Bobakazi

I have a '90 with a Detroit Truetrac in the rear and a Detroit locker in the front. I like this setup because it is my daily driver, yet I get the benefits off-road when I lock the front. My problem is as we all know lockers suck in the ice and snow. Driving to the mountain, I am always tempted to leave it in 2wd. I do. Have not had a problem yet. But if it gets hairy, can I just lock one hub up front and put it in 4wd? Makes sense to me, but I want to make sure. Thanks.

bob200587

seems to me that it would pull to the locked side, but I don't really know.

marko3xl3

Why would you only want one hub locked up front in 4wd? You'd have 3 wheels giving you power which is no good...

Are you trying to ask if you can lock your front hubs and drive like that in 2wd and then use 4wd when you need it?

I am probably missing something here. Also, why do lockers suck on ice and snow? They rock, unless you are using a lunchbox locker (like you). Just mentioning so that it doesn't confuse others.

Bobakazi

I do not know either, but I think I would rather be pulled a little than lose control of the front end. I have tried this idea on tight turns on trails. It worked great, but I am hoping someone can tell me if this is dangerous or hard on parts in any way. There are 2 seperate locking hubs, agreed? It makes sense to me, I just do not know for sure.

garrett1478

yeah, locking only 1 hub in the front allows sharper turning on the trails... which makes it seem kinda risky on the street...i dunno if it would pull to one side or not.

i don't think it would be bad to only lock 1, if thats your question

Bobakazi

It is a lunchbox. Therefore the bad turning on ice or snow. My question is:
By locking only one hub up front, am I in effect getting power to 3 wheels, yet at the same time sort of bypassing my lunchbox? I hope my only options are not 2wd, compared to 4wd with crappy steering.

marko3xl3

Well what is happening when you leave one hub unlocked is that you are making your lunchbox think you have 100% wheelspin (frictionless suface) on one wheel, therefore locking the diff while the halfshaft (not connected to wheels) turns at the same rate as the other wheel effectively giving you 3wd. It shouldn't be bad for your truck at all either.

Just wondering though...I kind of do know the answer to this, but in a way i don't. Why are lunchbox lockers so bad in ice/snow in curves as well as curves with a manual (if you drive is sporty)? Is it because it locks/unlocks all the time, therefore giving you less control?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Yep, you can lock one hub, gives you 3WD. Some folks who have front lockers do that on the trails.

Albuquerque Jim

A TrueTrac is not a lunch box locker. It is a full carrier & limited slip diff.

marko3xl3

He is running that in the rear. In the front he is running a Detroit Lunchbox.

Bobakazi

The Detroit locker provides equal power to both wheels. It will ease up or disengage one side if there is enough resistance to one of the tires. For instance, when doing tight cornering on trails, even with power steering it is hard to turn for a few seconds. Then it disengages and becomes normal to steer. When the vehicle starts going straight again, the locker locks back up. On ice, those first few seconds might be all that is needed to lose control. One of the tires will get traction, the other will be spinning.

Intrepid

Yes, it is fine, basically, it is like running and open front in 4wd. Only one tire is getting power, it just can't switch from side to side now, thats all. You will be fine.

marko3xl3

Thank you!

Flamedx4

Marko,
You need to get out and wheel more...

The reason any kind of traction device in the front, especially a locker, is "bad" on ice and snow is - #1 With all 4 wheels "locked" if there is ANY slippage anywhere (slippery road surface, ice and snow remember?) ALL WHEELS go sliding. You have phenominal traction until you lose traction - then you have NONE. Bad.
#2 The other thing is turning corners - a locked front end doesn't want to track around a corner (Google Ackerman angle and Turning radius) it wants to go straight, and turning a corner on ice and snow tends to break the front end loose - then see #1.

On icy roads a true locker will rarely disengage, the lockers will generally just cause the tires to lose grip and you go sliding.

I used to lock one front hub on trails on slow-going side roads. I didn't like the occasional lock/unlock 'shake the wheel' action I got so didn't risk it highway speeds.

FastCat

God I'm glad I live in Houston, where on that rare winter day that ice manages to form on any road, the city basically shuts down and I stay at home all nice and comfy, not having to try and drive on ice!

:beach:

marko3xl3

I am sorry if I live in a climate where there is no snow...

I go off-roading enough, and plenty on dirt roads, but I don't have a locking differential.

Again, I am sorry if I can't make enough money to pay for one.

Please consider other peoples' situations before you go off making comments like that. I am very willing to learn, and I have asked a question very politely. Was I supposed to search? Is there another thread where my "noobishness" comes out that caused you to make such a comment?

colsoncj

Im locked front and rear. i commonly just lock one side

Flamedx4

Marko,
Whoa! You misread me! Let me rephrase-
"You need to get out and wheel more... "
Wasn't trying to attack you at all. Read my sig.

Lysmachia

Wow justy dorve over wolf creek pass on the way to farminbgton and had the same questions. I have a Detroit tru track in front and while I have not noticed huge prpblems in the snow the science behind it (Ackermans radius) makes perfect sense and now I want to try only locking one hub.

But also note that lockers are meant to be worked In tandem. Last time I only had one locker engaged was in Oct when I was stuck on escalator. We unlocked the driver right hub because my driver front tire was binding up in a hole on escalator. After I got off my 4WD was jacked and I didn't have it all thwe way home to Boulder through a blizzard. Oddly enough it fixed itself somehow on the way home because when we lifted the rig up on all 4 and tried to stop the front tires neither would stop. (Whereas the front driver would in Moab)

I have no duplication as to what I did to that hub in Moab but my best guess is that I bound it enough to make it not work for awhile. I don't know how. (If anyone does chime in).

Molly "Learing to wheel all over agin with Detroit instead of ARB" Lysmachia

marko3xl3

Oh dang, my bad man!

For a second, I threw around the idea of you possibly kidding, but for some reason I took it seriously. So sorry! :pat:

So then, it's all good under the hood. No kidding tho, I DO need to go wheel more (). Workin' on it!