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dana 60 FRONT LOCKER ?

I have beein running ARBs for years in my Dana 60s and never once had any type of problem. With that said Detroit is easy to instal and very very tough. What are your guys thoughts on the durability of lockright in a 60? I ran one in a toyota axle a long time ago with no problems but wonder about putting big tires to them 40s+
 
chevyin said:
What about a spool in front with atlas2 tc. Going around corner throw the front in nuetral?
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Will make no difference. If you throw a truck with a front locker in 2wd it allows the front to ratchet. A spool is always a spool as long as the hubs are locked in.
 
The real question is what do you use the truck for? If you need your truck in the snow going down the hwy, well ABR might be best for you. Turn it on when you need it. If its just a play toy go with a Detroit.
 
With an ARB you can run 35 spline outers and slugs on the street without any problems. Hubs are one less thing to break out on the trail.
Travis
 
RustyNailJustin said:
I have beein running ARBs for years in my Dana 60s and never once had any type of problem. With that said Detroit is easy to instal and very very tough. What are your guys thoughts on the durability of lockright in a 60? I ran one in a toyota axle a long time ago with no problems but wonder about putting big tires to them 40s+
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There have been a few guys that have had great success with the LR's in D60 fronts. I got to wheel with a couple of them in Moab a few years ago. FWP's rig did fine (locker wise and otherwise) but BadDog's fun was cut pretty short when his D60 LR fragged. It was a bit noisy the first day through lower and Upper Hell, but on the second day when we were on Pritchett it began ratcheting at the slightest obstacle...eventually getting so bad he may as well have been in 2WD.

I was considering one up until then, and for my wheeling it may just last a lifetime. Then again for as long as i'll have my truck an extra $250 or so isn't a whole lot for the peace of mind a Detroit brings.

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
There have been a few guys that have had great success with the LR's in D60 fronts. I got to wheel with a couple of them in Moab a few years ago. FWP's rig did fine (locker wise and otherwise) but BadDog's fun was cut pretty short when his D60 LR fragged. It was a bit noisy the first day through lower and Upper Hell, but on the second day when we were on Pritchett it began ratcheting at the slightest obstacle...eventually getting so bad he may as well have been in 2WD.

I was considering one up until then, and for my wheeling it may just last a lifetime. Then again for as long as i'll have my truck an extra $250 or so isn't a whole lot for the peace of mind a Detroit brings.

Rene
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Gotta agree, that extra money buys a lot of piece of mind. Detroit are a lot stronger than a lock-right, not to mention that you have to use the stock cast carrier (which I believe is the part that usually breaks with lock-rights). Detroits are made of high quality steel and replace the whole carrier. If you bothered swapping in a Dana 60, don't cheap out and make the carrier the weak link.
 
What about Detroit's Electrac? My buddy has one in the front of his EB and it seems to work pretty well. I was thinking the standard Detroit, but I do not have hydraulic steering and it is a ways down on the build list.
 
You can set up hydro assist for less than $200 easy if you buy someone's kit and tap your own steering box (gotta get a 2wd steering box). You can do it for more like $100 if you buy your own stuff as shown in this thread from pirate. Back to the electrac, I kinda like it better than an ARB from a design standpoint (limited slip while unlocked, plus NO SPIDER GEARS!). Some people have complained about actuator troubles (every selectable locker will have problems like this) and some think the actuator is a little vulnerable on the front of the diff. My main reservation with it is the cost: almost $1000. I actually had an Eaton E-locker for my front 60 (meaning it was my first choice), but they accidentally sent me a 30 spline unit. After sending it back, they informed me that 35 spline units were not in production yet, but I would have it in two weeks. After 3 months of phone calls and waiting, I got my money back and got a detroit. Eaton has still not produced 35 spline e-lockers (I had mine a year ago). The reason I like the Eaton? Their price was $530! :eek1: (from PORC). If I could actually get one for an axle I ran, that is the way I would go (I had heard nothing but great things about them).
 
TravisO said:
With an ARB you can run 35 spline outers and slugs on the street without any problems. Hubs are one less thing to break out on the trail.
Travis
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It's not a problem to run slugs with a LR or Detroit on the street either. When in 2wd these diffs unlock and act just like open diffs. I personally run a LR front and a friend runs a Detroit, both with slugs, and I've never noticed any difference in handling or noise while on the street in 2wd.
 
tRustyK5 said:
There have been a few guys that have had great success with the LR's in D60 fronts. I got to wheel with a couple of them in Moab a few years ago. FWP's rig did fine (locker wise and otherwise) but BadDog's fun was cut pretty short when his D60 LR fragged. It was a bit noisy the first day through lower and Upper Hell, but on the second day when we were on Pritchett it began ratcheting at the slightest obstacle...eventually getting so bad he may as well have been in 2WD.

I was considering one up until then, and for my wheeling it may just last a lifetime. Then again for as long as i'll have my truck an extra $250 or so isn't a whole lot for the peace of mind a Detroit brings.

Rene
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I've ran a LR in my front 60 for several years on 38" TSL's and have broken two 30-spline stubs and an old necked down inner shaft with no locker issues. With that said, my friend stripped out a Lock-right in his 7,000 lb. big block truck with 42's, but he did beat on it pretty hard for a few years with both 38's and 42's.

For ARB's, I've been on a lot of trails with guys using ARB's and most of them at some time or another have had issues with them not working (fuses, wiring, compressor, air lines, seals, etc....). It doesn't disable the vehicle, but if you are halfway into a difficult trail it can be tough going from locked front and rear to open f & r in an instance.
 
My LockRite lasted about 12 trips in a roughly 5500 lb rig with 42" TSLs. When it went, it WENT and there was little middle ground. Started on Upper Helldorado the day we got rained on. By the second day, I think I would have been better off with a 2WD. Mine was setup specifically by the instructions too, the clearances were well within spec on the tight side. And as everyone know, I'm very gentle on my truck... :rolleyes:

But some people, including a friend with another heavy pig on 42s has had his LR last through multiple broken shafts and all manner of thrashing for at least 3 times that many runs.

So, YMMV, but for me, it's Detroit all the way.
 
I'm running a LR and it is holding up fine, even after splitting a stub shaft. I would not mind the extra insurance a detroit has though. I woun't ever own an ARB, I am not big on being a switch bitch.
 
BadDog said:
My LockRite lasted about 12 trips in a roughly 5500 lb rig with 42" TSLs. When it went, it WENT and there was little middle ground. Started on Upper Helldorado the day we got rained on. By the second day, I think I would have been better off with a 2WD. Mine was setup specifically by the instructions too, the clearances were well within spec on the tight side. And as everyone know, I'm very gentle on my truck... :rolleyes:

But some people, including a friend with another heavy pig on 42s has had his LR last through multiple broken shafts and all manner of thrashing for at least 3 times that many runs.

So, YMMV, but for me, it's Detroit all the way.
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You know it's bad when Russ starts eyeing my open D60 carrier at the campground...:eek1: :haha:

And just to confirm, Russ is real easy on that truck :haha: ...following him on pritchett I felt i should have brought popcorn. Damn fine show most of the time.

Rene
 
I love the search function on this site. I was about to post the same exact question. With my D60 a week away, where is the cheapest place to get a D60 Detroit. I looked at the site the other guy posted already.
TIA
Leper
 
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