Spool up front

[kman]

Looking for a spool to put in my dana 35 its my dd I am not one of the people that use 4x4all the time I used it one time last year I'm just wondering where I can get one and will it effect tire wear when the lock outs are unlocked the only time they get locked in is when I go to play and then the roads are completely snow covered and its only put in 4wd when I c a cop or I'm sure I'm going to get stuck without it

 

[BeaterMan]

save yourself some headach and suck it up and buy a ratcheting locker(250-500$). A mini spool or full spool is gona make your truck turn like complete crap, plus the added strain on the hubs and axle shafts will bring breakage depending how you drive it. A friend of mine just put a mini spool in the front of his bronco and a few weeks later he's broke 2 hubs, burned up a powersteering pump with very mild wheeling all cuz he wanted to be cheap with it. Now hes looking into buying a detroit or lockrite. Do it right the first time or you'll be tearing it apart to do it right then. just my .02 cents

 

[Explorin94]

Don't do it. Hard on everything up front!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Make a cheap limited slip by adding a side gear washer.
washer plus fluid = $35.00

Richard

 

[-Nathan-]

I beat the crap out of my rig, and havent broke anything yet. However I also fully welded in my u joint caps. Yes it hinders steering big time, but if youre only using 4x4 when your stuck, than go ahead.

 

[kman]

I really dont go out and beat mine up mudding here and there and then there is the winter best time of the year im just wanting to know will it effect anything when my lockoug are unlocked like make tires wear more or anything like that and where could I get one

 

[gwaii]

there's no effect when hubs are unlocked.

 

[Hahnsb2]

Not a great idea for snow, IMO a locker will be a lot better. Lock the rear first.

 

[Will]

Don't spool the front. Unlike rear tires, front tires take vastly different paths around corners and curves. There's a lot to be said for leaving the front open, actually.

The thing to understand is that with an open axle, if a tire isn't spinning, it's delivering 50% of the torque. That's a simple equation--50% or zero. If you are maneuvering through an obstacle, a locker rear will make the front much more effective because the rear locker will greatly reduce the chances that one front tire will spin: both rears have to spin before one front will spin instead of just one. Having the front open gives you much better slow-speed control, especially on slide-slopes where if both fronts are locked, you go sideways down.

If I could put anything in the front, it might be a Torsen. I might consider a selectable, but I don't like the idea of control wires or air hoses coming out. I churn through a lot of blackberry brambles and downed limbs. I have an automatic locker, but it definately sees the side-slip issues. I think it adds maybe 10% under most circumstances, and some of that is negated by its tendancy to slip sideways. Going full blast through mud, yeah, you want both locked. A real rock crawler, a selectable I would think. A mild offroader, probably open in the front and a rear locker. There is a big difference in open and auto-locked on snow. The auto locker is unpredictable because every slight correction in the steering unlocks and relocks an axle and the steering wheel is constantly jerking and feeling disconnected from the truck. It's workable, but you really have to pay attention. Front spooled on a snowy road? How do you steer at all as neither tire will ever be going the same speed so one will always be spinning, and they will take turns. I see that as death on a stick.

 

[kman]

I do not drive in 4wd this is to make the likely hood of me getting stuck very unlikely I have drove with lockers in the rear my other truck was all im wondering now is where can I get one

 

[gwaii]

Don't spool the front. Unlike rear tires, front tires take vastly different paths around corners and curves. There's a lot to be said for leaving the front open, actually.

The thing to understand is that with an open axle, if a tire isn't spinning, it's delivering 50% of the torque. That's a simple equation--50% or zero. If you are maneuvering through an obstacle, a locker rear will make the front much more effective because the rear locker will greatly reduce the chances that one front tire will spin: both rears have to spin before one front will spin instead of just one. Having the front open gives you much better slow-speed control, especially on slide-slopes where if both fronts are locked, you go sideways down.

If I could put anything in the front, it might be a Torsen. I might consider a selectable, but I don't like the idea of control wires or air hoses coming out. I churn through a lot of blackberry brambles and downed limbs. I have an automatic locker, but it definately sees the side-slip issues. I think it adds maybe 10% under most circumstances, and some of that is negated by its tendancy to slip sideways. Going full blast through mud, yeah, you want both locked. A real rock crawler, a selectable I would think. A mild offroader, probably open in the front and a rear locker. There is a big difference in open and auto-locked on snow. The auto locker is unpredictable because every slight correction in the steering unlocks and relocks an axle and the steering wheel is constantly jerking and feeling disconnected from the truck. It's workable, but you really have to pay attention. Front spooled on a snowy road? How do you steer at all as neither tire will ever be going the same speed so one will always be spinning, and they will take turns. I see that as death on a stick.

i agree with everything here,but would like to add a couple of points.
i've run spooled front diffs plenty,and while there are places they can help,for the most part they are a hindrance.

a mud bogger can definitely benefit from them,the added traction in deep mud offsets the control issues.
rough trails i've got mixed opinions.while it can make maneouvering around tight trees and rocks a bit of a pain,it's allowed me to crawl over stuff others had to fight.of course,i also had twin sticked cases so front digs augumented the tight cornering somewhat.
deep snow is somewhat like mud,you can get some extra pull,but cornering is even worse than with mud.
sand(low speed,not desert racing stuff)i've found little problem.

any use in any conditions on the road or over a few mph in any type of terrain is suicide.this is when it becomes a pain in the butt,you have to unlock to speed up.

on this note,i'd like to add another option i've used successfully.that's manual steer brakes like they use on vw's a lot.i've hooked these to the front with an open diff,and by applying a bit of brake to the spinning tire,the other will get some more bite.
basically a manual version of traction control.