Toyota Trucks: Rear diff options for 86 2WD truck?

The last thing you want on icy roads is a LS or locking diff of any kind,
unless you enjoy doing 360's. Best bet is 300-500# of ballast over the axle
and a steady hand. A push-button locker is appropriate for getting you
un-stuck or negotiating a short stretch of deep snow, but the rest are
pretty dangerous on ice.


<Yost> wrote in message news:com... 

When I lived in Denver I had a couple of sand tubes that first I draped
over the wheel wells. This made the truck feel tail heavy so I made a
frame out of 2X4s and put them across the bed at the front. I had no
shell on the truck and it was always parked outside, so when we got
snow, the bed would fill up evenly, providing quite a bit of weight and
suburb traction <g>. As the weather warmed up, the snow on the roads
would melt as would the snow in the bed. Everything equaled out quite
nicely... :>))

I lived about 25 miles from work and in seven years of living there (6
winters), I only missed one day of work because of snow...

Tom - Vista, CA

Dan G wrote: 

Once upon a time I had a Willys FC-170, it was the most nose-heavy thing you
could imagine. I could raise the rear axle off the road by slamming on the
brakes! It was rated 3/4 ton, but would carry most anything. Anyway, I used
a 55 gal drum, cut in half and each half up-ended and filled with sand then
staked to the bed over the axle. I have no idea how much they weighed, but
I'm sure it was substantial once they got water-logged. Probably close to a
ton. That thing would go anywhere with that sand in the back.


"TOM" <org> wrote in message
news:RFXUb.21114$.. 
kind, 
axle 
news:com... 

On Fri, 6 Feb 2004 18:03:05 -0700, "Dan G" <com> wrote:
 

I guess I wasn't thinking about driving around with it on, but more
getting myself out of piled snow, like you'd get when a plow comes
along and blocks you in. When I lived in Virginia, this happened to
me a number of times, and I had to take a lot of time to dig out.

A push button locker for getting out would be ideal.

even with ice, PowerTrax NoSlip can be useful if you dont slam the gas.

air-locker or electric-locker is also good, but i would rig it so it does
not unlock at Xmph.

<Yost> wrote in message news:com...