you and the surfaces you drive on you only need a trutrac in the rear. What I don't understand the mindset of only using 4wd when you absolutely need it. As soon as you hit any surface other than pavement pop that sucker in 4wd. Reduce the load on the drivetrain and let the system work as intended. Less wear and tear and less shock to the whole system. Also less wear and tear to the environment your driving on.

I don't know how many I have got stuck, waiting to the last minute to put it in four wheel drive. no matter what vehicle

 

[bmc69]

And.....Bill's opinion carries far more weight than mine....
But he's not nearly as good looking as me though...lol

Back when I still had some hair though...wimmins chased after me.

Begging. Shouting . Screaming. "Where's my child support!"

 

[bronconut73]

Back when I still had some hair though...wimmins chased after me.

Begging. Shouting . Screaming. "Where's my child support!"

A veritable Magnum P.I.

Lol

 

[SteveL]

Back when I still had some hair though...wimmins chased after me.

Begging. Shouting . Screaming. "Where's my child support!"

If I shave my head I won't ha to pay child support?