The PowerTrax is a limited slip but with a much more binary slip mechanism. Either the rear is locked or if the necessary torque is generated between the two wheels, like when you turn on dry pavement, the two spring-loaded spined halves of the unit slip over each other.

But I guess it depends on how you look at it; it's either a LS that can lock or a locker that can slip. I've no doubt that on slippery roads it behaves just like a locker.

I'm not convinced it is the right thing for my street truck, but between the winter driving and the necessary off-pavement driving that I occasionally do, I think I'd try it. It looks like it should be at least as as strong as the spiders.

 

I have recently installed this in my 97 Jeep Wrangler. It is the single best improvement you can do for the money. It is very predictable and acts like you would expect it to. Will it "allow" you to do a 180 in the snow, absolutely. Will it keep you going in the direction you expect it to, absolutely. It doesn't take you long to remember its there. You do here the occasional popping during 90 turns. My Ram has the limited slip, or should that be limited traction rear axle and it is no comparison to the No-Slip unit. Eventually it will get changed. Installation is not too hard, just follow the directions exactly, it is a little tight to work with inside the houseing. The first unit I got had a crack in it where the dowel pin is pressed in. Richmond gear sent a replacement within a couple of days.

Great product.

Tim

 

I still vote for the Power Lok. tried and true dana spicer. order up a Dana 70HD unit for your gear ratio then drop it off at a machine shop with a ring gear bolt, all they have to do is re-size the ring gear bolt holes on the Dana 70 HD carrier to fit the dana 80 ring gear botls so what ever unit you purchase thats all you have todo. good luck

Im not much for a lunch box in a high torque/HP application like our diesels.

 

I have a rock crawler Jeep Wrangler with D44's and Powertrax Lock-Rite's front and rear. I beat the absolute CRAP out of those axles on rocks, flexing it out while climbing and have had the front end three wheelin many times while jammin on the go-pedal. Lock-rite's WONT break, but they do pop and bang a little. I trust the lockers more than the carrier it's in...

 

Don't use them!! I have seen where the center pin pounds a hole in the carrier case. Look at a power loc, the torque is spread between four gears and two shafts that are designed to handle it. The little drop in unit goes around one shaft that was never designed to handle that kind of torque and stress.

 

I think that there other locker and LS options that are probably a lot stronger than the PowerTrax No Slip, but I think the PowerTrax is likely stronger than the spiders and side gears in my open diff.

You guys are right, it looks like they do make one for the D80. Part # 92-04803500

 

Maybe so, but spiders just "roll" around the shaft and allow the whole unit to "move". With the "powertraxs" unit in place you place a huge stress on components that were never designed to have those stresses on them, or at least that "kind" of stress.

 

I don't believe you are putting any additional stress where it shouldn't be. The axles are a weak point for twisting with or without the no-slip. I think the unit is quality made and seems to work fine for it's intended purpose of giving added traction. If you put in a situation where you expect it to fail, then the spiders would have already been gone. My dad always said 4 wheel drive gets you stuck in worse places than 2 wheel drive. Same goes here, positive traction will get you to places you would have never gotten before.

 

I don't agree, but to each his own!!

 

The axles are not as weak as pirate4x4 might have you believe actually check out my gallery


and you can see what i did for the last 400k miles offroad situations with a trailer and tire chains at times. I have popped one lunch box and two detroit lockers which are full case lockers in just the dana 80 yet never broken or twisted the axle shafts and witht the heavy loads i have pulled in some axle beating situations the first thing to go was the lockers. what MCmopar pointed out the benefits of disk torque biasing vs ratcheting style locker. the lunch box locker will work but your spidergears are stronger than it will ever be exactly for what MCmopar said the loading against one shaft. VS the LSD or an open carier with more surfaces to displace the load.

Do what you will but if .... when you break it don't complain. i broke both detroits while turning 5 mph or less in mild terrain like pulling out of the pasture under a loaded gooseneck both times on frozen ground and twice i could not move and had to change out the carrier in sub zero cold on the spot neither time was i on the throttle and this was all in a truck that dynod in the high 800 ft/lbs. The lunchbox never was used off road, it didnt like snow/ice to dry pavement transistions with a little tire spin. i changed back to a power lock LSD and went the remaining 400k miles, i broke one set of spiders in a power lock when a ring gear tooth broke and fell into the carrier and i have yet to destroy my open carrier.

another interesting tid bit look in my pictures see the black dodge in the snow his lunch box has popped 2 different times once in that off road situation the other while pulling a 7000lbs ballhitch trailer on pavement when i pulled his carrier this last spring the 3rd one was pretty beat up and so was the shaft he now has changed back to a power lok at 200k miles and only 45k of those had a lunch box in the rear. this in an automatic powered 12v dynoing 637 ft/lbs.

I just hate to see someone make the same decission i made and friends have made only to regret it. if oyu had an automatic gas powered rig id say go for it but a diesel stick the axle shafts will take a heck of a beating and not twist or break the carrier seems to be the weak link and the addition of the lunch box or any type of ratcheting locker has not seemed to work for me nor any of the other 5 diesel rig i know who have run them. barring straight pulls which they work really well for.

good luck just my .02

 

I know the Dana 80 is much more stout than the Dana 35 in the Jeeps ( I know the Dana 44 is a much stronger option in the jeeps, but it is to hard to find). I doubt the axles in the Dana 80 are a weak spot, I doubt anything in the Dana 80 is weak spot. I also know the limited slip is not what it should be in the Ram (at least mine). I have no experiences with the No Slip in the Ram, however in the Jeep it works great. I do believe the torque in the diesels is much more demanding on components especially the drive train.

Sounds like you have much more experience than I do with these type of units. Great info and pictures. I would love to see more pictures. Maybe a few others will chime in that have experience with these units in the Rams. I wonder how many people put Rams through the paces that you seem to experience daily? Do you think they would hold up under "normal" conditions?

 

Agreed there my LSD in my 02 is worthless, but it also is a trash lok bolt together unit i hate it. you are right in normal day to day they work fine, i definately am giving you the more used end of it but wanted to make sure ii drove home my experiences as changing a diff in -15 wirth gloves on is a PITA.

in that picture the Power-lok LSD was in my front and rear diffs, i ended up breaking a front axle the following weekend. LOL, good thing i used to carry spares, i actually no longer do that, its tiresome to run all over the country doing high risk recoveries and trying to carry insurance ect on the side of a normal job. it was fun but i wore out as did the old 12v and the truck. back to my point the Power loks i had were setup by me using 6 curved and 4 flat clutches in the rear and 2 curves in the front. making the rear fairly tight and by applying the brake pedal while powering up something the cross shafts in the power lok ramp up against the clutches forcing even more preload against them but it is still a LSD and will never come to the full traction ability of a detroit. i think i rad on some page at one point they likened the Trash lok to 50% biasing/engagement the power-lok to 70-75% biasing engagement (when properly used like utilizing the brakes while powering up something to equal the torque load to each tire ect) and a detroit to 100% . i know thats all useless info for the most part but might help in comparing.

I regret over the years only taking pictures with a disposable camera. occassionally i find one or two more pictures and add them into my webshots but as it is most everything i owned back in montana, tool box, welder, computer and jeep CJ7 were stolen last year in january the day before i was moving to california so i am limited on many of the recovery pictures that i have.

 

DDestruel,

Did you buy two clutch pack kits for the rear and then combine them? I have had great luck rebuilding my power locks. How did the powerlock work up front? I am curious.

 

The power loc-is the one made by Dana, right? Where is the best place to buy one? If I did the carrier R&R myself, what would a machine shop typically charge to install it, or is it a "do it yourself" job?

 

Yes, Dana power Lock, with a bearing puller, and a dial indicator you can do the job yourself. If you don't have the tools pay someone to do it. The power lock is the two piece case, try some of the big online places like drivetrainspecialists. etc, etc.