Found a sparten locker for the front dana 44 but is it any good ? Says it unlocks when you turn !

 

Folks that have installed them seem to be reasonably pleased with the improved performance. (reading various reviews) However, most of those were installed in the rear axle. A few folks have put them in the front of their fords, but, they also have locking hubs, so, on the road, nothing in the front axle is turning. I don't know how it would feel about being in the dodge axle..... it might wanna stay locked with the CAD disengaged, which means pretty much everything in the front drivetrain would always been turning. Slight accelerated wear I would guess, but, would it increase maintenance? Probably not. That stuff is designed to be turning in any event.

It probably needs a specific amount of torque on it to unlock..... in snow/mud/sand/dirt, you probably wouldn't get to that point, on pavement/rock, you might.... but, folks that have installed them in the front didn't make any comments about it, and still seemed pleased with the performance.....

Now, it isn't as durable as a 'real' locker, but, it doesn't cost as much either.

 

Yeah, if you're not running big power, tires, and foot, the Spartan is okay.

They suffer when used by folks with modded engines, driveline, or heavy feet. They're at least as good, if not better, than the stock trac-lok.

But that's not saying much.

If it were me, I save my pennies up and buy a better one. But it's very application specific. Remember, if the thing breaks and you're on the road, you're screwed. If you only do laps around town, it's not so bad.

 

I would just save up for the Eaton TrueTrack. Gear driven LSD. Not as solid as a locker but doesn't wear out like a standard lsd either

 

My truck is not a daily driver ! I want more traction in the front but don't want to reset up the carrier but something to take place of the spider gears ?

 

Anything you install to change from peg leg to a limited slip or locker is going to require a new center section and setup. But it's not that bad of a job.

If you can tie your shoes and read the changes in a speedometer, you can do it. Just take your time and buy the proper tools.

 

i am a master mechanic for a living so doing it isn't hard ! Just don't want to blow money on a crappy product !

 

Then do it once, do it right, and never worry about it again. Go with the above suggestion for the gear-driven LSD. It will never give you a problem.

 

Yep. There's no free lunch, even with the lunch box locker.

I would add that you might consider a switch to a cable actuator from the vacuum unit so you can quickly/easily unlock a front axle to help in turns. It'll still crab a little, but being able to in/out the front helps some. And it's only like 150 bucks.

 

In that case, spend it on the Detroit Locker that Spartan knocked off. Or, more betterer, drop down a peg and go for the Truetrac.