pros/cons of an open D60...

jekbrown · Feb 11, 2002

my truck sees some street time...and when i travel to go wheeling, I drive it..no trailer for me. Considering this, and the fact that I try to pinch pennies when I can...is there anything wrong with running a D60 open? When I am 1-ton, I'll have a ff14b and detroit out back.

when wheeling, is an open D60 more or less likely to break than a locked one?

if running open is terrible...what kinda options should I look at? I dont want a detroit locker up front (gotta steer, dang it!)...and I dont wanna pay for an ARB. any relatively cheap and reliable alternatives?

any thoughts would b appreciated,

J

See the on-going build up of my '85 Jimmy! <a target="_blank" href=http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown>http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown</a>

BurbinOR · Feb 11, 2002

Jason, nothing wrong with an open front...........you will just have 3 wheel drive instead of 4

. I've got a Detroit up front............ran it in sand............only time it is a steering problem is when its' under power - back off it turns. Heck, you've got that nice NP205 now, twin stick it............that way you can drop to 2WD when you're in need of a tight turning radius at TSF. That's what I'm researching right now............that and a doubler.

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

jekbrown · Feb 11, 2002

hey blazzin,

twin stick wouldnt be a bad idear I guess. I dunno, I haven't looked into it at all, does it require some kind of wacky (ie $pendy!) modification to the case? you have a detroit up front right now? it doesnt affect steering on-road when u wanna turn tight? If you're in 2wd..does it make a difference at all? man, i can't think right now...can anyone tell that its monday?! 8P

AFA being 3wd...its all good...2 of those would be from a detroit'ed ff14b. =p

i dunno...seems like every post on this site that is about some kind of non-detroit locker in a front D60 its always bad (ie. "dang, I broke <insert locker here> AGAIN arrrrrhhhgggg!"). That sucks. surely there must be an inexpensive yet reliable option here that wont cost me $500+.

I need to get all this poop sorted out so I can wheel with some of the local CK5'ers. =)

J

See the on-going build up of my '85 Jimmy! <a target="_blank" href=http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown>http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown</a>

BurbinOR · Feb 11, 2002

Well, here is the link to a write up on the twin stick - doesn't seem too technical.........<a target="_blank" href=http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jrice/NP205/TwinStick.html>Twin Stick Article</a>, tho I haven't gotten into the details to be honest with you.

As far as good alternatives, a Powerlok is supposed to be the next best thing as far as traction goes.

Yes, I have a Detroit up front right now. On road, when you are in 2WD and the hubs are unlocked, you would never know it has a Detroit. Must be Monday

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

BurbinOR · Feb 11, 2002

And you know, you don't have to have a locker or traction aid up front. For most situations you wouldn't need it.............it is a choice thing like many things with this addiction.

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

RESTORE89 · Feb 11, 2002

if my spider gears would not have been bad i would have left my rear diff open, it makes highway driving easy. and put the locker in the front, and on the road just unlock the hubs, and you never know yo have it, but when yo lock the hubs and put it in 4wd you will KNOW you have better traction. you can get a happy medium between the 2 with the rear open and the front locked, at least it works well for me, 95% highway 5% off road. I will say that after about 100 mile ont he rear locker, i have gotten kinda use to hearing that click click click when i am in a parking lot.
chris

It needs a bigger motor.
what's in it now?
doen't matter it NEEDS A BIGGER MOTOR
89 350tbi/700r4h/np208/4.11's

Eric M. · Feb 11, 2002

Kinda depends on the type of off roading your planning. I have a detroit D70 rear and PowerLoc D60 front. For snow I wish I left the front open, in fact, my Burb will be left open. I'm not a big fan of the Detroit in the rear either, It hates turns at speed! I'm putting an Eaton in the back of my Burb ... hope that isn't quite as harsh.

Eric M.

Blown K3500

mudhog · Feb 11, 2002

how much did you pay for the powerlock? and how does it do?

wheeling pics

Eric M. · Feb 11, 2002

I bought it so long ago, I can't remember what it cost. In fact, when I bought it, I was told it was being discontinued (something about the four clutch unit being replaced with a 2 clutch unit .... or something like that!). I guess they decided to start making them again. It works well. Very positive locking. You gotta be careful on the slippery stuff (snow, ice), with a locker in back the truck just wants to go straight. Slow is the key when ice is present. In deep snow all 6 wheels spin (Dually), the truck slides all over, but it keeps going! They are suppose to be bullit proof. I haven't had a problem and I'm running a blown 454 (B&M forced induction).

Eric M.

Blown K3500

four_by_ken · Feb 12, 2002

You dont need a twin stick to get 2wd low.

Ken H.

'86 K5 in parts
1-ton 454 44 TSLs

BurbinOR · Feb 12, 2002

Cool. Can you explain why a Twin Stick is even worth doing then? I am as usual missing something here.....

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

four_by_ken · Feb 12, 2002

A twin stick set up allows you to operate the front wheels independantly, meaning cutting out the back drive completely.

With any old 205, you can modify it so you can have
4 HI
2 HI
N
4 LOW
2 LOW

Personally I dont see all that many times, if any, that yoyu would want to run just the front wheels only. So, no twin stick for me.

Ken H.

'86 K5 in parts
1-ton 454 44 TSLs

BurbinOR · Feb 12, 2002

Thanks Ken...........I was misinformed on this...........I agree with you, no real benefit in MOST cases. If I need a tight turning radius, I can drop to 2lo or 2hi..........

Guess that brings up a question.............is the NP205 capable of shifting from 2HI to 4HI while driving?

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

HarryH3 · Feb 12, 2002

Yep, I do it all the time. You just have to make sure the front hubs are locked in first, so the gears for the front drive are spinning at the same speed as the gears for the rear drive. Then it's quite easy for the t-case to shift between 2HI and 4HI.

HarryH3 - '75 K5
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck>www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck</a>
It's a great day to be alive...

laketex · Feb 12, 2002

nope that open D60 wont work at all for you.

but I'll be a nice guy here and trade you my D44 and even custom lincoln lock it for you if you so desire!

haha. Run it. Save your pennies for a front locker. You're already about 3 steps ahead of me. I've got a D44 and am not about to put cash into the frontend untill i can afford a proper D60

Sherman, Tx
The blazer's almost on the road....anyone got tree fiddy?

BurbinOR · Feb 12, 2002

Very cool, thanks for the clarification, Harry. Good point about the hubs locked too.............

ONE TON TPI'd BEAST

mudhog · Feb 12, 2002

thank you for the info

Frank yes you can go from 2hi to 4hi while driving with a np205 i do it all the time in mine

wheeling pics

tRustyK5 · Feb 12, 2002

A twin stick allows you to get Front wheel low range only so you could use the parking brake on the rears and pivot the truck using the front wheel only...

If I'm on the trail and want 2 WD low I don't want to have to unlock my hubs...that can be unpractical.

Rene

Dyslexics of the world...UNTIE!
<a target="_blank" href=http://coloradok5.com/gallery/project_T2> tRusty pics...</a>

mnstr_fx · Feb 12, 2002

The big problem with the front locker comes on ice / slush / light snow. If you are ever on this, then I recommend going with the twin stick. This gives you the magic of front wheel drive, (just like the little cars!!) I have lockers front and rear, and I drive on ice and snow. Two lockers is REALLY exciting in four wheel drive on ice and light snow. This is when I disengage the rear axle and let the front axle pull me along. The corners are still some fun, but not as bad as with the rear axle trying to push you into the next county.

BTW: The first time that you are going to miss the front locker is the time that you look out and see only 3 tires spinning!

76-82 Chevy Pickup / Blazer - K5-K10-K30
90' TBI
TH 400
203 / 205 Doubler
Dana 60, Corp 14 - 4.88'd - Detroit Locked

jekbrown · Feb 12, 2002

ice? snow? That must be when the chains for all 4 tires come out... =p

in all seriousness, i live in a really moderte climate...sometimes we go year or two without any *real* snow or ice to speak of. In spite of that, I do have chains for all 4 tires...that'd prolly help the dual locker thing a little.

J

See the on-going build up of my '85 Jimmy! <a target="_blank" href=http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown>http://community.webshots.com/user/jekbrown</a>

pros/cons of an open D60...

I am CK5

3/4 ton status

I am CK5

3/4 ton status

3/4 ton status

1/2 ton status

1/2 ton status

THEGAME

1/2 ton status

1/2 ton status

3/4 ton status

1/2 ton status

3/4 ton status

1 ton status

3/4 ton status

3/4 ton status

THEGAME

Elbows up!

Registered Member

I am CK5