Since we've got mechanically inclided folks here...

My '87 F150 (affectionatly known as the Honey Bucket) is a few ticks north of 350,000 miles, original 302 motor, original C6 trans(mission). Still in decent shape, plenty of life left in her

I'm looking at diff locks for a Ferd 8.8 rear end. There are 'lunchbox' lockers that go into the current carrier or complete carrier replacements with either air or electric activation

Anyone have any experiences with these?

The lunchbox lockers are engaged all the time and have a decernable click when going around corners. How is the drivability with that?

I'm not opposed to putting in a pump for the air activation if that would yield more reliability but running wires would be more straightforward

The reason I ask: This week I destroyed another rear tire trying to get up the hill to the dump. Loose gravel and a 6k trailer burned the weak side right out. I'd rather buy a locker once than rear tires over and over again, even if the cost is more than the truck is 'worth'

Put a GOOD posi carrier in it or a detroit locker.


No need for an ARB or an E-locker of sorts.

TONS of 8.8s came with posi rears from ford. Find one a a wrecking yard and put a new set of clutches in it and your good to go. On normal ground with a heavy load a GOOD posi is all you need.

With a heavy load a locker is actually very hard on axleshafts.

Have you had the cover off of yours? Is it posi already?

I had a lockrite mechanical locker in my old ranger wheeler. It was very dependable, cheap, and easy to install. But it did clunk around corners or chirp the inside tire if accelerating into the turn. Worked great for what it was but I wouldn’t want it in a daily driver.

I’ve had the cover off a few times, not a posi

I think I want a true locker though. It’s only for the few times I need it. And when you need it you need it

I have a locker on the power divider of my Peterbilt. Don’t use it much but when I do I’m so glad it’s there

That’s what I’m worried about. Having that annoyance all the time just for the few times I need it

Well yes, it’s an annoyance. But it is also a very good way to have a locked diff if you don’t want to spend big money on a e-locker or air locker. Limited slips are ok, but in my experience on slick surfaces they don’t always lock up without enough resistance from the road surface as they are torque dependent. A spool or mini spool is going to leave you locked all the time and really struggling around corners. If money isn’t a concern I’d go e-locker unless you have another use for an onboard compressor that the air locker requires. If you want cheap and reliable, mechanical lockers work well. Just gotta deal with the clunk and chirp.
Side note: mechanical lockers kinda train you to drive your truck differently. You’ll learn to accelerate towards the corner, coast through the apex, then power out once you’re in a straight line again. The only exception being uphill turns where you have to power through. They can be pretty livable once your driving habits adapt.

A lunchbox in the rear will cover your limited needs and don't affect drive ability unless you hammer down while cornering. Hell in the rear you could just weld it and call it good.

Front is where having an air locker is nice.

I dunno man on that old of a truck I’d just weld the spider gears on the front and put some Warn manual hubs on. Full lock with selectable drive hubs and how often does the front even get used unless you’re really in a spot?

This is the next direction i need to look for my '86 bronc. Once i finish up the 393 stroker, it's onto diffs and axles.

There is some very bad advice in here.

There is a solution, and I'm using one in my Jeep (have been for about 18 years now - never had an issue with it). Same company that makes the basic Lock-Right (Powertrax) also makes one called the No-Slip. Sort of a dumb name I guess, but it's also a lunchbox locker but has some additional parts inside to make engagement smoother so it doesn't ratchet around corners.

It works well. It's not completely seamless, occasionally it'll clunk once in a corner, but it does eliminate the ratcheting of a more basic lunchbox locker. The tradeoff is that it's a bit more expensive (in the $400-$500 range last I looked) and a slightly more complex mechanism, but it was still easy to assemble.

Another comment on that - if you have an AWD or "Full Time 4WD" function, it does make this No-Slip locker almost invisible until you need it. You'll notice it a bit more in 2WD but still not bad. I mention that because my old Jeep Cherokee has that along with the standard 2WD & 4WD functions, and I leave it in Full Time 4WD most of the time and wouldn't know the locker was there until we start climbing something.

For the front I think a selectable locker is the way to go so you can leave it off when you need a tighter turning radius; there are air (ARB) and electric options. I'm considering that for my Jeep and will probably go electric. But the available options do depend on what differntial you have.

I did that in an old Chrysler 5th Avenue once. But then it broke one of the axles within a week.

A welded diff is a different driving experience for sure. Ok in a woods beater, but not something I'd want on a daily driver or anything that sees pavement and carries heavy loads. Lots of stress in those axles around a corner on pavement.

Definitely agree. It’s only for low to no traction scenarios. I wouldn’t recommend welded gears for anyone without manual hubs that can lock a single side or drives on pavement in 4wd. That said, i got in some stupid predicaments four wheeling that were easily solved by locking a single front hub and powering out.

Go on