Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) (barely) stuck in the mud

[2Rowdy]

brakes will/should offer the same resistance to all wheels 60% front 40% rear. so the wheels with the least grip will still be the ones with the least resistance to spinning. $. 02

DCreed,

I was talking about the left or right rear wheel spinning if you drag the brake it should apply the same resist and get both wheels power. I think.

 

[DCreed]

DCreed,

I was talking about the left or right rear wheel spinning if you drag the brake it should apply the same resist and get both wheels power. I think.

Thats what I meant. The brakes apply equal force right and left to the axle so the wheel with least grip will STILL be the one spinning.

 

[JMcCoy]

Off road, a locker rules the roost. I plan on a Detoit rear and ARB front. Refering to the open/limited slip brake trick: You need to vise grip the brake hose with the most traction. When the brake (and gas) is applied, more power is sent to the wheel with more traction. This trick has gotten me out of many-a-hole. I always keep needle-nose vise grips in my tool box. This will not work in the rear, due to the hard lines. Well, it will work if it is absolutly nessesary, because you will ruin the brake line. Good luck.

 

[Curious Dave]

pdxkid,



I got sick of getting stuck w/ my 3500. I checked into the ARB's. There s a gov't contractor that is buying up the D60 units as they come into the US from Australia. ARB in USA says they hope to be caught up by mid March. I wound up going with the Detroit True Trac units f/r (60/80).

While the front diff was torn down I had the Dynatrac inner kit put in to upgrade to the 35 spline axle shafts and to finish off the free-spin hubs.

I couldn't find any mud tires for my 19. 5's. Sooo... I also put on a full set of factory 17's with some Maxxis Buckshots. I was going to go with the Bighorns... But nobody had any in stock.

At the same time I did all of this I put on some Thuren control arms in the front.

I do pipeline inspections and I am out in farmers fields and pastures 95% of the time.

The trucks ride is softer due to the softer tires. These are D's and the 19. 5's were F's. The front end does not "roll" anymore when going around turns.

The front end feels mush stiffer now.

The true tracs work awesome. Before, the LS would spin one tire briefly and then the other would "catch". Now they both are instant.

I can sure see how the free spin frees up mileage though. Before the TT i gained 1. 5 MPG. I checked it yesterday and the mileage with hubs locked driving long distance... 11 MPG... Unlocked hubs I get @ 15. 5. Huge difference.

Summary... I am happy with the TT's. The posi will go on ebay... The factory D60 parts will go on ebay... The truck does not get stuck anymore and the mileage is up a bit with the lighter wheels. The ride is nice and all is reliable again.

 

[SRath]

That's a good review about a truck that actually gets used offroad, Dave. The only issue I hear about with the True Tracs is the strength, but then again everybody "knows somebody" who broke everything.

Did you ever consider an Ox Locker when the ARB's proved so hard to get? I would just HAVE to have a locker in the rear. Preferably a Detroit. Like JMcCoy, I hope to oneday land a Detroit in the rear and an ARB or Ox up front since Eaton seems to have killed the Detroit Lectrax when they bought Detroit.

 

[Curious Dave]

SRath,



Yeah... I checked into the Ox. What a bunch of bull... . j/k ... . They don't make one for the D80. I could have gone with one in the D60... but I really don't care much for the idea of a cable.

Honestly... the ARB kinda bothered me too. I am the one you have heard about regarding the rubber mallet and the anvil. Everything just seems to fail. The more complex and advanced it is the sooner it fails. It sounds like a great idea with the manual engagement... But I don't want to be 100 miles from town in 1' of mud and cow c--p when the cable fails.

When I hit mud it isn't a quick patch and then all is merry. If I am in mud it is usually hundreds of feet long and 1' - 2' deep. Sometimes I am in streams with loose rock bottoms. I can not afford to have something fail on me.

I work 7 days a week and 10-12 hours a day. If the truck is down... so am I. The job is too. I can't afford that. I need simplicity, and dependability.

I will say this though... The ARB lines seem to be much easier to fix then a cable. I have many air lines on my truck. A couple more would not have been an issue. The time frame was not there for me or I probably would have gone with the ARB's.