I bought a powertraxx for my 98 ford ranger 4.0 years ago. I bought it used off of ebay and it turned out to be a pretty good purchase. I put it in with the help of my father. It took more time to remove the diff cover than it did to put the unit in. Literally 1-3 minutes, but my father and I are both mechanics. I took it around the block really fast pretty slow, then in front of his house I reved and dumped the clutch. Had about 10-15 foot burnout marks. :-) It lasted until I traded in the truck about a year later.

 

Nice. So it looks like 2 votes for Powertrax...3 or 4 against

Richmond Gear is a pretty good name, and I don't think they would make something that actually sucks. But for $500 I want to make sure I get a good one.

 

I also had an Eaton G80 locker in the Colorado. It came stock from the factory that way. It did what it needed to do and I liked it more than the Powertraxx.

 

I would not spend that sort of money for a little extra traction in snow that you would probablly drive through, 10-15 times a year.

I have all-terrain tires, and 275lbs of cinder blocks in a box i built to stay put over the axles. I have a 06 4x2 with no limited slip. I drove right out and through 9" of snow here in Dutchess county new york this weekend. It was the icy parts of the road that gave me a tiny bit of trouble. That could give a 4x4 trouble too though.

Good tires for the snow and weight in the rear is all you need. It cost me $25 for the blocks and the 4x2 to build the box.

Why spend $500 and then time to install this thing in the dead of winter?

 

Haha, OK I give I give...no axle work this winter

I have 300# of sand over the axles, and some nice big Cooper AT's all around. I went on a pre-dawn expedition for a Walmart snowmobiling suit, in a healthy storm, and was beasting thorough 4-6" of drifting powder on the roads. No problems crusing at 35-45...which was the most the visibility allowed. It was actually pretty fun, once I got used to how the truck felt without any tires on pavement.

That $500 is going towards something for summer with 2 wheels