6 replies to this topic

[Dennis535]

Dennis here:

 

Any of your guys/gals run a Eaton TruTrac limited slip in the front axle of a full size truck.  Pros and Cons. 

 

Main and #1 question is steering impact in 4x4.  Manufacture Eaton says little to none. 

 

My rig full size F250 with a Dana 60 in the front and 10.5 Sterling in the rear, 4Wheeler Granby in Short Bed.  Front inter diff seals leaking, so I thought well while I got it apart why not throw a Eaton TruTrac in there. 

 

Thanks in advance,  have not been on here in a while I have over 70 miles of camping in now since 2011 in the 4 wheeler pop-up a 2006 model.  Lots of fixes and reinforcements but the thing has taken significant off road to gravel roads for probably 30 to 40 percent of the travel.

 

Help my decide,

Dennis

[LuckyDan]

Back in the day, (70’s to early 80’s) the Trutrac was a very popular choice for the front end. The Detroit Locker being a popular choice for the rear. I’ll concede it’s been awhile since I’ve been associated with an old school “Locked up” vehicle per se. I don’t remember any harsh steering associated with one, no more so than the grab a person may experience when using 4x4. With power steering on everything it’s way more manageable than in days past. I’ll assume your Ford is new enough that it’s back to manual locking hubs. During normal pavement driving you shouldn’t experience anything due to the front wheels basically freewheeling with the hubs unlocked. IIRC one of the nice things about the Trutrac was it’s basically maintenance free and didn’t require and special additives in the gear oil.

That’s probably little help. Good luck with your decision.

[Zoomad]

I've got a Tru-trac in the front Dana 44 of my K5.  Absolutely love it.  It's pulled my truck up and over some climbs I didn't think I could have made normally.  With an automatic trans and a front wheel off the ground you can gently grab the brake enough to stop the wheel in the air from spinning and it's tight enough to still send power to the wheel on the ground.  

 

On snow it runs straight and true.  A little more push in turns than open but not like a fully locked front diff.  

 

Only downside I found was on road with patchy amounts of snow/ice and dry pavement.  That was downright spooky.  If one side was on a slick surface and the other dry the whole axle would torque-steer to the side with traction.  Sometimes quickly.  If the slick and dry surface would trade sides then it would drive it in the other direction.  It was unsettling at 40 mph on a tight winding mountain road.  I ended up just shifting the t-case to 2wd out of 4hi and with no power going through the front diff the torque steer went away.  

 

Now I've driven with it on packed snow on pavement in 4hi and it felt very solid and predictable.  No torque steer at all. 

 

Short of putting a selectable locker in, I feel it's better than a clutch type posi and not as obnoxious as a full blown locker up front.  

[ntsqd]

I have a TruTrac in the rear of my FSB and I love it. Front is currently open and it seems to be good enough for how the Bronco gets used. When it becomes not enough it will get an ARB. I've had a Lock-rite up front and I've had open fronts. There are times when both are desired, but they are never at the same time. I either want the front open or I want it locked. Anything else can be an disadvantageous compromise somewhere.

 

I run the ARB's in the 4rnnr off the OBA system (regulated down to ARB's pressure requirement) and should it happen I'll do the same on the Bronco.

 

Was it me, I'd spend the extra to get an ARB for the front.

[12valve]

I have the true-trac in my 05 Dodge Cummins, AAM 9.25 front end. So far I like it. On sand it does not grab much so the truck does not steer from one side to another. The Dodge is not exactly a lightweight, but I have been surprised how well it goes up soft sandy hills. I have a 4 Wheel Camper, heavily modified to lose weight and still the truck does well. As well, I have the stock LSD in the rear so that will make a difference. I would recommend it. 

  After reading your post, I see you have the Dana 60 in your Ford. In that case I would dump the true-trac in a heartbeat and get a clutch type Power-Lok. Far, far better. I had one in my old 96 Dodge and that was a beast. Arrange the clutches to be aggressive and you will be one small step from a full locking diff. Since you have a Ford, you have manual hubs, a must! With the Power-Loc, you can block up three wheels, leaving one front on the ground. The Power-Lok will burn rubber and pull the truck free. That thing was awesome!

[Dennis535]

Just a up date, stayed with the 3.73 gearing, glad I did.  Installed TruTrac front and rear.  Huge difference in the sand, no real impac to steering maybe a bit of a heavier feel.  Works great rig is much improved with little to no wheel spin over the hard obstacles I would try.  I would have no problem tell people it is a great option for both the front and rear of a full size truck.  

[GreggLT]

Just a up date, stayed with the 3.73 gearing, glad I did.  Installed TruTrac front and rear.  Huge difference in the sand, no real impac to steering maybe a bit of a heavier feel.  Works great rig is much improved with little to no wheel spin over the hard obstacles I would try.  I would have no problem tell people it is a great option for both the front and rear of a full size truck.  

Great for you, man! My uncle got this new full size truck project that we'll work on after we finished installing the brake kit and kmc xd series rims on the Silverado and clear the garage. We'll take a look at the TruTrac kits.