Spools?

[ramses]

Im thinking about putting a spool in the Dana 60 im gonna swap in soon but I dont know much about them really. They just eliminate the spider gears dont they? I dont wheel my truck too hard just occasionally, and its my daily driver. Probably the hardest thing I do with it is pull logs for firewood in the winter which is really the whole reason I want the front end locked anyway. I just want something reliable but id rather not spend $500 on a locker. Do spools hold up very well? Are they hard to install? How are they different from a Detroit locker exactly?

 

[Classic Broncos Rule]

pull logs for firewood in the winter which is really the whole reason I want the front end locked anyway.

Spools and winter weather do not mix. Spool the rear if you have to spool anything, but even that will leave you mighty squirrelly in the slippery.

Do not spool the front for what you are doing, save up for selectable.

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

Spool locks the shaft together permanently, same as welding the spider gears. A detroit will unlock in corners when you are turning (thoretically), if you use 4wd on ice or snow a spool will make life interesting. There has been debates on here several times about spools. Bottom line some love 'em some hate 'em, there doesn't seem to be much middle ground. A lot of guys seem to be running loc-rite's in D60's but I don't know how much they run



Are you locked in the rear?

 

[fordtruggy]

I welded the front of my truck and havent looked back (same as spool but cheaper) and its just a big round thing the ring gear bolts to and your axel shafts slip into and your locked.
PS unlock 1 hub in the snow and your almost as good as an oped diff again......ALMOST!

 

[Geargrinder]

I run a spool in the front of my truck. I don't think U could break the spool it's self, just everything around it if U try I have run them front, rear, and front&rear. For winter driving I would MUCH rather have one in the front, if U need to U can just un-lock a hub (or 2) and it's "problem solved" I will not be trying to drive on icy roads with one in the rear again but in the front it's helpfull insted of hurtfull. And hey, if U don't like it U can just pull it out and put your'e gears back in

 

[unclematty]

I have spools front and rear in mine right now I;m under going a major rebuild leaving the spools IN! you just haveto mind your manors on the ice, it's not a big deal just drive nice and no problems, and if you do slide off you can always lock in and drive out!

 

[supermanmudracing]

only bad thing to running a spool is you cant turn to sharp while in 4 wheel drive

 

[ramses]

My plan is to lock the front and put some sort of posi in the rear because my truck is my daily driver. Ive heard of just unlocking one hub in a locked front end for snowy weather but I dont know if that works well or not? I dont think a Lock-Rite is too expensive for a 60 but I dont know how they work. Are they a true locker or are they more like a posi?

 

[2High4U]

If its a DD you dont want to spool it cause when you go around turns it will chirp and skip like you wouldnt beleive.

Ive known some drag cars that had them and every time they turned it went chirp chirp chirp and so on..

that sounded gay but you get the point.

doing it to the front wth one hub unlocked seems to be a great idea tho. Ive never even thought of that.

 

[ramses]

Any more opinions? I rarely if ever use 4wd on hard roads unless theyre covered with snow but I do have to drive up a mile of gravel road in the snow a lot in the winter which is the only reason im debating on this. Has anyone had much experience with trying to unlock one hub for better control in the snow? And any other options other than a spool that anyone could tell me about and explain to me would be helpful too. I dont want to spend more than about $300-$350 on the locker which is why I considered the spool. As for the rear I think im going with an Eaton posi if I can find the price for one, anyone know?

 

[6.2Blazer]

A Lock-right is a true locker and works very similarily to a Detroit. I went from a front posi/limited slip to a Lock-right front and noticed very little difference in turning ability on the trail (the rear axle was welded for both of these front setups). The Lock-right durability seems decent and mine has held up well with the 38's and has survived two stubshaft and 1 inner shaft break. My buddy's Lock-right stripped trying to turn 42's under a 7,000 lb. truck, but it did hold up for several years of abuse when that truck had 38's.

I'm not a big fan of the "unlock one front hub" for driving on slick roads with a front spool. I know off-road that driving with one hub locked and any type of front locker causes some weird handling characteristics and is NOT the same as having an open diff.

With any type of true locker (Detroit, Lock-right) in the front, whenever you have the t-case in 2wd the locker will be unlocked (no torque input) and will behave basically the same as an open diff. I run flanges and never have any problem driving in 2wd on the street to and from the different trails. With a front spool the two front tires will always be locked together and cause scrubbing with either the hubs locked or flanges. The main reason I bring this up is that on trucks with locking front hubs I have always kept them locked in during bad winter weather so I could simply shift the t-case into and out of 4wd as needed.

 

[ramses]

Ok so how exactly would a Detroit or Lock-Rite have an advantage over a spool other than strength? If I got a Detroit or Lock-Rite would either one of them behave better on the road or in the snow than a spool or would it act the same?

 

[6.2puller]

The lock right or Detroit of any other "automatic" locker are only locked when power is applied. When in 2wd or when not on the gas they ratchet like a open diff spins. You get used to letting off the gas and coasting through corners once you have had one for a while.

The down side is that when torque is applied they tend to snap locked and this causes a slight swerve as it works through your driveline. In a long wheelbase rig like my suburban it is barelly noticable. Jeep guys complain about it all the time because it can actually move a jeep about half a lane on the highway to the left. Been their and its no fun. Some models are worse than others. Aussie locks are pretty smooth as well as detroit softlocks but lock right and quicklock are not as smooth.

The biggest benefit to a spool is that it is always their and always constant. I like that in my trail rig. No ratcheting and no loading up (a common issue with front detroits wich happens when turning under power and then letting off, it clunks real loud) I have no issues with a rear spool on a street driven rig. They only chirp on 90* turns and so do the auto lockers if you are on the gas so who cares.