From my understanding a No-Slip works just like any other lunchbox locker the only real difference is it is supposed to be quieter and smoother operating.

And maybe my understanding is wrong but a lunchbox locker doesn't actually disengage one side but it allows on side to spin faster than the other. Both wheels must spin as fast as the input from the pinion but the outside wheel in a turn may spin faster than the input from the pinion.

 

yep, the only difference is the "synchro" which spins with the disengaged side so that there is no clicking as the teeth skip across each other

lunchbox lockers completely disengage a tire. when you apply power to the axle, the cross shaft presses into one half of each gear in the locker. this force translates to a lateral force through the gear which forces the gears to mesh with each other. As one tire is going slowly enough that the unlocking force is higher than what you are supplying to the axle, the gears disengage from each other and skip over each other. This is why on a typical lunchbox you get all the clicking from the skipping teeth. It is completely disengaged in that the axle, while it is skipping and not engaged, can turn at whatever speed it wants. If you get the tires off the ground and spin by hand, you can spin one tire and have the other held still, but the pinion will also spin if the TC is disengaged.

 

Ah ok my thinking was flawed. Not sure what kind of locker I was reading about that had that setup then.

 

I will report my findings when I get it out. If it is broke a paddle, it did it right away. It has acted like this since day one. It really is worst than the open rear, it shouldn't be. If it isn't locked I can spin one tire all day, till I get off the gas, let it click, then get back on it. The open rear didn't want to spin one tire as easy. Something almost has to be broken. I was going to go with a Detroit Locker, but I don't think I need that. Air or Electric are a lot of cash. The Auburn or Eaton are both clutch carriers. It will be solved on the 3rd. We are also going to check the axles, and the houseing for straightness. Next time I listen to the mechanics, and guys at the shop, they have only been doing this since '79.

 

there are tons of "mechanics and guys at the shop" on here who have said the opposite. If its a broken paddle, it was NOT installed correctly and it was broken from day 1. I havent heard of anybody who had a broken paddle that wasnt broken during install. I am sorry to say and I know its not fun to hear, but if it was installed correctly it didnt break. It does, however, sound like a broken paddle to me. you can definitely fault them on crappy directions though, they have that for sure

 

Agreed... there are parts of the instructions that are so vague...

 

user/installer error.

 

here is a "how to" on installing a powertrax no-slip in an 8.25 with plenty of pictures

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/ho...ts-pics-67601/

 

^^^ that write up almost completely ignored the paddle alignments in the diff, which is where the majority of the screw ups happen

 

hmmm....good point

ill take some more detailed pictures on the next one i do and get the write up edited


although i did put "IMPORTANT" next to the alignment step

 

WOW, maybe I'll will just be a lurker here. If I wanted rude, I'll just call Powertrax back. The paddles were greased in place, and checked with a flashlight when installed. Maybe some people here work for this company. I seem to be getting the same attitude. It doesn't matter the thing is coming out. If I broke it, so be it. Telling me it can't spin one wheel is just wrong. It does it in a straight line. It is a shame, because I liked this forum.

 

i dont work for powertrax, and im not trying to be rude (hence the write up link)

but, i have installed quite a few of these and they all work flawlessly.

 

This is the third one for me. The first one for a friend in a dodge trunk worked good for about three years then one side broke. I figured it was the hot engine, and big tires. I put one in my oldest son's Ranger, again good results. He sold the truck about a year after, so I don't know what became of it. This one has not worked from the start. Maybe I'm just POed, because it was the first one I put in one of my vehicles. All I wanted was extra traction for the big mud holes that get me stuck.

 

it is kind of odd.

report back with what you find when you pull it out.

 

I don't work for Richmond gear... if I had I wouldn't have had to spend $70 to replace the paddle I broke the first time I tried to install the no slip.


I did call the support line of Richmond gear. They where very helpful and the guy told me it is a fairly common mistake and suggested some things that helped me when I tried the second install. I have outlined them and a few of my own tricks in my build thread.

Since install it has worked without issue. I haven't owned it very long and have only put about 600 miles or so on it. But if I had the $400 back and was told I had another chance, I would still choose the no slip.