After reading the 4WD post I am curios as to how many have added lockers to their rigs and what type? I believe that the rear end of my Chey has an electric lock that works in 4 low at low speed. I have crawled out of a ditch after some prep work with it as both rear wheels turned even though one was off the ground. If the front had a locker I would not have had to do so much prep work to get out. If the rear did not have the locker I would have had to do a lot more work to get out. I have since bought chains for the rear wheels and used them once this Christmas to get down an ice road. Both times I have got stuck have been on back roads, no camper, winter tires when we have hit a section of road that is ice underneath a fresh dusting of snow. I am thinking about getting an e-locker for the front diff.
If this is the locker that came stock in your Chevy it is probably the Eaton G80. It is not a electric locker. Do a search on line about the G80 and you will find out what you have if it is the Eaton.
While there are several choices many people feel it is better to have a selectable locker, especially in the front. Lockers can effect handling on snow and ice. A selectable allows you to have an open diff depending on the conditions.
My only experience has been with the ARB locker. While not he cheapest it is very popular.
I have installed Detroit True Trac differentials front and rear - while not a locking differential, in my opinion it offers many of the advantages without any of the drawbacks.
If I were to do any real off-roading with a jeep or other rock-crawler then I would go for the lockers instead, but for the types of four-wheeling I am doing with the TC aboard the limited slip in both axles is more than enough. My .02 worth.
I have selectable ARB air lockers front & rear in my 2000 Jeep Wrangler TJ and I love and use them a lot. I also have a factory AAM TracRite-GT limited slip differential in the 11.50 rear axle of my 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 that I off-road with my Outfitter Apex 8 TC. I go into some pretty rough territory off-road and so far my stock drive train has done superbly in conjunction with a set of aggressive 35" Toyo Open Country M/T tires.
Personally, I have no desire to put lockers in my Ram as it is heavy (especially with the camper on board), and with the abundant low-end torque coming out of the 6.7L Cummins turbo diesel, I feel I would be asking to break something far too easily while in 4WD-Lo with lockers and torque-multiplication at play. It's easy enough to grenade something with lockers in a relatively light-weight Jeep with a lot less engine power and torque especially if getting on the go pedal too much.
If I was bound and determined to put lockers in a camper carrying truck, it would probably be just in the rear and it would be selectable. If I then felt that I had to have something more than a limited slip in the front end, it would be a selectable locker so I could turn it off for tight steering considerations (I often turn-off the front ARB in my Jeep when in similar circumstances).
Anyone is of course free to do whatever they want with their rig, but for me, a limited slip in the rear, an open differential in the front, aggressive off-road tires, ample engine power & torque, coupled with off-road driving experience has gotten me into and out of some pretty amazing places without any breakage ... and I'd like to keep it that way.
seldomseensmith wrote: I have installed Detroit True Trac differentials front and rear - while not a locking differential, in my opinion it offers many of the advantages without any of the drawbacks.
If I were to do any real off-roading with a jeep or other rock-crawler then I would go for the lockers instead, but for the types of four-wheeling I am doing with the TC aboard the limited slip in both axles is more than enough. My .02 worth.
x2, Truetrac front and rear made an amazing difference in the sand, mud, snow etc.
You don't know it is there except that you keep moving when before it was questionable.
Before I spent the money to put a locker in the front of that Chevy, I would buy a 12,000 lb Warn winch with the built-in air compressor. You can still get stuck with lockers and road tires; hard to get stuck anywhere with a winch.
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Big Katuna wrote: Sometimes I think people forget you can do lots to slow down the lighter loaded spinning wheel with some light braking.
That is indeed a very good and often effective trick (even with limited slip units).
That is also what many "traction control" equipped vehicles do automatically, in addition to throttle manipulation.
Look in the glove compartment of your Chevy truck, on the option code list sticker, and see if the code "G80" is there. If it is, your truck has the Eaton gov-lock locking differential, which I have had on about 8 of mine. It is a mechanical locking unit, and it has a governor which will prevent it from locking above about 15 MPH ground speed. This is to keep it from locking at speed on ice, etc., and causing both wheels to break traction, which can easily cause a loss of control of the vehicle.
EDIT: If the differential locks, and you exceed about 15 MPH, it will stay locked until you let off the power, then it will release the lock. The unit will not re-lock until you slow to under the governed speed, for the reason stated above.
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Jim & Gayle Bryant
Murphy's Law: "Anything that CAN happen, WILL."
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I added a limited slip to the rear of my 97GMC (Auburn Gear I think?) and was very pleased with it over the next...150K or so I put on it. It was way better at getting up my snowy driveway than before. I had blown up my old rear end and it was almost the same cost as replacing what was in there stock.
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