Snow wheeling. Now I want to re-configure...

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77 K20

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I had a lot of fun. Always look forward to these trips. And most importantly no one was hurt, nothing was broken. A great group to learn from.

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78C10BigTen

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I had a lot of fun. Always look forward to these trips. And most importantly no one was hurt, nothing was broken. A great group to learn from.

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Were these pics taken with with a pro camera? They look amazing!! That first shot yur truck look killer!
 

77 K20

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The ones with the HT Montana logo are taken with some sort of pro camera. Our trail leader is a photography nut. The rest are just from cell phones.
 

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This is where a twin stick 205 comes handy... and ARB lockers. Front wheel drive and locked, or not.
 

Turbo4whl

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I had a lot of fun. Always look forward to these trips. And most importantly no one was hurt, nothing was broken. A great group to learn from.

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I have to ask, with all that deep snow in some of the other pictures you posted, how come you do not run snow chains? Or is that cheating?
 

77 K20

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I have to ask, with all that deep snow in some of the other pictures you posted, how come you do not run snow chains? Or is that cheating?

I used to run chains. In fact did for about 25 years.

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I used to run V bar chains then upgraded to these studded chains. They fit my 285s (33") tires. These things are heavy and not much fun to put on. If you know the snow is only a foot or two deep then you can chew thru the snow/slush/ice/mud and get to ground and find traction. If the snow is deeper than that you just dig yourself down until your tires are hanging and your bottomed out.

Airing down to single digits even my full size truck can float on top of at least some of the snow. I sink down a bit- axles will usually drag but that't it.

This image gives you an idea of how big of a "footprint" one can get. And it only goes down to 15 psi. You can get the idea of what a footprint would be at 5-7 psi. Kinda like snowshoes for a truck.

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77 K20

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This is where a twin stick 205 comes handy... and ARB lockers. Front wheel drive and locked, or not.

My front Eaton truetrack was a bit disappointing when I got stuck. The front driver side tire was jammed in the snow but wouldn't spin. The passenger side didn't have much weight on it and had ice below it. It spun. Could have used the brake to get it to transfer power over but I was already in big trouble.

My NP203 kicked out of 4 low three times on this trip. Mainly while driving downhill and compression braking.

Ultimately I'm saving up for an Atlas 4 transfer case. I can do FWD low with that. (would have been perfect in this case to turn around). I thought about the ORD doubler, but a lot of weight and more trouble. I do need a very low range though with the automatic.
 

TubeTruck

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I love all the pics and that lake is beautiful! I bet even more so in person.

I miss wheelin so much. I can't wait to get something going but other priorities are getting in the way lol
 

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My front Eaton truetrack was a bit disappointing when I got stuck. The front driver side tire was jammed in the snow but wouldn't spin. The passenger side didn't have much weight on it and had ice below it. It spun. Could have used the brake to get it to transfer power over but I was already in big trouble.

My NP203 kicked out of 4 low three times on this trip. Mainly while driving downhill and compression braking.

Ultimately I'm saving up for an Atlas 4 transfer case. I can do FWD low with that. (would have been perfect in this case to turn around). I thought about the ORD doubler, but a lot of weight and more trouble. I do need a very low range though with the automatic.

I understand.. Truetrack has some kind of clutches or a slipper of some sort, I believe. Under mild throttle the wheels will slip allowing some
differential. As you know it doesn't take a lot of power to... over power the tt. Also doesn't break axles or knuckles as readily as a real locker (ARB).

The Atlas will change your life! You will want one on every truck you ever drive going forward.
 

Arkansas_V8

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I understand.. Truetrack has some kind of clutches or a slipper of some sort, I believe. Under mild throttle the wheels will slip allowing some
differential. As you know it doesn't take a lot of power to... over power the tt. Also doesn't break axles or knuckles as readily as a real locker (ARB).

The Atlas will change your life! You will want one on every truck you ever drive going forward.

Think I would rather go with the Magnum underdrive.
 

77 K20

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I understand.. Truetrack has some kind of clutches or a slipper of some sort, I believe. Under mild throttle the wheels will slip allowing some
differential. As you know it doesn't take a lot of power to... over power the tt. Also doesn't break axles or knuckles as readily as a real locker (ARB).

The Atlas will change your life! You will want one on every truck you ever drive going forward.


The Truetrac just uses gears and not clutches- so it has been much better than the Auburn Gear pro limited slip I had on my old truck. No friction additive, no clutches to wear out. One of the Jeep guys has a detroit locker in the front. He has problems turning it on snow. Sometimes he has to hop out and unlock the front hub (but it into 3 wheel drive) so he can turn sharp.

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77 K20

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Think I would rather go with the Magnum underdrive.

I've read a bit about those- and even Offroad Design has one on their website for $1,990. That price gets even more expensive when I add the fact I don't have a NP205 to the mix.
 

78C10BigTen

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The Truetrac just uses gears and not clutches- so it has been much better than the Auburn Gear pro limited slip I had on my old truck. No friction additive, no clutches to wear out. One of the Jeep guys has a detroit locker in the front. He has problems turning it on snow. Sometimes he has to hop out and unlock the front hub (but it into 3 wheel drive) so he can turn sharp.

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So does this keep both axles locked in all the time? I thought about one like this for my rear in the 2wd
 

77 K20

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So does this keep both axles locked in all the time? I thought about one like this for my rear in the 2wd

It is not a locker. I chose it for the front because it is: automatic, silent, maintenance free (no fluid additive, no rebuilding clutch packs), easier on my axle shafts, and allows me to turn as sharp as a long bed truck can.

From Eaton:

The Truetrac is a helical gear limited slip differential, not a “locker”. The Truetrac operates by transferring power from the spinning wheel to the wheel with the most traction. If one tire breaks traction, the amount of rotation (or spin) is controlled by transferring the lost traction to the higher traction wheel. The Detroit Truetrac operates on the principle of "torque biasing”: the typical Truetrac aftermarket differential will consistently deliver approximately three-fold the torque of the slipping wheel to the gripping wheel.


So it can transfer over 3 times the torque to the other side. But 0x3=0 So one wheel needs to at least have some traction. I've been able to keep up with guys with front and rear detroit lockers/ARB air lockers. I have the ORD front springs so I usually don't have a tire up in the air.

I liked it so much a friend of mine put one in the rear of his Silverado as he would get stuck hauling his snowmobile up to the trailhead. He loves it also. Excellent street manners.
 

TubeTruck

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That's what I want in the front of my truck also. I am planning on a Detroit locker in the rear and trutrac up front.
 

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