D35 TTB front truetrac?

[wakingtowinter]

So I got this D35 that came with 4.56s and a detroit locker. My rig sees too much pavement for this to be a good setup for me, and I want to be able to use 4x4 in snowy street conditions. I've heard that detroits can be a PITA in the snow, and if you've got a locked front you should just stay in 2wd, or only lock one hub, because things can get wild pretty fast.

I am going to be taking the detroit locker out and putting in an open carrier this weekend, and I was wondering if there is another option for me. Obviously if money was no object I would go with an ARB or E-locker, but I can't afford it right now, and probably won't be able to for a while. I found a truetrac for sale on CL for $200. It's out of a Jeep Dana 35 rear, and I've read of a few people using jeep lockers up front in the rangers, as long as you're using the reverse cut gears made for the front D35. Questions - A, will I be able to use 4x4 in the snow on the street with the truetrac? I'm a decent snow driver and I know what to do with the pedals. I'm running a no-slip locker in the rear, which I find pretty manageable in snow and ice. I just don't want the front l/s to put me in a ditch. And B, can anyone confirm that the jeep D35 truetrac will go into a front D35? Thanks guys.

 

[Hahnsb2]

A front LS will be worse since it doesn't unlock, let off the throttle with a locker and it unlocks for you.

I've driven a lot in the snow locked front and rear and I've never had a problem/close calls or anything like that.

 

[Maverick]

And B, can anyone confirm that the jeep D35 truetrac will go into a front D35? Thanks guys.

I have the exact same question for the same reason. I want better traction in the snow without running a locker up front. I PM'ed 4x4Junkie about it last week, as he is the D35 TTB guru, but he has yet to get back to me on it. He hasn't been on for a week or more so I'm sure that's the reason.

To answer your other question, yes you will be able to run a truetrac in the front without any adverse steering effects. They are not like a conventional L/S in that they have absolutely no pre-load built into them. They drive completely normal until a tire loses traction. For snow driving, they are about as good as it gets while still having way better traction than a open diff. One more thing, because a truetrac has no springs or clutches, they have nothing to wear out. So over time the differentials biasing affect will not go down like they will with a standard L/S.

 

[wakingtowinter]

A front LS will be worse since it doesn't unlock, let off the throttle with a locker and it unlocks for you.

I've driven a lot in the snow locked front and rear and I've never had a problem/close calls or anything like that.

See I'm confused because everything I've read says the exact opposite - for street/highway driving in snow and ice, front and rear lockers are trouble and L/S is the way to go. And the truetrac actually stays open until one wheel loses traction, so it's actually unlocked most of the time.

 

[Maverick]

He's talking about a standard L/S with a pre-load. I would still rather drive with one of those in the front in the snow over a regular locker just for the simple fact that they can differentiate even with power being applied to them unlike a locker.

 

[Hahnsb2]

See I'm confused because everything I've read says the exact opposite - for street/highway driving in snow and ice, front and rear lockers are trouble and L/S is the way to go. And the truetrac actually stays open until one wheel loses traction, so it's actually unlocked most of the time.

I read the same crap before I actually tried driving in snow and I was really nervous and quickly learned there was nothing to be scared of

The tru-trac doesn't actually lock. Think of it as a really complicated open diff because that is really what it is, all those extra gears just make it harder for 1 tire to spin (known as "bias") but it has no problem going around corners because it essentially a normal diff (jack it up in the air and spin 1 tire, the other tire will spin backwards, like an open diff with a little more resistance). Put this in a low traction situation like snow and it's going to try to spin both sides, it wont have enough traction to make it differentiate IMO.

He's a Vid Totalled made a while ago demonstrating that front and rear lockers aren't a problem in the snow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpY3v_1tQSs

 

[ronclark]

I heard its not the snow, but ice you need to watch with lockers, well that's what the local 4x4 shop told me.
he said when you are locked up the front it gets squirmy in ice

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The front end just tends to pull the truck straight through stuff instead of allowing it to turn. If you are used to it and know how to drive it, it's not an issue at all.

 

[strvger]

^^ x2. have driven many different vehicles with many different 4x4/awd set ups. been driving on ice and snow every winter here for the past 19 years and it still boils down to practice and taking it easy when you know the potential for ice is present. up here that is usually mid Oct. thru mid May. no way i'll be giving up my locker as it's helped me out of too many snow/ice situations.
'nuff said.

 

[disciplerocks]

You should PM 86 slo-vo. He has a tru-trac in his front.

 

[86 slo-vo]

yup i have a tru-trac up front...i was in the snow and ice the other day in 4wd and didnt seem any different from any other 4wd...

but im also pretty good in the snow after years of snow drifting you know you limitations and how when where and what to do when you need to so i dont guess it would be much different if i were spooled all the way around

youll be rather disapointed offroad with a truetrac compared to the detroit...but if you really want to get rid of it let me know i may be interested in it at a decent price...would even trade you for my true trac

but if it were me in your position....i would stay with the detroit and go find a parking lot and do some learning

 

[wakingtowinter]

My truck sees a lot of street/highway use and until I can afford a beater car to DD, I want to try to keep it relatively street friendly. I don't think I do trails that are hard enough to require a locked front, and the no-slip in the rear has been pretty good so far. So I think the rear locker plus a L/S front would be good enough for my purposes. The best thing I guess would be to get an ARB, but that's beyond my budget right now, and I've heard great things about the truetrac in snow.

slo-vo, the detroit is already going to VivaTheRanger, and I already found a Jeep D35 truetrac on CL I'm picking up on Thurs or else I would definitely just trade with you. When you installed the truetrac did you reverse the gears or did you just install it without modding it?

 

[86 slo-vo]

i didnt put it in...was already setup when i got it

 

[Maverick]

Apparently there is something to be gained from flipping the gears in a front application. 4x4Junkie showed me this link about it today: http://www.discoweb.org/truetracgears/index.htm

 

[wakingtowinter]

Cool. yeah I actually found that page, but then I also found this thread:

http://204.14.93.181/forums/showthread.php?t=47562

which kind of indicates you should just leave it alone and put it in. Still can't decide what to do. But if 4x4junkie recommended flipping the gears, that's probably what i'll do.