85_Ranger4x4
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- Location
- SW Iowa
- Vehicle Year
- 1985
- Make / Model
- Ford
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- V8
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- Manual
Limited slip uses a clutch pack or mechanical system to restrict (but not prevent) one wheel from turning faster than the opposite wheel on the same axle.
A locker mechanically binds them together so that they -must- turn at the same speed. If one is one ice or hanging over a ditch, the other can still pull the vehicle forward.
See aboveI thought a positrac rear end turned both wheels in the same direction at the same time. and limited slip turned the wheel with more traction.
Posi is a GM name for limited slip. Ford used Trac-Lok. Both accomplish about the same thing using clutches. Some vehicles like the FX4 Level II Ranger used gear typle limited slips that didn't have clutches.OK so a quick search on the web taught me a little. I now know the difference in a positrac and limited slip and a locker. But still wonder if Is it like the old 4x4 where you had to get out and LOCK the hubs manually for the front wheels to turn under 4wd. So now the 2wd rear end can LOCK like that? but from what I understand it is now electronic and computerized. how could the rearend locker be manually locked, hydraulic or cable actuated?
The wheels that slip to wheels that grip stuff is done by a computer using the brakes. When the brake is applied to a spinning wheel power is applied to the other wheel on that axle that isnt slipping.
All you do when you lock in the front hubs is tie the front wheels to the shafts that make the wheels turn. Most newer trucks have this operated by vacuum so you don't have to get out to manually lock them in.
Locking hubs have nothing to do with locking differentials.
This might help:
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive.htm