What should I do as far as getting a locker?

[UrbanRedneckKid]

...unpredictability of automatic lockers.

What makes you say that?
Mine are perfectly predictable. Anytime there is torque on the driveshaft, it's locked.

 

[Surrey]

What makes you say that?
Mine are perfectly predictable. Anytime there is torque on the driveshaft, it's locked.

agree'd. There isn't anything unpredictable about a non-selectable locker.

Its very easy, they are always locked. They have the ability to over-rotate the outside tire in a corner... Its kinda like how a ratchet works - it will spin freely in one way, but the other way it has torque.

That said, I would not advise a non-selectable locker in anything that sees a decent amount of snow and ice on the roads (offroad is a different story) because of poor turning abilities on particularly slick surfaces.

 

[--weezl--]

Not to defend their example of crappy customer service, but some research should've quickly shown nothing they offer fits a Torsen carrier.
What I suspect happened is he ("jbrown") read your email right up to the point he saw "torsen differential", and never bothered to read anything beyond that.
Had you simply asked for a 8.8" 31 spline open carrier application, there would not have been the distraction over the Torsen.

Now as for the rest of it, there's no excuse for that, he could've simply scrolled your email down a little ways and reread your questions (this assuming you didn't delete/backspace out the previous correspondence from the email)

Since you have to get a carrier for yours anyway, I'd just buy the Detroit.


To the OP,
I'd say maybe rebuild the stock L/S, but rearrange the clutch discs for tighter grip (there should be some info on this in the Tech Library). Combined with using slightly less friction additive, you can get some pretty darn good lockup out of it, but without all the clunkiness and unpredictability of automatic lockers.

yeah, you make a good point, but the whole purpose of customer service is to answer all questions a customer may have, i full answer would be

"a power trax is this, a lockrite is this, your differential is not compatable with anything we carry, however a replacement carrier could use these part numbers, for what you say you use your truck for, i would recommend this diff"

i can probably pick up a JY carrier for like $20, hell, the spider gears for my dad's fitty were only like $60, i may even look at new ones from ford...

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Up until a few weeks ago, when I put my 8.8 under a trailer, I would have given away my open carrier...

Surely you can find one cheap.

Hell I broke my Power-Lok in my D44, and picked up a free open carrier, for a temporary replacement.

 

[4x4junkie]

What makes you say that?
Mine are perfectly predictable. Anytime there is torque on the driveshaft, it's locked.

Lighten up on the gas for a bit (such as 'floating' the engine's RPM with your speed), then get back on the gas again (doesn't have to be hard either). Note the slight occasional "wiggle" that if you aren't paying attention can potentially put you at the edge of your lane (or completely out of your lane if you do it while also doing something dumb like texting lol). Also note that the 'wiggle' sometimes can be toward the left, or sometimes to the right, or it may not even do it at all. Why I say "unpredictable".
The shorter your wheelbase, the more this effect is magnified also.

The wiggle happens when the teeth on one side of the locker engage while the other side is still in-between teeth, causing power to be sent to one wheel a split second before the other when you get on the gas again.

Sure it's something you get used to, but it is a characteristic of all mechanical-type lockers that selectable lockers, limited slips, and even spools don't have.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Hmmm... Never noticed it with my Aussie.

Curves on the highway can get hairy though. But it's just one of those things, you have to learn how to drive with a locker.

 

[Surrey]

Bah my truck pulls when I brake... might as well pull when I hit the gas too lol

 

[MastuhWaffles]

I'm going to do a locker when I change out my ring and pinion.

 

[--weezl--]

i do highway speeds with a 141"wb f550 wrecker, towing about a 10,000lb f450 dump truck, a little bit of "unpredictability" is of no concern to me! lol that combination is difficult to keep on the road, never mind in your lane, but when you've got to tow it 50 some odd km, and get paid by the km, you don't putt along...

either way though, noted, and that does make perfect sense...

 

[4x4junkie]

Hmmm... Never noticed it with my Aussie.

Curves on the highway can get hairy though. But it's just one of those things, you have to learn how to drive with a locker.

Probably the same thing happening... In a slight curve your drive tire may actually trade sides for a moment when you get on or let off the gas due to the tire's slight difference in speed.

How many teeth the locker has will affect it's mannerisms too (finer teeth = less space between one side engaging before the other = less wiggle, etc.).
The teeth on my Detroit are quite coarse, so these 'wiggle' effects are quite pronounced with it.

 

[Frank The Tank]

My Yukon Grizzly actually feels like your spinning then hook a bit when it transfers. Once you install it, just force yourself to drive it in the city in rain for 25 miles and you'll be good for life.

 

[--weezl--]

ok, so i finally got the difference between the two richmond diffs out of this guy, the convo is as follows:

me:

And the difference between the lock rite and powertrax?

him:

The Lock Right will have a ratcheting sound anytime you turn and will also hear it engage and disengage when turning and then heading back straight. The features of the PowerTrax No-Slip lockers with the built in syncro. rings and dampening springs allow this locker to function without ratcheting sounds. The No Slip would be the preferred locker for a daily driver vehicle.

me:

So other than the noise, and I am sure price, the two function and drive the same?

him:

That is correct.

Johnny Brown
Technical Support
1001 W. Exchange Ave.
Chicago, IL. 60609
(773) 247-3400 EXT. 3880
jbrown@midwesttruck.com

the bottom of his signature has the richmond logo, and a picture of 2 boxes of R&P gears called motive gears, so i'm not sure if he works for a 3rd party company or richmond... i did originally email "techsupport@richmondgear.com" but yeah...

 

[Surrey]

ok, so i finally got the difference between the two richmond diffs out of this guy, the convo is as follows:

me:

him:

me:

him:


the bottom of his signature has the richmond logo, and a picture of 2 boxes of R&P gears called motive gears, so i'm not sure if he works for a 3rd party company or richmond... i did originally email "techsupport@richmondgear.com" but yeah...

Rediculous. Did all the emails from this guy come from the same email account?

My guess would be perhaps Richmond contracts out their tech support?

 

[--weezl--]

yeap, all from the exact same guy... it was INCREDIBLY frustrating!

still their prices are pretty damn good...

 

[AgPete139]

For clarification. you cannot use the Richmond Powertrax Lock Right, Detroit, or Aussie in your stock Explorer axle. The only available option is the Richmond Powertrax No-Slip locker, as -Weezl-'s tech support representative explained above.

The housing / carrier of an Explorer with a limited slip has a different, larger cavity than the regular open carrier of an Explorer with no LS. This is also true for the Torsen carriers.

If you want to use a standard automatic locker, you would need to get the housing like 4x4Junkie was saying and you will need to shim & set up your gears again.

I don't know if people have used the clutch packs in the Expo LS as shims for a regular carrier. I don't see that being the best route, either.