truetrac and detroit locker

[redrovertdi]

just got home from an excellent day at Glasshouse Mtns, first time off road since fitting the locker and the truetrac[95 110 auto] and i have never gone as far so easy, an unbelievable difference, had to winch up 2 disco 1s and a county[all mates] with standard cars[that will be changing soon now], well worth the investment-both from GBR in Utah:D

[Sue]

Just looking at their website.. OME nitro shocks for $94.95 (AUD $91.77).. I was quoted last week for $170 each.. and to think that they are made in Australia.. I can't find the lockers on their website but I suspect they would also be cheaper than from ARB.. pity I didn't know anyone who could fit this stuff as the quoted price for lockers from ARB last week was a tad under $4000 (fitted).. that's for both lockers.

Have you got both or just the front/rear one done? :)

[redrovertdi]

detriot locker in the back[salisbury]- very easy to fit and the truetrac in the front[rover diff] also easy to fit[bolt to your crown wheel]- I scribed the crown wheel to the diff case with a straight edge-dismantled- and then fitted with new bearings lining up the crown wheel to the scribed markings on the case.

[goingbush]

Just looking at their website.. OME nitro shocks for $94.95 (AUD $91.77).. I was quoted last week for $170 each.. and to think that they are made in Australia.. I can't find the lockers on their website but I suspect they would also be cheaper than from ARB.. pity I didn't know anyone who could fit this stuff as the quoted price for lockers from ARB last week was a tad under $4000 (fitted).. that's for both lockers.

Have you got both or just the front/rear one done? :)

I doubt anything OME is made in Australia, try China, Same as most ARB branded things.
I buy ARB stuff cheaper delivered to the door from USA than from ARB over the counter, but it is handy to have the ARB shop just around the corner.

Likewise I got both truetracs including new bearings shipped from GBR Utah for less than the cost one ARB diff.



detriot locker in the back[salisbury]- very easy to fit and the truetrac in the front[rover diff] also easy to fit[bolt to your crown wheel]- I scribed the crown wheel to the diff case with a straight edge-dismantled- and then fitted with new bearings lining up the crown wheel to the scribed markings on the case.

not the way I would do it, hope you will get away with it, did you use some oxide paste to check the contact pattern ??.

.

[Drover]

What is everybody thoughts on Ashcroft's ATB ( Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip diff ).

They seem to be a good fit with the TDCI or other Defender's with TC. Along with being reasonabley gentle on the drive line.

At £550 for the front rover diff and £615 for the rear P38, fited with Ashcroft heavy duty crown wheel and pinion gear supplied and no need for a compressor they seem to be excellent value.

I would love to hear of any experiences or technical expertise on this product.

Cheers

[redrovertdi]

I doubt anything OME is made in Australia, try China, Same as most ARB branded things.
I buy ARB stuff cheaper delivered to the door from USA than from ARB over the counter, but it is handy to have the ARB shop just around the corner.

Likewise I got both truetracs including new bearings shipped from GBR Utah for less than the cost one ARB diff.




not the way I would do it, hope you will get away with it, did you use some oxide paste to check the contact pattern ??.

.
Have done this way previously[2-3 years ago] when replacing the bearings in both diffs, bearings were replaced again with new that came with locker/trutrac

[djam1]

Drover
I have an ATB in the front of my TD5 Defender and am quite happy with it.
They are not as good as a locker when used with traction control but they are very good.
I love the quality of the unit and the additional strength that they provide
It is said that they are a better quality product than the trutrack but I don't know.


What is everybody thoughts on Ashcroft's ATB ( Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip diff ).

They seem to be a good fit with the TDCI or other Defender's with TC. Along with being reasonably gentle on the drive line.

At £550 for the front rover diff and £615 for the rear P38, fited with Ashcroft heavy duty crown wheel and pinion gear supplied and no need for a compressor they seem to be excellent value.

I would love to hear of any experiences or technical expertise on this product.

Cheers

[Drover]

Thanks for your thoughts Djam,

Do you find slippage from the wheel with most grip, like a plate type limited slip will give, particularly after some wear ?

Will it lock up reasonable quickly in a low traction situation ?

Finally, what do you use in the rear ?

Soz for all the questions, but if I am going to spend the hard earnt I want to be informed.

Cheers

[djam1]

Sorry not sure what you mean by your first question

They wont lock at all regardless of what you do they are after all at best a limited slip diff. That said if one wheel is off the ground the speed at which the traction control cuts in will be the speed at which the torque bias happens.
I understand that with the Puma the traction control is better than the TD5

I have an ARB in the rear of that particular Defender.

[rick130]

What is everybody thoughts on Ashcroft's ATB ( Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip diff ).

They seem to be a good fit with the TDCI or other Defender's with TC. Along with being reasonabley gentle on the drive line.

At £550 for the front rover diff and £615 for the rear P38, fited with Ashcroft heavy duty crown wheel and pinion gear supplied and no need for a compressor they seem to be excellent value.

I would love to hear of any experiences or technical expertise on this product.

Cheers

Should be quite a bit better than a Tru-Track, uses six worm gears instead of three (this increases reliability/strength. The cross gears pushing into the pockets are what give you the torque bias from the spinning wheel to the one with traction, so the more the better) and I believe it's made from better materials and it's cheaper.
I think it might have a better bias ratio too ?

I know I asked Dave (or was it Ian ?) once and the I'm pretty sure their version uses a slightly stronger bias ratio than the Tru-Track.

Put it this way, given a choice and I'm also tight, I'd buy the Ashcroft version over a Tru-Track.

Ashcrofts version appears to be an affordable version of the Quaife ATB which is beautifully made but bloody exxy in comparison.

[edit]they won't fully lock, they can't, and if you lift a wheel you'll need your TC to kick in to bias any remaining torque to the other wheel otherwise the one in the air will just spin.

[PAT303]

What is everybody thoughts on Ashcroft's ATB ( Automatic Torque Biasing limited slip diff ).

They seem to be a good fit with the TDCI or other Defender's with TC. Along with being reasonabley gentle on the drive line.

At £550 for the front rover diff and £615 for the rear P38, fited with Ashcroft heavy duty crown wheel and pinion gear supplied and no need for a compressor they seem to be excellent value.

I would love to hear of any experiences or technical expertise on this product.

Cheers

Drover,I'm getting one after the intercooler,intercooler is getting ordered this week. Pat

[LowRanger]

The newer ATB's should be OK.But the early ones were put together without threadlocker on the bolts,and they can and do come loose and destroy the diff and possibly the housing.Ask Mark (Isuzutooeh) as his detonated,and he was the first to bring it to Ashcrofts attention.But I would still be checking for any threadlocker before I fitted one,regardless

[MLD]

I can second what Wayne said. Knowing that Mark's had destroyed itself from the bolts working loose I asked my mechanic to check my ATB and there were bolts finger tight and none loctited. I too brought it to Ashcroft's attention and to Les Richmond whom I bought it from.

Ashcroft informed me there was a problem with the supplier, which had been resolved following Mark's experience. Thus if you are buying old stock you should check all the bolts.

MLD

[harro]

And I can third that as well.
Both ATBs I recently ordered direct from Ashcrofts had some bolts with thread lock on them and some without or very little although no bolts were actually loose.
We ended up doing every bolt just to be sure.

Cheers,
Paul.

[Drover]

Thanks for the tips and warning it certainly sounds like a must check.

But what about their performance ? There seems to be a few out there, so do we think, are they worth while ?

Performance wise how do they compare to -

1/ Air lockers

2/ True trac

3/ Detroit lockers



Drover,I'm getting one after the intercooler,intercooler is getting ordered this week. Pat


Hey Pat, are yoy going for the front or rear ? What are doing for the other end ?

Thanks

[MLD]

my post from a previous discussion. http://www.aulro.com/afvb/1744104-post36.html

long and short: if you are looking to tour: an ATB with TC will be a great combination. Less stressful on the axles & CVs etc, keep control of steering etc, no thinking about it etc etc etc. If you are looking to play hard there is no substitute for a full locker, manual for the front, the world is your oyster for the back.

When I recover from the tax man's hand in my pocket, the possible replacement of my head (suspected cracked) and Xmas I'll be replacing the ATB for a manual locker. Tossing up between Ashcroft and the Elocker. I'll probably spend the extra cash on the Elocker. The only issue is longevity.

Can't speak for True-trac. My mechanic swears by them.

As for the detroit locker, if you are touring it would be my preference for an manual locker. I'm sure there are plenty of trucks, LR and others, running around with a rear auto-locker as tourers and daily drivers. To me it seems to be adding an element of stress on the drive train that can be avoided. Cost of fitting a manual locker isn't that much more than an ATB, ignoring the cost difference between the 2 units, the extra is the compressor and associated wiring plus an hour or so of time.

There is no right or wrong, only right for your particular circumstance and needs.

cheers MLD

[Iain_B]

Tru-traks front and rear on my D1 - worked really well, brilliant in mud and sand. 100,000km on them with no issues and not getting stuck once. Maxidrive rear axles and flanges fitted as well. They need a bit of left foot braking on steep rock slopes, but certainly make a huge difference

Ashcroft ATB front and rear on my Defender with Maxidrive axles and flanges, just got back from a 9,000km trip around SW QLD, NT and across the Savannah Way. We were very heavily loaded carrying our 5m inflatable boat and outboard, 160lt of water,160lt of diesel 20lt of petrol, a roof top tent, recovery gear and food for a 15 days without resupply. The ATBs worked really well in some very soft sand out near Diamantina lakes and on a few side tracks around the Gulf where I think we would have struggled without them. One particular approach to a creek crossing was in very soft sand with a large washout - Low Range 1st and using the "anti-stall" and we just crawled our way out without needing to drop tyre pressure . I would recommend them but you need the Maxidrive axles in the rear as well as I had already twisted a pair of standard rear axles before fitting the ATB.

[Drover]

Thanks Iain, this is a good report.

I already Ashcroft half shafts, flanges all round and Ashcroft CV's. so I should be okay in that regard.

How do your ATB's go when one wheel has no traction or say in the air, will the other kick in and provide drive ?

[PAT303]

Thanks for the tips and warning it certainly sounds like a must check.

But what about their performance ? There seems to be a few out there, so do we think, are they worth while ?

Performance wise how do they compare to -

1/ Air lockers

2/ True trac

3/ Detroit lockers





Hey Pat, are yoy going for the front or rear ? What are doing for the other end ?

Thanks

Rear,the dirt up here is like powder,it's like the sand at Stocktown beach and it's very easy to get stuck in,we also have a huge number of dry creek beds that have fine aggregate that's even worse,like ball bearings.I'm towing the camper more often than not and want the extra drive,I'm old fashioned in the way I drive and like to use technique instead of giving it a bootfull to clear a tough spot.I'm getting the intercooler for the same reason,hot temps so want the motor to get cooler air,I'm also going to fit one of Ashcrofts TC sumps to get more oil capacity and get the OK from the dealer to change the TC oil to a high temp synthetic like Redline. Pat

[Iain_B]

Not really sure, but the TC light did come on once or twice, up a steep rocky climb, but it kept on going. Not sure if we had one wheel up or not, but something was slipping to get the TC to kick in. Only done one long trip with the ATBs , and with the load we had, were not to keen on extreme angles.

52963

Fitted them after struggling to exit a few creek crossing on the OTT last year, climbed worse this year with no problems.




Thanks Iain, this is a good report.

I already Ashcroft half shafts, flanges all round and Ashcroft CV's. so I should be okay in that regard.

How do your ATB's go when one wheel has no traction or say in the air, will the other kick in and provide drive ?

[Gibs]

I'm hoping that Eaton's new ELocker A11301 fits into my 130 Salisbury diffs, or I can somehow make em fit.

[Jode]

Thanks Iain, this is a good report.

I already Ashcroft half shafts, flanges all round and Ashcroft CV's. so I should be okay in that regard.

How do your ATB's go when one wheel has no traction or say in the air, will the other kick in and provide drive ?
Ashcroft's ATB behaves just like the TruTrac - if one wheel has no traction (or rather no resistance to turning) then the other also will have no traction. As noted in another reply here you need to brake slightly so that both wheels have resistance to turning, which will allow the gears within the diff to engage the carrier and begin to turn both wheels.

[Iain_B]

The traction control light came on a couple to times up some steep climbs, so I assume that would help lock the ATB diff. I think that air lockers are the way to go for weekend warriors, but if you just want something for touring, sand, mud and just need something to reduce the risk of getting stuck in a remote area, the ATB are the way to go.