Thinking of a locking diff for my 2wd, talk me into/out of it

[OllieChristopher]

It's a Tacoma 2wd daily driver that I use for truck camping in southern California summer Mountain trips and desert winter. forest service roads Mostly dry dirt roads, some sand. Not much rock crawling. Lifted with good tires a few years ago. I feel like my factory limited slip is going out.

You are describing exactly what I am doing with my truck. For a little test run you might want to go up Maple Springs and try out all those roads going up to the peak, down to the cabins and into Corona. I also went up the backside of Big Bear up Coxey road no issue. Where it got shaky but still doable was Holcomb Creek going East off Coxey.

What is really an advantage to yours and my trucks is the weight. A lightweight 2wd is just so much more capable in the sand than a 4wd. Now if you are loaded down with a hard shell and all kinds of heavy overland equipment then all bets are off. LOL

If you don't plan on installing it yourself then I recommend Unitrax

 

[skrypj]

It's a Tacoma 2wd daily driver that I use for truck camping in southern California summer Mountain trips and desert winter. forest service roads Mostly dry dirt roads, some sand. Not much rock crawling. Lifted with good tires a few years ago. I feel like my factory limited slip is going out.

Does the 2wd Taco have something like A-Trac? If so, I think the Truetrac would be an excellent choice. The combination of the mechanical LSD with brake assisted traction control should get you through most anything a locker would.

The one negative to the TT is that it will freewheel if one tire has no traction, but when you have traction control to brake the freewheeling tire it will make the TT transfer the torque across to the other tire. The traction control and truetrac will work together.

 

[dirtnsmores]

Does the 2wd Taco have something like A-Trac? If so, I think the Truetrac would be an excellent choice. The combination of the mechanical LSD with brake assisted traction control should get you through most anything a locker would.

The one negative to the TT is that it will freewheel if one tire has no traction, but when you have traction control to brake the freewheeling tire it will make the TT transfer the torque across to the other tire. The traction control and truetrac will work together.

No atrac is only for the 4wd TRD off-road

 

[6gun]

I'm absolutely a fan of the TrueTrac. I have one in my Ranger front, and wish I had used it over the Grizzly locker in the rear end. Grizzly works great but TT is smoother! I will never own another open diff vehicle! As soon as our 2021 Colorado adventure is over there will be TTs added to my 98 Expedition! It currently has factory LSD rear.

 

[OllieChristopher]

The one negative to the TT is that it will freewheel if one tire has no traction, but when you have traction control to brake the freewheeling tire it will make the TT transfer the torque across to the other tire. The traction control and truetrac will work together.

You can also do a tap or two of the brake when a wheel is in the air spinning. this will make the wheel on the ground grab and pull you through the rough sections.

 

[billiebob]

'02 Chevy 1500 Silverado 2wd. I'm thinking about adding a locking diff for it. I have my Jeep Jk for the true off road stuff but this would be for those times when the 2wd, really 1wd even with the limited slip, gets stuck I can just hit the EZ button and back out.

I know it won't be the same as a 4wd, especially for sand and mud, but tell why I should or shouldn't. It would be a sort of like the 2wd pre runner class

Curious, did you do it ?

 

[ratled]

I had the appointment scheduled. My son was crushed when he heard II was going back to the truck as my DD - he just KNEW the truck was his ( he starts driving in a couple of months). Looking for a replacement now and 2wd isn't off the list.

 

[Ouiwee]

I had an ARB locker in the rear of my truck and about the third time I had to open it up to replace the air seal, it occurred to me that if I was out in the sticks it would suck to not have a locker. I had a Truetrac installed and haven't looked back since. And, it's nice not to have the one-wheel-peel on the street like I had with the ARB.

 

[dirtnsmores]

I had an ARB locker in the rear of my truck and about the third time I had to open it up to replace the air seal, it occurred to me that if I was out in the sticks it would suck to not have a locker. I had a Truetrac installed and haven't looked back since. And, it's nice not to have the one-wheel-peel on the street like I had with the ARB.

that's crazy you had issues like that considering how expensive the ARBs are. I'm going truetrac it looks like when the time comes.

 

[skrypj]

that's crazy you had issues like that considering how expensive the ARBs are. I'm going truetrac it looks like when the time comes.

I've also had issues with the ARB in my 8" Toyota axle. it was leaking so bad the first time it was blowing air out the diff breather. I pulled the 3rd member and replaced the internal seal as well as the two x-rings on the little air spindle. It worked for a short amount of time and then started leaking again.

I would not touch another ARB. E-locker all the way.

 

[Ouiwee]

I wish I could buy an e-locker for a corporate 14 bolt.

I had a Detroit locker on the truck for a while, but it torque steered something terrible and banged so loud it made passengers jump off the seat.

 

[FLYNAVY53]

Perfect timing on finding this thread....I've got a '72 C20 Suburban (2wd) that I use as a daily driver, camper, tow rig. The original Dana 60 is in need of a rebuild...in that process I'd like to add some form of locker to assist in pulling up our local boat ramp and for light off roading while camping. Based on what I've read above, it sounds like the Eaton Detroit TrueTrac would be the way to go for my application?

Thanks!!

 

[gatorgrizz27]

JMHO, a locker can be marginally effective on mostly flat ground that is uneven side to side (pothole) or slick (gravel/wet grass). They aren‘t going to help you much when it’s an uphill/downhill scenario, and help even less so in a truck than in an SUV, unless your bed is heavily loaded. The issue is there’s not much weight over the back tires, so they just sit there and both of them spin.

I don’t mean in hardcore off-roading situations either, just stuff like going to the bottom of a dirt hill and realizing you can’t turn around so you have to back up it. Some may disagree, and it might help more on high traction area like slick rock, but I have a good amount of experience off road.

Unless there’s a particular spot you consistently have trouble like a ditch on family land, I’d skip it and just buy a pair of traction boards. If you still get stuck after using them, I’d buy a receiver mounted winch. At least you’ll be able to get out and it can be used on other vehicles.

 

[GoinBoardin]

View attachment 669999

Perfect timing on finding this thread....I've got a '72 C20 Suburban (2wd) that I use as a daily driver, camper, tow rig. The original Dana 60 is in need of a rebuild...in that process I'd like to add some form of locker to assist in pulling up our local boat ramp and for light off roading while camping. Based on what I've read above, it sounds like the Eaton Detroit TrueTrac would be the way to go for my application?

Thanks!!

I'd say yes, Trutrac would be perfect to add during your rebuild for that truck. I have one in my pickup, and while it's not the tire-lifting workhorse of the locker I previously had, it's seamless operation is a real treat.

 

[FLYNAVY53]

Appreciate the input....the plan is to eventually put a K20 4wd chassis under the truck but finding a Suburban chassis has proven difficult.