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Yet another gov-loc question

sandawgk5

sandawgk5

3/4 ton status
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I have a gov-loc for 14FF and an open carrier but I cannot afford a Detroit right now and I do not want to run welded spiders as this sees more road time than trail right now. My question is has anyone had any experience with breaking a 14FF gov-loc? It seems that the only ones I here breaking are 10 bolt and 12 bolt variety.

Thanks

Ira
 
my friend broke the gov-lok in his 10bolt pretty easy. they are nicknamed "gov-bomb" so...

I've been told that the newer 14ff gov-locks are better than the older ones, but in general i dont know how strong they are. personally id stay away from them, and jus run open until you have the funds for a quality locker. ive got open now, and while its not exactly amazing, if you know ur limits u'll be ok. i do plan on eventually getting a detroit once everything else is taken care of and funds allow.

sell the gov-lock on ebay, you can prolly get a good chunk for the money needed for the detroit ;)
 
I'm sure I've seen one or two on here that have broken a 14FF gov-lock, but as you said, it's not nearly the number that break the 10-12 bolt. (although the 14SF fails too)

Part of that may be how many 14FF's AREN'T gov-locks compared to the 10-12 bolts, plus how many here run the 14FF compared to 10-12's. All in all the 14FF gov-lock is considered to be superior to the other ones.

I've never seen a 14FF gov-lock apart, but I can attest to the fact that the 10/12/14SF are all designed exactly the same way (just larger or smaller) and utilize the same failure prone "watch mechanism" tiny gears. Of course, the 10-12's actually split the carrier in some cases, where I've not seen that (yet) on the 14SF.

With the way they operate, mostly street, even if the 14FF gov-locks were considered somewhat weak, they are still much less likely to fail than the smaller axle ones. I'd run it without concern unless you have enough power (and the inclination) to be spinning larger tires all the time on the pavement. Even then the 14FF would probably hold up.
 
I broke one, was still able to drive it though. Something in the locker itself bound up and it acted like a welded rear end. Drove it for several months like that. Tried my hardest to get it to finally blow but couldn't. When it did work it sucked.
 
I broke 2 of these. Don't do burn outs on asphalt with a BBC, and go easy on the skinny pedal off road. the gov loc 14ff is great for driving on gravel fire road and not alot more. when mine busted both times (two different trucks) it scattered parts of the locking mechanism and some of these got chewed up through the spider gears. the pressure of it split the carrier and after a few big bangs locked the diff like a spool. drove it home both times, but it sure handled funny. got a detroit and never looked back, damn near indistructable, at least so far. Sell the Gov loc to someone who thinks they are worth a S**T and use the money for a detroit. you'll be much happier. I would rather have a detroit and bald tires than a gov lock and full tread. Really
 
hijack
I would be really happy if someone could post a pic of a govloc and an open carrier so I can see what they look like (for when I change my gear lube).. How much $$ does a detroit cost and how hard are they to put in place of the ol gov loc?
 
don't think i have a picture but it pretty obvious. if it is open you can see big spider gears and it will have a 4 trunion cross pin (looks like a plus with 4 small gears). A gov lock has only three side gears and looks from the outside like the diff is solid like a spool, with a few smaller holes in it. I will look for a picture
 
i love the gov lock in my dd and light use mud trucks. but with that you need to know how to engage them and if not thay will blow easy. only ones i have seen blown up were in a 1 ton with 38and 42 tires on it. all of this was feed by a 396 bbc with over 450 hp. :laugh: . i love them for the fact thay perform better on street as to tire wear and much easyer to handle in the snow.


pics are hear. do a search and lots of threads will pop up.
 
can't put a detroit in a gov loc carrier, must be an open carrier. this is a very easy swap
 
this is a picture of inside a FF14bolt. this is an open carrier with adetroit but you can;t really tell from this angle. if you look at the carrier the ring gear bolts to, you can see the end of the cross pin for the spider gear (between the bolt heads for the ring gear and the ring gear itself) it is a little smaller around than the socket in the picture. with your cover off, rotate the internals and count these. if i recall correctly, three is a gov lock and four is only for open carriers. some one correct me if i am wrong but i am pretty sure

Picture temp2 053.jpg
 
what are the chances of my supposed 1978 "government issue" k20 burban having a gov loc?? 14ff
 
can't see those pics, still not a member (I'll try to save up once I get the burban's leaky t-case and tranny fixed.)
is there another way you can post them so I can see them?
thanx
 
3= govbom

4= open/or locker.

gov spec might be locker but all is dependent on where it whent. best open and check and change the oil while you are there.
 
I honestly don't think I will have any idea what I'm looking at.... maybe I can be a member by then and take a pic with my mom's digital camera...
it has 3.73 gears,,, so you think it could actually be a locker already in there??????
 
You'll get your $25 worth of help and info in the first few days, i know i did. post your pic and we will look at it
 
check the link i posted, you may supprise yourself with what you can learn at CK5
 
you public profile says you decline to accept email, otherwise i could email this picture also
 
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