Can you use a Detroit Locker in a Dana 60 4.10?

[HOWDY69]

Why does this link say it is recommended for a 4.56 and numerically higher?

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... &N=700+150

Also, do they clunk or not. People seem to love them or hate them. What's up with that. This is for a daily driver.

[HOWDY69]

I have been quite stupid.

They make a different model for the 4.10

Other question still hold though. What is it really like to drive one of these every day in all kinds of situations?

[460 crew]

With the locker and not a LS you have both tires locked up all the time and one can't roll faster or slower than the other for turns and they'll churp on turns on asphalt. A LS lets there be give. Now a selectable locker will give you full lockup with the option of an open carrier.

Comes down to what you need, a LS with new clutch plates will give you great traction but still have nice road manners. Most ppl have full lockers or spools for offroad or straight line drag racing.

[HOWDY69]

Sounds like the Detroit Locker has the best traction but can be tricky to drive in certain situations like curvy mountain roads.

TrueTrac has better road manners but does not provide 100 percent to both wheels.

Is that about right?

[460 crew]

yep a locker will keep pushing you forward when trying to turn especially with no front axle to kind of pull your front end around, anything without 100% lockup will give to some slack to turn.

[HOWDY69]

Interesting test...don't think I will try it at home.

To overcome this limitation many vehicle manufacturers fit a limited slip differential (LSD) to the rear of most new 4WDs. A LSD is an improvement to the open differential but, as its name implies, it only provides limited drive to the wheel that has traction. To appreciate just how ‘limited’ the slip is, try the following test. With a vehicle fitted with a rear LSD, place an axle stand to lift one of its rear wheels off the ground and then chock both front wheels with a brick. The LSD will not provide enough torque to drive the vehicle over the brick (vehicle obviously in 2WD). If a diff lock was fitted then the vehicle would drive forward easily.

So is a True Trac just a really tight LSD?

[460 crew]

The Detroit Truetrac was the first gear type limited slip differential in the industry. The patented design of parallel axis planetary helical gears provide a quiet, automatic splitting of torque. Power transfer goes literally unnoticed by the driver - even in front wheel drive axles.

The Detroit Truetrac performs like an open differential under normal driving conditions and automatically transfers torque to the wheel with better traction when ground conditions warrant. The limited slip responds instantly to torque feedback, anytime, at any speed.

So sounds like it operates a little different than your normal disk/clutch LS. SO pretty much might be a good thing but you need to find out if they hold up.

[HOWDY69]

I am sure they don't hold up for the drag racers but I am going to have to compromise somewhere. I either get bulletproof 50/50 traction with some weird action in turns or better manners and maybe not quite as good traction.

Well there is no transmission in the truck right now so I guess I don't have to decide tonight.

[460 crew]

I have a LS in my 70 that i know is worn out and it is way better than my open rear I used to have on the street and in the dirt. I think a detroit locker is way overkill on a DD unless you work at a logging mill LOL. Just my 2 cents though.

[two-bit]

I know a couple of people who have the Power-lock center section in there Dana 70's. They are very happy with them.
One of them used to have the Detroit locker and replaced it with the Power-lock because of how "hard" the Detroit locker is on pavement.

I will be installing a Power-lock center section in my Dana 70 when the truck goes down to the frame.

I'm not sure if they made a Power-lock for the Dana 60. I know they made some kind of limited slip center, i think it was called the Traction-lock.
Haven't heard much good about it though.

Good luck with rear end.

Two-bit

[cdeal28078]

I have a Power Trax Lock Rite in my 9" and am very happy with it. When starting out and making a turn the inside tire will chirp a bit if you get too heavy on the gas. I have learned to change my driving habits just a bit and I am now used to it.
I have NEVER felt it while at speed during any turns.
It is pure traction when going straight or even turning when enough gas is added.
It does ratchet a bit, just enough to hear it. Heavier gear oil is said to quite it down some.
It Will pull itself off a jack with one wheel in the ground.
PLUS it was only around $270 from Jegs and was easy to install without having to seat the gears back up
My 2 cents only
clint

[72hiboy4x4]

another option is called the "Aussie Locker'. Yea from 'Down Under' Bullet-Proof!
My buddy has one in the rear of his TJ and he LOVES it. NO real handling quirks, and it positively locks the wheels together for traction.
His front will be going in soon!
Best thing is the $$ - about $235 for my dana 44 rear. Dunno the $$ for a 60, but not much more.

[averagef250]

I've had a few street trucks with detroits in the rear and boy are they nice when you need them, but they drive you nuts on a regular basis. For any situation, I would prefer a spool to a spline type locker. with a spool you have zero slop and no suprises. With a locker there are times when they lock when you don't want them to and, even with the newer designs, they will skip a tooth now and again. One hard takeoff with a heavy load trying to get on the freeway or similiar and that sucker skips a tooth you'll think you just scattered your rear end or dropped a driveline.

Powerlocks are very nice. The 60 and 70 powerlocks have the same holding power and a very tough unit. The only thing I can say bad about a powerlock is the gear oil gets pretty dirty under hard use, but street stuff isn't a big deal.

The other common D60 LS is the trash-lok (trac-lok) it's a piece of crap and a downgrade from an open diff because it doesn't offer much better traction and the carrier is a good bit weaker.

The powerlock carrier is not only a heck of a great LS, but the carrier is a good bit tougher than an open diff.

Trash-loks are best suited in the front axle of a 4x4 for a bit of a traction advantage, but still making it able to steer decent in ice/snow/slippery stuff.

[bigjake34452]

I have a Power Trax Lock Rite in my 9" and am very happy with it. When starting out and making a turn the inside tire will chirp a bit if you get too heavy on the gas. I have learned to change my driving habits just a bit and I am now used to it.
I have NEVER felt it while at speed during any turns.
It is pure traction when going straight or even turning when enough gas is added.
It does ratchet a bit, just enough to hear it. Heavier gear oil is said to quite it down some.
It Will pull itself off a jack with one wheel in the ground.
PLUS it was only around $270 from Jegs and was easy to install without having to seat the gears back up
My 2 cents only
clint

i also have the powertrax locker in one of my trucks. its in a dana 60 as well, i am EXTREMELY pleased with it on and off road.

[HOWDY69]

Boy is it hard to get a consensus on the best traction solution. I have read your replies and searched here, searched the Fordfe site, and searched the internet under various product names. The Fordfe'ers break just about everything but the Detroit Locker so I think it is the most durable although it has it's quirks. The Powertrax locker seems to be a stripped-down version of the Detroit Locker that takes less disassembly and is easier for a doit-your-selfer (a git-r-dun'er) to install but has the same operational quirks. The Truetrac has been recommended by some people I trust. And then there are the people who swear you can drive around town with a spool. Not to mention the other dozen products on the market.

I think everybody's driving habits and experiences are so different it is kind of like asking what is your favorite color.

Thanks for your help. If I decide to go with a Detroit Locker I hope you won't condemn me as one of those people who already have there mind made up before they ask for advice. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences.