Detroit Lockers - original or soft locker.
For those of you that have one the original style and the new soft locker, which one did you like better? Let's hear your opinion. I already know about a million of you guys are gonna say "fawk it, just weld it". I'm just curious what peoples opinions are of the new style versus the old. Thanks.....

Original

Thanks Abba, looks like you're the majority. :jester:

Got a soft in the front, and old in the rear...I like em, but what do I know, before these I had limited grips:D

I have an origional and the only thing I had to get used to was the little extra play in the rear. Other than that I love it.....I have herd people compare the softlocker to a lock-rite

I've got the original in the rear and the soft in the front of the racer. I have only driven it on the ice racing course....definetly needed the cooler for the P/S. I will know more in February when we go and do the obstacle course race in MT.

What did you think at RMIHR, Mark?

Originally posted by TORC
Detroit Lockers - original or soft locker.

I'll sell ya a Spool for $170

Originally posted by Cliffhanger
I have an origional and the only thing I had to get used to was the little extra play in the rear. Other than that I love it.....I have herd people compare the softlocker to a lock-rite

compare the soft locker to a lockrite???????wtf??? the soft locker is just an improved design of the origoinal. i have had both and the soft is a better locker. better not in strength (they both would be equal) but rather in handleing. with the soft locker you will not have as much noise or the charcteristic pops that happen with the older style. yes the soft lockers will do it but not as often. the soft locker is a full locker and not a drop in like the lockrites. who ever told you the soft locker was comparable to the lockrite was :smokin: crack

Original front and soft rear. The best combination. Why you ask??

One of the design changes to the new soft style was to change the center pin. Let me explain. Take the two versions and look through the center of them. On the original you can look right through, almost as if you could pass the axle shaft complete through from one side to the other. The soft version has a much smaller center "hole" to it.

Why does this matter??? Wait until you snap the splined end of a shaft off in the side gear assembly. With the old style you can pass a long rod (cb antenna) right through and knock the chunk of shaft right out. Not happening with the soft version. How do I know this??? Been there...

Other than that I don't know that there is that much of a difference. I started with the original in the back and a L/S up front. When I upgraded to a front locker I moved the old style up front and put the soft in the rear thinking it was going to make some major improvement in street manners.

A locker is a locker on pavement, PERIOD! No difference noticed.

I have the original in a 14 bolt in the rear of my 88 F350 and the Soflockers in the rear full floaters of my land Cruisers. I like the Soflockers more for the rear. But if you're going to have one in front then you must have the original or remove the friction device from a Soflocker, so that "unlocking preload" is minimized.
Personally, I think welding diffs is idiotic, I've seen several welded diffs break (unlike metal problem). And as far as "predictability": who'd want a diff on ice or slippery whatever that ALWAYS had one tire (at least!) breaking static friction and going to dynamic (= < than static) friction.
The comments from the "fawk it weld it" crowd are reflective of their level of intelligence.
If a guy wants a spool, they aren't that expensive. But like I've said, spools ALWAYS have at least one wheel slipping on any sort of turn. A slipping tire has very poor adhesion compared to a freewheeling tire.
Charlie

Originally posted by Charles Aarons
I have the original in a 14 bolt in the rear of my 88 F350 and the Soflockers in the rear full floaters of my land Cruisers. I like the Soflockers more for the rear. But if you're going to have one in front then you must have the original or remove the friction device from a Soflocker, so that "unlocking preload" is minimized.
Personally, I think welding diffs is idiotic, I've seen several welded diffs break (unlike metal problem). And as far as "predictability": who'd want a diff on ice or slippery whatever that ALWAYS had one tire (at least!) breaking static friction and going to dynamic (= < than static) friction.
The comments from the "fawk it weld it" crowd are reflective of their level of intelligence.
If a guy wants a spool, they aren't that expensive. But like I've said, spools ALWAYS have at least one wheel slipping on any sort of turn. A slipping tire has very poor adhesion compared to a freewheeling tire.
Charlie

all i can say is it depends on how you weld it. i too have seen welded diffs break and every one i have seen was not welded properly. if you weld it right it won't break.

Re welding, I'm sure you're right. Living in a place that has ice on the roads 5-1/2 months yearly, and having driven a SWB Land Cruiser with an ARB (= open and spooled depending on how I felt about it that day) and a Soflocker, I can absolutely positively say i prefer the Soflocker, with the caveat that I use 4WD when on ice, visible or palpable (through the seat of the pants). Drivng a SWB high center of gravity rig in 2WD with open diff, auto locker or most of all with a spool or welded diff is a good way to spin out. 4WD seems to straighten things out completely, especially with the autolocker and especially especially with the spool (or locked ARB).
Charlie