I am trying to source a diff lock for my pickup. I heard that a Lockright is easy to install. Is that correct? I have 3.54 gears, how many splines do my axles have? What is the lockright part number for the unit that will fit?

Thanks

 

I can't answer your questions, but having run a lockright in my offroad toy for over 10 yrs now, I would not recommend one in anything that tows regularly.

The quirks of a lockright or true locking diff can make towing hard on parts.

A L/S would be better.

 

An ARB air locker would be the best choice for what ever you have in mind. Unlock for the street and towing and lock of the off road. Down side is the price, and installation costs, don't suggest doing it yourself. i have one in the front of my jeep Dana 44 and love it.
scotte

 

Find a good stock limited slip unit. Unless you are hard core offroading; i think the stock limited slip unit is as good as it gets. Mine always spins both tires, but doesent chatter, clack, or click going around curves, and works great. Of course there is nothing wrong with a locker, but for what i do i really like the stock LS.

Eric

 

I would STRONGLY disagree. An ARB is horrible for a street rig.. it's no better than an open diff when unlocked, and unless you're just running down the 1/4 mile, when would you want the rear locked solid?

What he's more than likely wanting (and what i need) is a limited slip.. something that functions all the time, without creating undue stress on things, and allows you to turn, but have the added traction while IN the turn.

 

Threw the LSD away as the rebuild price is ridiculous and replaced it with a Detoit Locker machined by Greenberg Machine to fit Dana 80 3.54 gears. Ultimately a Truetrac unit would be much better for towing but the great minds at Detoit Locker don't consider us Dodge Dana 80 owners important enough to supply unit. These units are far superior to clutch type units and dont require special additives in the oil. ARB lockers were designed and built in Australia where the temperature is never that cold and without synthetic gear oil will not engage unless diff has been pre-warmed. They also have another set of hoses hanging down to be snagged by junk on the trail or are subject to ice build up on the highway in freezing conditions causing weight stress on them. Maybe if DL gets enough pressure from the lowly 3.54 highway maggots with Dodges they will make their superior unit available to us non-serious on roaders, ask them nothing works better and I agree. PK

 

I agree with Eskimo.......I have owned a couple ARB's and I think they are a great diff for a front axle but the worst of both worlds for the rear - spooled or open. Unless your 4x4 is going to be spending most of it's time offroad and will only see limited pavement use, I would skip the auto locker, too. They have terrible handling characteristics for a heavy tow vehicle and will be very hard on axle shafts and rear tires. Really, the best carrier for the rear of a multi purpose CTD 4x4 is the factory equipped Powr-Lok limited slip. It is by far, the best performing and most durable LS that can be had for a D80. I love Detroits and ARB's in the corrct application - I have one of each in my Jeep and they perform flawlessly but I would never even consider either for a CTD.

 

I was in the same predicament as well. I think the dana 80 lsd stinks. My unit will never lock both tires on snow or ice unless I give it some brake. The one on the dana 70 worked awesome for my wifes. I have never run a detroit locker, but I know how they work. You dont want one unless you use it 75% of the time for off roading. The slop in a detroit is horrible. The lock rite would be softer but they are noisey and they grab and pop. The reason I put on an arb is that I didnt want a lsd, and I needed a selectable locker. Something where if I had a huge load on the axle, wouldnt break if locked. Only option I had was an arb. My choice locker would have been the detroit electrac. It has a limited slip when it is off, but can be locked fully when needed. I waited for over a year and detroit is not building them. Not enough demand. I can tell you, since I put it in about 1 or so months ago, the lockers have saved me twice where I would have had to use the winch. The arb's arent hard to install. They do cost quite a bit though. Your axle splines should be 35. If you run an arb, dont get the dana 80 arb, get the dana 70HD unit. The only way the dana 80 arb will work is if you get a thick gearset and no one makes em. Yet. Randy's ring and pinion says that someone should have a thick gearset out in a few months. The dana 70HD unit will just have to have the ring gear holes drilled from 7/16- 1/2". Bolts right in. I know because I had the 80 set up and could not get it to work. Called ARB and they said truck pullers use the dana 70HD unit.

 

Many people get the factory equipped Powr-Lok confused with the far inferior factory equipped Trak-Lok. These two units are simply not comparable and unfortunately a Dodge D80 can be factory equipped either way. This has apparently and inadvertantly given the Plok a bad name because some people are getting the two units mixed up. The Tlok has a comparably poor service life and inferior performance. Anyone who has a Plok knows what they are capable of. I have had 3 different Ploks in 3 different trucks which were worked and run hard and they all gave excellent traction performance in some of the most adverse conditions a LS could endure.....my 3500 is factory equipped with an all original, untouched Plok with over 220,000 hard working miles on it and it continues to perform flawlessly. This simply cannot be said of any Tlok.

Also, I would go so far as to say that the Plok is even much more durable than the Tru-Trac. Detroit does not offer that carrier in a heavy duty version for a D70 or D80 for a reason - it simply isn't a strong enough design.....does it perform well in it's intended application? Yes, but it's intended application was never for such a heavy or hard working vehicle that would be equipped with a D80.

I don't like the ARB for the rear because I don't like driving around with an open diff. I want the additional traction immediately with having to push a button to turn it into a spool and then unlocking it again when it is not required. For a truck that sees multi purpose use, this simply isn't required if you have a Plok.

 

How can you tell the difference between the two types?

 

You can't tell the difference without removing the diff cover. With the cover off it is simple: The Plok spider gear cross pins run on a set cam-like ramps that are visible from the outside of the carrier - the Tlok does not have any of this and the fixed single cross pin is pressed into a round hole in the housing of the carrier.

The cams are what vary the preload on the side gears and clutches, ramping the preload up and down as required. This system drastically increases available clutch loading when required and slackens it off when it is not required. This almost infinitely increases the life and performance of the Plok when comparing it to a unit like a Tlok which is assembled with a fixed amount of clutch preload that wears down over time (or quickly if abused) which in turn will allow for more and more slippage until the LS no longer functions.

 

Mine has never grabbed and popped, but when towing with it the one time I had to, it would give some quick & solid lock/unlock when making sharp turns at low speeds.

maybe it was cuz I was flat towing a 6000 lb truck with a 5200 lb truck on 39.5" tires.

 

Is the Powertrax "No-slip" any quieter or more driveable than the Lock-right?

 

No.......they are nearly identical and mechanically speaking, they are nearly identical auto lockers.

 

If you must have a locking type diff you really have to go with a detroit, as the hard parts in a d80 are huge and if you put the cross pin as the weak link you'll break it and take the gears and carrier too. I would rather break traction or an axle then anything in the middle. as said before the p lok is darn good, I dissagree about the arb though, 99% of the time you don't need the extra traction of a lsd, when you do you know it, but on the up side you would see much better tire life on the rears mine spins on every corner