Are you running it in just the rear axle (open front)?
CK5
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Locker questions (and preference poll)
- Thread starter campfire
- Start date
Are you running it in just the rear axle (open front)?
Correct, open front.
Time to beat a dead horse...
The rear Detroit has been nice...
Why is this, Eric? I'm not willing to run a Detroit in my 28-spline 10 bolt, but a limited slip/Truetrac/Powertrax will probably wind up there. The Eaton Posi hasn't been a game changer, and it definitely does let one wheel go dead when digging out of a snow bank. So I'm gonna go with something different on the 'Burb.
The rear Detroit has been nice...
I put my vote for the gov loc for your intended use.
I had one and i didn't know because it was seamless, I just was trying to drag someone out of a mud hole and and I had both tire spinning so I open the cover and find our I have a gov loc
I had a Detroit in a blazer I drove in the snow with a manual and it was a handful
I had one and i didn't know because it was seamless, I just was trying to drag someone out of a mud hole and and I had both tire spinning so I open the cover and find our I have a gov loc
I had a Detroit in a blazer I drove in the snow with a manual and it was a handful
I'd go truetrac for a mainly street driven truck.
And in the beginning of this thread, that I just read all of and missed before lol, you woundered about the difference between an old eaton and a govloc. The big difference if you pay attention to parts in the video is that the Eaton just has springs holding the clutches. But the govlock has angled faces that twist on each other and FORCE the clutches together tighter and tighter.
With the springs, once you overcome the force holding them from slipping they will slip until your back in more even conditions. But the govlock will tighen up if the wheels keep trying to spin different speeds. Making it essentially a true locker.
And in the beginning of this thread, that I just read all of and missed before lol, you woundered about the difference between an old eaton and a govloc. The big difference if you pay attention to parts in the video is that the Eaton just has springs holding the clutches. But the govlock has angled faces that twist on each other and FORCE the clutches together tighter and tighter.
With the springs, once you overcome the force holding them from slipping they will slip until your back in more even conditions. But the govlock will tighen up if the wheels keep trying to spin different speeds. Making it essentially a true locker.
Exactly
If your front tires can't climb an obstacle, your rear tires won't even get to it. Front gets to stuff first.
Gotcha.
That was a lot of reading to find out you don’t have a front locker. That’s the most important one in my experience. I’ve taken my blazer through a lot of stuff with just a front locker. When I put a locker in the rear it became super annoying to drive.
I may have skimmed some of it.
Run a spartan front locker. Leave the rear open. That is my vote.
I think a lot of the people replying have never driven a short wheelbase k5 with a standard shift and a rear locker in real snow. A front locker can really help pull you the direction you want to go. The rear will constantly try to do the opposite.
Also, I think some have never driven a lockright style locker with a standard shift in the city or around town. Every time you’re on the gas the locker will lock and buck the truck around corners. The feedback is very different than with an automatic.
Also, find an old set of 4.10 gears someone has taken out for the rear FF and get a matching 3/4 axle for the front. 3.73 is not low enough. You have an nv3500 correct? You can handle another step in gearing.
I may have skimmed some of it.
Run a spartan front locker. Leave the rear open. That is my vote.
I think a lot of the people replying have never driven a short wheelbase k5 with a standard shift and a rear locker in real snow. A front locker can really help pull you the direction you want to go. The rear will constantly try to do the opposite.
Also, I think some have never driven a lockright style locker with a standard shift in the city or around town. Every time you’re on the gas the locker will lock and buck the truck around corners. The feedback is very different than with an automatic.
Also, find an old set of 4.10 gears someone has taken out for the rear FF and get a matching 3/4 axle for the front. 3.73 is not low enough. You have an nv3500 correct? You can handle another step in gearing.
I'm looking at front lockers now. I don't want to be messing with the poor steering of a fully locked front, nor with the shorter lifespan of the stock axle shafts. I want more than my Eaton Posi, but don't want to deal with the other headaches. A Powertrax or Truetrac will give me some traction without forcing the tires into places I don't want them. At least, that's how I think it works.
Turns out the 28-spline Auburn Ected is $790 vs the ARB at $1000 or the automatic lockers at $400-$500. I just might talk myself into spending the extra $300 for the front axle.
But front locker is just a pipe dream while the engine sits on a stand...
I'm looking at front lockers now. I don't want to be messing with the poor steering of a fully locked front, nor with the shorter lifespan of the stock axle shafts. I want more than my Eaton Posi, but don't want to deal with the other headaches. A Powertrax or Truetrac will give me some traction without forcing the tires into places I don't want them. At least, that's how I think it works.
Turns out the 28-spline Auburn Ected is $790 vs the ARB at $1000 or the automatic lockers at $400-$500. I just might talk myself into spending the extra $300 for the front axle.
But front locker is just a pipe dream while the engine sits on a stand...
Just put the truck back in 2wd. Boom, front unlocked.
Maybe I should have started a new thread.
So...I've run the Rear Detroit / Front Eaton Posi combination for a year now. As I piece together the other truck I am trying to get around the weak sides of this pair. The front wheels don't lock, and I've verified this when stuck. The rear is great, but the locker steer means I can't really loan out my truck in the winter time. Because no normal person is able to jump in and easily drive a stick-shift Detroit on ice.
I'm too cheap to grab a pair of ARBs, but having a selectable in the front would solve the bigger problem without straining other things like steering or axle shafts (because I would rarely be pushing the big button). Auburn doesn't make an Ected for the 10.5" rear end, but the Detroit handling isn't really a problem, it's just an inconvenience.
There isn't a big problem, I just meant that the open front end is a bigger annoyance than the Detroit's handling.
I managed to get the ArmyTruck stuck several times this year, and each time I did so I was annoyed that only 3 wheels would turn when I was in a bind. Not a big thing, but as I'm putting together the pieces of the Suburban, I'm wondering what I can do to help in the getting stuck department. This year took us through much worse than the dirt roads I imagined, and I think the future will continue the trend. Tires and lift have already been added, which will help in some of the situations. But at some point I'm going to want to upgrade the open differential in the front, and I need some help sorting ideas. I know what I don't want, but am not sure what I do want.
And welcome back to CK5, Richard.
I enjoy cruising down snow-drifted highways in 4WD mode. It has come in handy several times, so that's one thing I don't want to lose. This is still a street truck most of the time.
You want a spartan up front. They are cheap, easy to install, reliable, and they make both front tires spin 
I’m here, haha. I’m just often in read only mode.
I just went from spartan 10b front lockright 14bsf rear to spartan 60 front and open 14bff rear. I have no regrets. I’m awaiting the OX locker for my rear. I think that’s the axle that needs to be selectable.
Call Swetty, buy a cheap winch. Lockers have never done much for me when it comes to getting out of mud and slop.
I’m here, haha. I’m just often in read only mode.
I just went from spartan 10b front lockright 14bsf rear to spartan 60 front and open 14bff rear. I have no regrets. I’m awaiting the OX locker for my rear. I think that’s the axle that needs to be selectable.
Call Swetty, buy a cheap winch. Lockers have never done much for me when it comes to getting out of mud and slop.
You’re probably not going to blow a shaft in snow unless you’re doing something stupid. You’ll blow a shaft in rocks. Do you guys have those?
Not really. Lots of stone landscape here, but most of the big rocks have a layer of mud on them. In the dry sections, It's more likely to be a gravel pile than an actual boulder. With my tires, the wheels slip long before I'd expect to be breaking things.
The blue truck momentumed through everything 2 years ago, but got several scars doing so. Last year the ArmyTruck came through unscathed, but it got stuck several times. We ran a much rougher trail, and had more dicey moments.
I've been too busy to photograph the hard obstacles, but most of the miles are no worse than this. I'm not intentionally slamming into rocks the way that some guys do. I'm just paranoid.
Most of the rock is gentle. You'd have to work at being stupid here.
This one was definitely a tire problem.
And clearly a winch won the day here.
I don't think I have pictures of the other dicey situations.
This makes sense. I'm too focused on getting into trouble, I need to focus on getting out of trouble.
