hey everyone,i own a 1989 dodge ram 50, i know this truck doesnt belong here, but i need some help, i was considering welding my truck posi front and rear, what are the benefits? what are the bad? i mostly do short road driving and lots of off-road, everything from sand to mud, i was thinking about a locker but im not sure if they have one for my axle size. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

You would weld up the spider gears. For the rear it wouldn't be to bad but taking turns on the streets especially at low speeds would make the tires chirp. If you weld in the front you won't be able to turn while 4wd is engaged. Your best bet is a real locker or a LSD.
A posi is a LSD Limited Slip Differential, not something you would weld up. It is almost a locker but allows for some slip. Check http://www.ringpinion.com/ for lockers and LSD.

 

Welding up the spider gears is making a homemade spool... or solid axle. I've been in a truck with a spool and its not fun on the road. A locker will at least unlock to allow you to turn. Like Crazy said, you don't want to put any sort of locker or spool in the front, but you can get away with a limited slip differential up front. From what you said you use the truck for, your best bet is to get a locker in the back and if you really think you need it, a limited slip differential up front.

If your not sure what axles are in your truck, you can ID them here... just look around these pdf files...

http://differentials.com/pdfs

 

Strength issues aside, lockers/spools are fine up front. My B2 is locked up front and yes it does reduce the turning radius some but you can turn and it goes anywhere I point it. Spools are hard on front axles because they never unlock so a lot of stress can build up causing more frequent breakage. I woulnd't recomend a spool up front for that reason or in the rear if you drive it much on the street because the handling and tire wear sucks.

 

thanks for all the info, i live in hawaii on the island of kauai, so my drives are 5 to 10 mile drives at the most, but anyways i hope to have a locker in soon. still debating on welding the front, thanks again for all the help

 

Another thing to consider is that if you have a live axle up front, you cannot weld it. You need to have locking hubs or a CAD to drive it on the street.

 

well right now on the truck i have auto locking front hubs, as soon as i put it in 4 wheel drive a light comes on and then it say wheel locked, so idk if thats like lockers or something?

 

I'm sure it is not locking hubs. It is Central Axle Disconnect. CAD. It is not some sort of locker. It just disconnects the axle, so when you are not in 4wd, it doesn't have to spin the front axle parts. So you will receive better gas mileage.