^^^ thats what i thought so a spool is no different then welding the diffs

 

well with open diffs, yes all 4 tires can spin if they have equal traction.

but when one side gets more traction it'll stop spinning and the other side w/ no traction will continue to spin.

except it costs money.. but its stronger lol

 

i've got a l/s in mine and it's kicked in. i don't light em up often but the few times i have, the truck's rear started to slide to the right then straightened right out.

so with the l/s, on snow, if i start slipping while in 4wd, i've got 3wd both rear/ driver front)? but if a tire comes off the ground, i have 2wd (driver front/pass rear)

what are my options down the road when my l/s clutches are worn? can i buy a l/s to replace it or would it be easier to get something else? what is out there that has road manners and won't chirp in the rain?

 

you can normally buy the clutch packs and rebuild it.

 

summit has a rebuild kit for it its about 100 bucks

 

are they reliable or would it be easier to buy a spool (describe please) or a locker? which locker would be better? an electric one or a air one?

 

Really? I would think the front would have more weight to it because of the engine and it has more parts to it. I have a Posi on my rear and it helps alot but i shoulda got a locker

 

i dont understand why your so worried about snow if you going to be driving on the roads i living back in the country and i have driven home in over a foot of snow with open diffs front and rear you should be perfectly fine with out a locker or even a l/s. people say lockers in the snow suck because they just make you slide all over the place. i say save your money and just drive the truck you will more than likely not get stuck on the streets with 4wd and open diffs

 

A spool is not streetable. Some people do it but no thanks for me. The result would be worn tires and possible broken axle shafts. If I were to get a locker I would get an electric Eaton E Locker. They are stock on many vehicles and you don't have to mess with air lines. The Auburn ECTED is also pretty good since its a L/S when not in use and a locker when you lock it. I have heard though that the need a rebuild about once a year.

 

whipper, thanks. i'm guessing they make a eaton E locker and an Auburn for our trucks?


downey who are you talking about? i was just asking for the future when my parts are worn or non functional anymore but i still want them to be.

 

I mean its still better than open, but like I've said.. There have been a TON of times, that I've been on hills and stopped moving forward cause the front 2 tires, and one rear tire were spinning leaving the tire w/ all the traction not doing anything.

next time you watch someone with something other than a ranger IFS system climb something watch the front suspension.. there's a reason pretty much every buggy has a suck down winch

if you break an axle shaft on the street driving normal.. there's no way in hell it would survive on the trails, therefor you should have never spooled the pos your running. lol

Automatic lockers aren't recommended on the street, esp in rain or snow because they're not predictable.. you don't know when it'll lock or stay unlocked.

Selectable lockers run you a real pretty penny. Then it comes to the debate of locked vs open in snow. I've heard people say they don't like locked axles cause you'll slide off the road easier which makes sense. Instead of one tire spinning both will be making it easier for the whole truck to just slide around instead of you being immobile.

 

I can see the advantages of rear lockers. Like you said Matt, going up a hill transfers most all the weight toward the rear and the fronts just spin away. And the mud pic from Adrian clearly shows this problem when bogged down.

But then I keep thinking about all that engine weight over the front tires and how front wheel drive cars are better in snow than rear drivers, so I dunno. If I get a front locker, I'll probably need a rear one, and vice versa. I can't win.

If I went out with a buddy with the opposite locker than me, with my luck we'd both get stuck...lol!

 

your logic is a little bit off,

1: running a spool on the street will usually break way sooner than if you were off road... the loose ground acts as a differential as it allows the tires to slip rather than bind up with the traction of ashpalt. NEVER run a front spool on the street

2: automatic lockers are fine on the street, just need to get used to them, you will learn when they lock and unlock with the use of your gas pedal.

3: in the snow an open will get sideways just as easy as a limited slip/ locker, snow provides so little traction it evens out between the two rears.

all spoken from experience.

 

I totally agree with this. Having driven detroits, lockrites and my own aussie in the snow and rain a LOT in Oregon, they are 100% predictable. I actually prefer the automatic locker in the snow/rain over a limited slip, because the limited slip is not as predictable. I always knew what the locker would do based on my right foot.