What kind of differential is this?

[chris142]

This is in the rear axle of my 87'F250. If I'm on the throttle it locks up solid. If I'm off the throttle and make a turn it unlocks and clicks while turning. I looked at Detroit Lockers but none I saw looked like this. It has 2 cross pins, is a 2 piece case thats bolted together and theres no window to see inside it.

Who besides Detroit makes locking rear diffs for the Sterling rear axle?

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[idiabuse]

I will take that noisy hunk of steel right off your hands, detroit locker for a 10.25 is what it looks like.

Javier

 

[chris142]

I will take that noisy hunk of steel right off your hands, detroit locker for a 10.25 is what it looks like.

Javier

Ya it can be real noisey and bangs pretty hard ocasionally. I took the cover off to change the oil. New oil did improve it a lot.

 

[idiabuse]

I would love to own that noisy piece of garbage! It will be another symbol of music that my truck makes going down the road.

Javier

 

[PwrSmoke]

Yep, Detroit Locker. You need to learn to finesse it. Start by always having two rear tires that are matched for size and wear as well as matched for tire pressure. Next avoid powering hard out of turns, which can cause the unit to engage. Hard acceleration or deceleration while it's differentiating in a turn makes the unit to engage and bark tires. The ratcheting noise is part and parcel of owning a Detroit. Basically, if it's not locked up... it's ratcheting. That's how the left and right wheels differentiate in turns.

There are two versions, the "regular old" NoSpin design and the SofLocker, which has better manners. The SofLocker was introduced in '94. The NoSpin is lots more rowdy.

The Detroit goes back the the '30s, where it was first used by the Thornton Tandem Drive Company as an inter-axle dog-clutch between a tandem drive rear axle conversion that company offered. I was first used as a differential locker in 1941 and was later installed in Dodge military truck of WWII. After the War, it became known as the Thornton No Spin differential. The term Detroit Locker came about in 1969, when the company started building aftermarket units to fit a variety of car and light truck diffs. Thornton became Tractech in '79 and was alter purchased by Eaton in 2005.

 

[riotwarrior]

I would love to own that noisy piece of garbage! It will be another symbol of music that my truck makes going down the road.

Javier

Yes yes...I cannot wait to have my lunch box locker in and ratcheting away ...and traction! FRONT AND REAR!

 

[6.9poweredscout]

Yes yes...I cannot wait to have my lunch box locker in and ratcheting away ...and traction! FRONT AND REAR!

careful if you tow, lunch box's don't like excessive torque when turning!

 

[chris142]

My truck came out of Fairbanks Alaska before I bought it. The story is that the guy had 2 houses. One in Arizona where he went in the winter and another in Alaska where he spent summer. He pulled a travel trailer on his trips and I assume the locker made towing in Alaska or Canada better.