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Alright here we go... Lock Right in a Dana 60 w/ big meats... yey or nay?

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K5thatShmobs

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I keep hearing it all... "Oh yeah, lock-rights are competing with the likes of the Detroits, even with big tires" and then the next second you might hear "Those things are crap and breaking all the time... Unless you have 32s or smaller don't bother". Im trying to figure out how I want to lock my front Dana 60 with some 40" Boggers... I know this subject has been covered somewhat, but does anyone have some new light to shed on this subject?
 
I don't know about the durabilty, but I do have some advise.
Remove the carrier to install it. Yes, it's more work. It's next to impossible to install it otherwise and you will end up messing up your carrier and staying up to 3:30 in the morning when you have to get up at 5:30 and end up keeping it in the box it came in because you can get the %$&^% cross shaft out because the wrist pin won't budge.

I have compared the size of the dana 60 lockright to the size of the detroit locker I put in my 14 bolt and they are very comparable. The detroit, of course, has two cross shafts since it goes in a 2 piece carrier and that is sure to make it stronger. Other than that, they look very comparable. I would say yea.

-- Mike
 
If you are a throttle junkie you will break it, but if you drive with some sense it will last a long time in the front. I run one with 38's and show it no mercy. It is holding up just fine. The old one out of my 44 did service for 3yrs with my 35's and is now doing service with 37's for another 1.5yrs with no issues other than breaking axle shafts /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif.
 
Lock-rights are marginal in strength up to a 33" tire. Any larger than that, your wasting your money. Now you'll get an occasional "chime in" that says they been running one with 39's and have no problems....well, I say you never had it off-road!

If you have the coin go with a Ox, ARB, Detroit. You might want to check which of these actually make a locker for the D60.

The Detroit will give you a "snowplow" effect as it's an automatic locker. It can't be manually un-locked. The other two are selectable.

In another vehicle, I run automatic lockers front/rear and in the tight twisties, 90% of the time I run 2WD Low to combat the understeer.

My K5 at the present has no locker in front, I wouldn't even consider one that isn't selectable!
 
I believe your thinking of the tiny little lockrights that go in 10 bolts and Dana 44s.
WHo here has fragged a Dana 60 lockright?
-- Mike
 
If Tim hasn't broke it with 38's that is enough anecdotal evidence for me/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Rene
 
I'm considering doing this same thing, and I posted a while ago asking if anyone had blown a D60 lockright, and I don't think anyone had. Maybe the D60 version is just that much bigger, maybe most people who beat thier rigs put ARB's or detroits in, who knows?

I do know that I'm going to give one a try this summer. It'll have some 36-14.50 TSL's and a 454 giving it hell, so check back with me in a year
 
Well, I ordered a lock right from Randy's today... wow, only 307.00 shipped. Compared to the other figures of 335.00-370.00 I was getting from everyone else, thats not a bad deal. I've heard too many people with good experiences involving big tires and LRs not to go for it. Sure maybe a Detroit is stronger after all is said and done, but considering the accounts of so many, the ease of installation, and the money saved on both installation and hardware, I'm willing to go LR.
 
Cool! I installed mine in less than 1.5 hours without pulling the carrier. I didn't even pull the axle shafts. It is really very easy to install. My only difficulty came in finding something long enough and the right diameter to drive out the roll pin that retains the cross shaft. I ended up using a roll pin punch to get it moving and then used a small long bolt that I ground the threads off of. I took me about 20 minutes to get the pin out. So the other hour was spent installing the LR and reassembly.


Mike
 
I talked to three people in our club with experience using a Lock-right in a front Dana 60, all in fullsize trucks and all with big-blocks.

First guys was a fullsize Dodge with a built 440 and 39.5" Swampers. He ran mostly deep mud for years and then put the axles under a 318-powered Dakota and has been running trails for around another 3-4 years now. He never had any problem with the LR but did put in a Detroit last year when he changed gears. The LR is now in one of his friends trucks.

Second is a guy with Chevy running a healthy 454 (I saw him spin a 36" TSL completely off the rim when he floored it going about 30 mph). He usually runs something around a 35-36" tire for daily driving then switches to some heavy about-40" tall trucks tires on custom rims when going off-road. He's had a LR in the front for at least 4-5 years with no problem.

Final guy, started as a fullsize Chevy with a built 454 and 42x15 Swampers. Was originally a mud truck and then converted for trail use, now has an S-10 body. He broke way more stuff in the mud than he ever has on the trail. He ran a LR for awhile but did break it, but he has also grenaded 2 or 3 NP208 t-cases, a couple trannys, and several 30-spline stubs.
 
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