Locker and 4.56's
 

Hey guys, I was wondering what is a good locker for the chrysler 9.25? Im not really worried about the D44 yet as i still may put a d60 under the front, I dont really bog or anything Im just tired of not being super stuck and one tire hanging or losing grip on one side and losing all power. I work on a huge farm and we are clearing timber, so i have to deal with skidder ruts every now and then. I am also an avid hunter so I deal with the trail alot. Im on a strict budget and I want to gear to 4.56's for 35's because of my bad fuel mileage and the extra tranny wear, as well as lack of power. I have 3.55's now so it will make a huge difference. So in summation, a locker for a 9.25 and a young person with a stiff budget, and a good set of 4.56's and estimate on what it will cost to have them put in. I dont have the tools to do diffs. I would tear my motor down in my garage, but I dont touch trannys and diffs.

Gears are gonna run in the neighborhood of 500 bucks, just for the gears, and install kits. (both axles.) you will have to look for that kind of deal though. installation can run anywhere from a couple hundred, to over a thousand. Just depends on who you can find. If you haven't done gears before, don't try it yourself, unless you have someone else that has done it.... gears are expensive, and picky on setup. Do it wrong, and you can smoke your new gears.

Lockers run from 4-500 for a "lunchbox" locker, (goes into existing diff case, replaces spider gears.) to almost a grand for a Detroit locker.

Keep in mind, for the front diff, you will need to replace the carrier, or, get thick cut gears. (only for the front)

Sorry for the late reply, I have changed a pinion bearing before. I was wondering when I replace my gears, should I decide to do it myself, do I have to reset the pinion depth and carrier spacing? Can I just put the old shims back in place?

You are putting in new gears, so, everything needs to be reset. Starting with the original setup isn't a bad idea, but, you still need to measure everything out, and make sure it is within spec.

I ordered my gear package set from these guys. Came with Yukon everything. MAKE SURE you SPECIFY thick cut gears for the front. Call them when you order, they can help you out alot.

http://completeoffroad.com/c-69615-p...-packages.html

Rear locker Options: http://completeoffroad.com/c-69393-g...-carriers.html

Front lockers appear to be more spendy: http://completeoffroad.com/c-65130-g...-carriers.html

Very nice how much was the total cost ?

Thats a good deal. I will be doing this soon. I just cant decide what will be more bearable driving with 35's on 3.55's, or driving on 31's I have now with 4.56's.

Edit:One more question, what are the disadvantages of a spool in the front?

Well.... there is some debate on the relative merits of a locker in front. Some folks like them, and don't have a problem with 'em. Other folks say that convincing your truck to turn on a low traction surface is sometimes problematic. With all four tires going at the exact same rate, the truck tends to want to go straight, regardless of which way the front tires are pointed.

There was a member on here that posted a video of driving his truck down VERY snowy roads, with front and rear lockers. He was one of the "no problems, really" folks. I don't have any direct experience myself. A selectable locker would be the ideal solution. For those times when 4wd would be nice, but being locked isn't necessary, just put it in 4wd, and drive on. If the situation is REALLY crappy, lock the front. In combo with a locked rear, you have REAL four wheel drive.

Of course, one of the disadvantages to being so equipped is, you can get a LOT further before you get stuck. :D Which kinda limits the scope of "Assist Vehicles" you can call on.

I see your point so selectable lockers have a pretty limited selection. ARB air lockers are pretty expensive. Anybody know about any electronic lockers like on the power wagons? that electronic sway bar disconnect is pretty cool too.

Well I only have gears, no lockers, but my total for parts was somethin' like 720 because I needed spider gears in the rear as well. I had a family friend do most of the stuff because I was goin out of town, and he charged me 150 for the rear, 100 for the front and other little things he did for me the total bill came out to around a grand. I was iffy about any whine, but there was ZERO whine. My guy is good lmao.

TRUTH.

I forgot to add one thing in. We had a bit of trouble getting the ring pin back in the rear-end because the new ring was way thicker. I personally can't recommend this, but what we ended up doing was grinding two of the teeth on the ring down just enough to slide the pin back in. To avoid this, you can purchase a new pin from the same company that fits the thicker gears, however, it won't be as stout as the original, which is why we didn't buy one. I have about 5k miles with the new gears in and no problems so far. It helps having a guy who did this stuff his whole life to help you out.