Power Divider - When & how to use it

generally i engage mine before i think that i might get stuck and always engage it in soft conditions. habit i suppose.

 

I drove all the way back from NYC to PA in a blizzard with the diffy lock on. Didn't hurt the truck at all.

Where you have problems is scrub in tight turns where say the left forward and the right rear want to turn at the same speed. If your backing and there's slip it probably won't hurt too much. But try to avoid it on dry lots. I think the first point of failure would be the tire tread to ground contact anyway.

 

Traction control is an electronic option that uses the ABS sensors to sense when a wheel spins and applies the brake to that wheel only to encourage the other wheels to gain some traction. It's a good idea on highway, the switch is to disengage it when you're off road in the mud.
Interaxle differential lock, as others have said, forces power to go to both axles, however you can still have one wheel per axle spin. I know some people that just leave it engaged all winter. The really big thing is not to engage it while a wheel is actively spinning. You'll dynamite the front diff.
My truck has both front and rear axle locks, so I can get true four wheel drive, but she won't turn very well. Front and/or rear differential locks can be engaged while moving, but generally aren't recommended above 25 mph because of control issues (steering). Again, don't engage if a wheel is actively spinning.

 

It sounds like from you guys on the know it is like the shift on the fly 4x4 setups it can be done as long as you have NO WHEEL SPIN when shifting it on and used when traction is low so you will not get binding between front & rear diffs. in turns.
Thanks
Dave ----

 

I usually kept mine locked when running on icy roads, but I usually stayed below 45 MPH and or slower, except when perhaps going down a hill, for I would stay off of my brakes. And if any traffic was around me I refused to run as fast as 45 MPH, for you never knew when someone might spin out and of course on ice if you hit your brakes you go every which way.

I recall one time going west though Dallas Fort Worth, the road was cover completely with ice, & I was running along by myself. Up ahead I saw a set of pulps coming out of an exit in front of of me. My thought was he was crazy coming out of such a night with the roads covered in ice.

I let off the accelerator trying to slow down some, he came on out and got going about 30 MPH or so, them we started up a grade, his tractor when one way, one trailer when another way, and the other one another way, and wound up blocking all lanes except for the shoulder to the left side as I come up on him. Thankfully I was able to hit the left shoulder and go on by him. I feel sure if I had yo stop I would have had a wrecker to get up that grade.

As I went by him with him setting still I keyed up my CB saying, "Isn't it kind of stupid to hit this icy road pulling a set of pulps?"

He replied, "Yes it is, I did not want to but they made me go, now when they get me out of this mess I can go back home."

And yes all of that time I was running with my power divider locked. The next morning I ran out of the ice about 100 to 150 miles west of Fort Worth. That part of the trip made it a hard run to Californian.

I remember a 2 or 3 trips going though Dallas Fort Worth if you were to hit the ditch you had to call ahead and make reservations, for the ditches were full of all types of vehicles.

There was one winter in the late 70's that it seemed every wrecker service in Dallas Fort Worth and west of there bought all new wreckers, they spend most of the winter pulling cars and trucks out of the ditches.

 

Now I am confused. I thought the power divider was the knob on the shifter that switches you between high and low range. I know the splitter 'splits' the higher gears in half. The INTER AXLE DIFF switch on the dash does what y'all are decribing.

 

The power divider is the switch on the dash.

 

Like ppl said when you're stuck turn it to the on position just not while spinning out.

 

turn it on when you throw iron

 

was this drive on ice for that length of time back during the early 90"s? i drove all the way out of deming,nm i think it was,with a load of plants loaded in cali somewhere,delivering in the dallas area,anyway,i was like 2 hours late and the lady at the plant farm or whatever it was asked me why. i was thinking wthell.i got the load there when all the doubles and megas were in the darn median due to the ice.but anyway-