I have the same problem.....sloped driveway...snow on the ground.......If I try to go up from a dead stop, she only spins 1 tire. If I keep the momentum up, no problem. I haven't tried the park brake routine yet. If only it worked like the Detroits in my Jeep!

 

Where both tires on a slick surface or is it possible the tire not spinning had traction?

 

I have the same problem...

Ice on the sides of my driveway, bare dry in the center. I go to the side to get the 2 wheels onto the strip with traction...

Click into 4 wheel in 2nd gear (G56) and no matter what I do, 1 or 2 clicks on the E-brake, or stab the brake pedal, I end up sliding back down the hill as both right side wheels spin as I go down the hill back-wards.

That's w/o the plow or even risking it by going off camber. it's exactly like an open differential in low traction. How FREAKING useless is this! Total crap.

Soooo Now that I had to get a GV overdrive to give am a useful highway gear ration I now have to dump even more BIG $ on a front locker.

Who makes a selective locker for the front of our 2006 "dry pavement only" 4x4 trucks. that only has one wheel drive front and rear (that's really only 2 wheel drive one front one rear IMHO)

There is now way I will not get stuck plowing w/o doing something to "fix" it.

Suggestions? (I have 4 studded snows already and still spin only one on each side)

An Air locker in the front would at least get me out when I get stuck... Let's see at $100 to get pulled out a pop and $20 an hour for my time to wait.... 3-4 times should pay for it I would guess.

Ice is the norm in VT an NH.

Some say it's driver error, or not knowing how to drive preventing the Track Rite to engage .. Tell me Just HOW am I supposed to drive to get power to BOTH wheels in the rear on ICE?

 

In that case, it sounds like dirver error. The way the way the Trac-Rite works, you have a gear that slides over to provide friction to the pinion on the side that is not spinning. If the friction against the pinion is overcome then it will not hold. Since you have one tire on dry pavement and the other on ice, the friction against the pinion can not over come the force required to get the tire to move.
If both tires are on the ice, they should both be spinning.

By the way, ARB is showing an air locker for the 11.5" for this year and they already have one available for the AAM 9.25" front.

 

I have the limited slip and if I launch from 2000RPM's I leave 2 nice Black marks in the concrete!

 

Eaton makes an e-locker for these AAM axles for the front axle. Apparently ARB by now should have an air locker for the front and rear. I thought that there was some adjustment for the rear differential. Some seem to lock up easy and others not. It's like anything else.....if it doesn't get used for a while as in engaging alot then it won't engage easily. I'm sure if you took it offroad a bit where the wheels would have more resistance on them and used it a bit then it would engage easier in the ice situations where resistance is low. To definitely get it to engage. Put the truck in 4 wd and then put the parking brake on firmly and move forward a couple of times, then go 2 wd and stomp on it with only the emerg brake on a click or two and stomp on it with someone checking. If that doesn't work then take it to the dealer and have them service it under warranty cause that POC isn't working. ks

 

I find my truck is next best thing to useless in anything more than a few inches of snow. My window sticked also says limited slip diffs, but the way these AAM axles work is pathetic.

On any surface such as muddy ground or dirt where there is at least a small amount of traction for each tire is will work fine. Try to spin the tires and the will both spin. Get on glare ice where there is NO traction and you suddenly have a open diff.

The point I am getting at is these diffs seem to need at least a small amount of resistance to engage the limited slip.

Just to compare that its not just in my head, my friend with his gen 2 with Dana axles and near to the same size tire will drive around me when I am stuck in snow and not have a problem.

 

SO I should stay on glare ice on both sides? Add a plow and 2" of snow piled up in front and ya think that will work LOL..... sit n spin.

So it's an Eaton E-Locker or an ARB for the front. Pros /cons? (I think I will keep the Trac-Rite in the rear)

 

I don't know, I carry my 700lb atv around all winter....good ballast and keeps the rears stuck to the ground even over bumps. I also have good M&S tires and In 4wd I can go anywhere provided I have weight on board. Empty I might not be able to get out of my driveway as I'm fully open. I too would like a locker, lsd, and a winch just to know I could get out of any situation. With the ATV in the back I can get myself if not my truck out of anywhere. ks

 

If you use the proper amount of BRAKE (not parking brake) modulation...you can get it to work fine...everytime. I run my truck through the nasty a BUNCH...and have never had an issue. Tire choice is of major importance. Any of the availible OEM tires are worthless...

I have yet to get stuck...

 

That's how a limited slip works. It requires some resistance on the non-spinning wheel to engage. These are not locking differentials.

53willeys,

I'm guessing you have some sort of problem with your unit, if in fact they ever put one in the housing! Mine works really well, both on and offroad. I can leave two patches of rubber on the street or dig two holes in the sand, and I've never had to drag the brake. Next time you drain the diff fluid take a look and see if there's one in there.

By the way, a "posi" is just a limited slip, not a locker.

 

Well... I have 4 cooper Discoverer Studded snow tires.

https://www.tiresavings.com/tires/disms.jpg

Don't think THAT's a problem. I also did the brake stabbing routine to no avail. I did manage to stall the truck. (Idle in 4x4 one front one rear spinning as I was going backwards. Tried e-brake one then 2 clicks, then stabbing brakes ... no change steady even moderate pressure no change.... then harder stabbing on brake, with fuel, then w/o and it stalled)

Please explain YOUR technique (I think I tried everything) that works on ice. I will try it till I can get a front locker. Hopefully it helps. Thanks.

 

Well...maybe there is something wrong with your truck. I have heard of the limited slips not even making it into trucks that they should be in...it could be that simple. Mine and a BUNCH of other people's work great...so something is wrong.

Or...maybe you still have not mastered brake modulation...cause if your good enought at it...you can make open diffs drive like lockers.

 

Go E-locker. You don't want to run an air locker where you need air pressure to keep it engaged.

 

Drain the fluid from your rear end...replace it with standard gear lube, or sythetic if you want, but DO NOT add friction modifier, if 1 tire only still spins, get a locker, but that should get rid of your problem for less than $20. Whoever said that a clutch style LSD transfers power to the wheel with traction is dead wrong, it simply puts pressure on it to tur the same speed as the non gripping tire, but this won't help if 1 tire has no traction at all, or if its in the air. The brake trick works sometimes, but not all the time, lockers are the only way.