One of my former techs put a Lock Rite in his 97 Ranger 2wd. I got him up his driveway during mud season but sounded like it was grinding itself to death when he turned in the driveway. He said it also wanted to slide around on snowy or wet roads.
How do you use the truck? Heavy duty off roading might make the Lock Rite a better choice and the Traction Lok would be easier to live with on the street.
So… I’ve had a lock-right in my F-150 for like 10+ years now and yes, it likes to make crunchy noises and bangs on the street and has a tendency to want to push you along straight in poor traction situations so I use 4x4 more, but it gets the job done.
That said, I heard something more recently that suggested there is a right and a wrong way to install those lockers and that I think it was Aussie that explained how they are supposed to be shimmed for smooth and relatively quiet operation. I haven’t really investigated it because I’m currently not ready to try and install another one.
A limited slip, especially with bad clutches, will have a tendency to lock up late and give you poor handling. Pack extra clutches in and increase the pre-load spring and now it works more like a locker, but brings in some of the handling characteristics of a locker. It’s all a trade-off. For street use, a limited slip, preferably a gear driven one, is probably the most ideal if you want more traction than an open diff. Or a selectable locker, but those are more expensive than a gear driven limited slip.
My green Ranger is a street toy. I currently have a factory limited slip with new clutches and I packed in extra clutches. It does pretty much exactly what I want it to. Someday it may get a gear driven limited slip. My F-150 has been my workhorse, on and off the pavement plus snow plow duty. A locker of some type is preferable there. Choptop was built for off-roading, but still street driven, so again, lockers. Figure out your needs and budget and go from there.
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