Spartan Locker pros and cons..

[LT67]

I'm sure this been discussed many times... lol

Thinking about a Spartan locker for the M1008 for the Dana 60. Factory steering and 35's.... nothing extreme. Any pros and cons?

 

[Chaski]

You might find steering difficult with one. Personally I wouldn't run a front locker without hydraulic assist steering. As far as the spartan goes, It is a pro that it is a lunchbox locker because it will be easy to install and won't require setting up your gear pattern all over. Con is that most lunchbox lockers are not as strong as ones that replace the entire carrier.

 

[blueblaze]

I think you'd be much further ahead to go selectable. such as an eaton elocker, ox locker, arb etc You want to be able to steer when you need to. Especially if you plan on driving it in snow or inclement weather. I was at this point last year and instead of an ox front locker I went with a winch instead. For a truck to need a front locker it's probably going to be in some extreme terrain and at that point you'll probably need a winch sooner then a front locker. And for a truck that's so heavy, a winch is a much more valuable tool then a front locker I believe. Not to mention a winch won't break drivetrain parts as much.

 

[LT67]

I think you'd be much further ahead to go selectable. such as an eaton elocker, ox locker, arb etc You want to be able to steer when you need to. Especially if you plan on driving it in snow or inclement weather. I was at this point last year and instead of an ox front locker I went with a winch instead. For a truck to need a front locker it's probably going to be in some extreme terrain and at that point you'll probably need a winch sooner then a front locker. And for a truck that's so heavy, a winch is a much more valuable tool then a front locker I believe. Not to mention a winch won't break drivetrain parts as much.

Lol.... going to pick up front and rear bumpers this week that already have Warn winches on them.

 

[Eliteweapons]

If you do install the locker in the front also install manual locking hubs. During street use only lock only the passenger side hub, then if you get stuck you only need to get out and lock the driver side hub. Thats what I did with my 1 ton chevy with a locker in the dana 60.

 

[Sharecropper]

Ummmm, what am I missing here? Why not simply install the same unit that GM shipped with the M1028, which is the Dana Trac-Lok? Works like a charm for me, no muss, no fuss. In my opinion nothing could be better, as both front wheels "pull" under power regardless of having traction or not, and the clutch packs allow for easy differentation when going around turns.

Better yet, the easist thing to do would be to simply find an entire front axle from a M1028, unbolt the non-posi unit, and bolt-in the posi unit. I'd be willing to bet a simple ad placed in the Classified section would reveal the entire axle assembly, probably for less $$$$ than buying the after-market unit and then installing it in the original axle.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Eliteweapons]

The spartan locker replaces the spider gears. No setup required so anyone can do it. A Track lok you need to setup the gearset and not many people know how to do it or have the setup kit.

 

[LT67]

If you do install the locker in the front also install manual locking hubs. During street use only lock only the passenger side hub, then if you get stuck you only need to get out and lock the driver side hub. Thats what I did with my 1 ton chevy with a locker in the dana 60.

It will never be used on the pavement. Besides, we hardly ever get winter driving conditions here in Ga. A locker in the front will be strictly off road only....

 

[The FLU farm]

For what it's worth, I've been running front Detroits (same principle as the Spartan) for decades without any steering issues. Yes, they're in Jeeps, not CUCVs, but still.
In my trail Jeep, after replacing a Powr-Lok (superior to the Trac-Lok, by the way) the steering became much improved overall.
There are times when the front Detroit in my "work mule" Jeep makes itself quite noticeable, but that's really only when in Reverse. Also, that one has manual steering.

A spool or locked selectable locker on the other hand can be a real handful in the steering department. I think that the beauty of the Detroit style lockers is that they normally don't interfere with the steering.

 

[sschaefer3]

I have an ARB up front with 35's and Crossover steering. When locked steering is difficult. I do not have hydo assist as it;s an ARB and unlocked most of the time. My rebuilt by SPC steering box has developed considerable slop. Called ORD and they said it is not the tires but the front locker. Going to have it rebuilt and hydro assist ports added. I wheel the truck hard. As long as it fits through, which does eliminate a lot of the hard trails in Arizona. It is really nice to unlock the front when not needed.

 

[Bighorn]

I had an ez locker in the front and rear of my 1984 K5.
My current 1976 K5 had Spartan Lockers front and rear until I swapped in a Powertrax No-Slip in the rear.
The Spartan Locker up front is barely noticeable off-road.
Where you will notice is going steeply uphill into a tight turn with good traction.
While on the throttle these types of lockers cannot disengage to allow differential action.
It is like a spool when under power.
So after having many years wheeling rigs with these types of torque sensing lockers I have a technique I use.
When on a steep incline and under power approaching a sharp turn in the trail;
I begin the turn until I feel the understeer of the locker.
Let off the throttle momentarily to let the front locker release.
Back on the gas gently and repeat the throttle blip as many times as necessary to negotiate the turn.
It doesn't always work.
On steep grades in snow or icy roads it is a bad idea to mess with the throttle with a lunch box locker up front when in 4wd.
In those instances I plan for the inevitable understeer and resulting rear skid but pointing the nose of the truck further into the turn and using more throttle.
You get a controlled 4 wheel drift with all four wheels pulling at the same rate.
A fully locked rig with torque sensing lunchbox lockers tends to want to understeer when in a turn.
It also wants to slide down whatever slope you are on along the fall line.
Say you are next to a steep drop off on a muddy trail and you need to traverse a side slope.
In a fully locked rig you might crawl across.
But if you need any kind of power, such as a on a slope, the front locker will make the truck want to slide off the cliff if you try and go straight across.
Sometimes better to intentionally point the nose towards the inside of the slope and "crab walk" across the side slope.

You get used to it.

As for the rear Spartan Locker I had; I removed it because it was noisy as heck in town.
It would bang a lot.
The No-slip is completely silent and performs the same task even though it is wheel speed sensing and torque sensing.

By the way, I still have the rear 12 bolt Spartan Locker I ran for 12,000 miles.
Looks almost new.
Just a few witness marks on the pinion shaft and slight flats inside the couplers.
Well made product.

 

[The FLU farm]

Yep, your driving habits will have to change a bit with Detroit style lockers, especially on slippery slide slopes.
I suppose that unlocking one hub could help, but I've never tried. It probably wouldn't be much worse than with an open diff.