Eaton Truetrac Questions

TreverStevens

TreverStevens

Knows enough to be dangerous
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So I have a couple questions in regards to Eaton Truetrac's. A buddy of mine is picking up an XJ today with pretty new Eaton Trutrac front and rear. He'll be flat towing the XJ behind an RV as him and his wife do travel nursing for the next year or so. I'm guessing he wouldn't have much of an issue with how it would handle since it's an LSD compared to the potential of issue with something like a lunchbox locker being flat towed?

And secondly, he has offered the Truetrac's to me for free if I give him my open diff's. I'm swapping in an 8.8 in the rear, so the rear wouldn't be much use for me, but considering it for the Dana 30 up front. Eventually I plan to put real lockers in front and rear, but thought this might be a decent solution for the time being. Especially since they would be free. Any input on this?
 
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My front and rear Truetracs on my previous TJ turned out to be a bad decision, I wish I had gone with lockers from day 1. On slick paved roads Truetracs are great. On slick flat trails they are great. On trails uneven enough to start lifting tires up off the surface they are useless. I replaced 'em both with lockers and never looked back.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
My f/r Truetracs on my previous TJ turned out to be a bad decision, I wish I had gone with lockers from day 1. On slick paved roads Truetracs are great. On slick flat trails they are great. On trails uneven enough to start lifting tires up off the surface they are useless. I replaced 'em both with lockers and never looked back.
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As I searched the forum for info I found an old thread of you saying that. I just know it would be a while before I could get the coin together for actual lockers. So I was thinking this could be a temporary thing. Like if you were a broke bachelor in your 20's and someone offered you free Truetrac's would you still pass up on them? Ha ha. Chances are it won't be until about a year from now before I get lockers. Keep in mind I do live in the Midwest, so even an LSD come winter (snow and lots of ice) would probably be better than open diffs. But if you (and others) recommend strongly enough against it saying it isn't worth my time to install then I'll pass.
 
I absolutely love my TrueTracs.
Then again, I am rarely in the position where I have only 3 wheels contacting a surface. (I do have good articulation though). A lot has to do with where you do your off-roading.

I also have an advantage when off-camber or in winter. I definitely turn in the trails better. The locker'd ppl slip a lot more.
The other nice thing - they always work. There is no "oops, my air hose froze or oops, the compressor blah blah, therefore not 4x4. It's always working. Doesn't even need friction modifier (in fact, the manual states specifically to not use it)"

For rock crawling where your Jeep regularly is unable to keep traction on all 4 tires, then a locker for sure is better.
But for me and my daily driver - it's been awesome.
And while I'm definitely not the most extreme driver, I've had to help pull out a couple locker'd Rubicons that got stuck in places that I had no problems with. (mud).
Wanting a longer wheelbase so I don't flip over is a higher priority to me than wanting lockers - they've performed that well.

I paid retail price for mine. I'd take a free one in a heartbeat.
 
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So far I love my TT in the rear. It has worked great in every situation I've put it in, mud, snow, dirt, wet pavement, rocks, etc. I have an E-locker up front which has also been great so far, only issue I've had is it takes a bit to unlock sometimes but that could be true for other lockers as well.

For free I'd definitely take the truetracs, not sure if the rear diff in the XJ is the same though, I think they have a Chrysler rear end.
 
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xxdabroxx said:
So far I love my TT in the rear. It has worked great in every situation I've put it in, mud, snow, dirt, wet pavement, rocks, etc. I have an E-locker up front which has also been great so far, only issue I've had is it takes a bit to unlock sometimes but that could be true for other lockers as well.

For free I'd definitely take the truetracs, not sure if the rear diff in the XJ is the same though, I think they have a Chrysler rear end.
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I'm fairly certain the have the Dana 30/Dana 35 setup. But i could be wrong. Anyways, it doesn't really matter since I'm swapping my rear end anyways.
 
TreverStevens said:
I'm fairly certain the have the Dana 30/Dana 35 setup. But i could be wrong. Anyways, it doesn't really matter since I'm swapping my rear end anyways.
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If you're not sure what your rear axle is definitely figure it out before swapping it out. If you have a Dana 44 in the rear that should eliminate the need to swap in a different rear-end.

This is the weaker Dana 35, notice its rubber fill hole plug and oval shape.

Dana 35c cover.jpg


This is the stronger Dana 44, it has an 'apple' shaped diff cover and its fill plug is threaded steel.

Dana 44.jpg
 
If they’re free trade for open diffs, then definitely take them. I run a locker in the front and trutrac in my rear. I get the best of both worlds. Never worry about having to lock the rear and the trutrac is always working. Keep in mind I do moderate trails and some “smaller” rocks. If you’re going to do a lot of rocks then best bet is lockers f/r.
 
For what it's worth, I have a lunchbox locker in the front Dana 30 and a TrueTrac in the rear Dana 44, and they work just fine for moderate wheeling (including the Rubicon Trail). Eventually I'll upgrade to a selectable rear locker, but I have a few other things on my list before I get to that one. Keep in mind that @Jerry Bransford is out there in the Johnson Valley OHV on some extremely challenging trails, so what works for many of us simply won't cut it out there because a TrueTrac is not for hardcore rock crawling.
 
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If you want real lockers someday I wouldn't pay to have those put in. I think with a full case you have to have the gears setup. Not where I'd put my money. Those limited slips can't even deal with some mild bumpy dirt climbs I've been on, the ones that people with open diffs tear up.

I hope you've done your research on the 8.8, you loose something like 2" of clearance over a super35.
 
My Truetracs were discovered to be useless on anything
afmoto said:
For what it's worth, I have a lunchbox locker in the front Dana 30 and a TrueTrac in the rear Dana 44, and they work just fine for moderate wheeling (including the Rubicon Trail). Eventually I'll upgrade to a selectable rear locker, but I have a few other things on my list before I get to that one. Keep in mind that @Jerry Bransford is out there in the Johnson Valley OHV on some extremely challenging trails, so what works for many of us simply won't cut it out there because a TrueTrac is not for hardcore rock crawling.
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Make no mistake, the benefits to a locker are not just for hardcore or "extremely challenging" trails. You don't have to be doing JV-level trails to benefit from a locker. We have moderate level trails where everyone with a LSD struggles but those with a locker zip right up them. Which is why I got rid of both of my Truetracs.

To be sure, having a true locker can actually prevent or at least greatly reduce the likelihood of damage or problems. The trail does NOT need to be "hardcore" for it to be uneven enough in places to lift a tire off the trail surface which renders a LSD/Truetrac useless. Even when the brake technique is used to help it give more assist. I felt like I was wearing out my parking and normal brakes trying to get my previous dual Truetracs to work better on the easier trails I was doing 20 years ago.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Make no mistake, the benefits to a locker are not just for hardcore or "extremely challenging" trails. You don't have to be doing JV-level trails to benefit from a locker. We have moderate level trails where everyone with a LSD struggles but those with a locker zip right up them.
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I don't disagree with you at all, I think most people know that you will have better traction with a locker. That said, OP's options are a 'free TrueTrac' or dropping $1K+ for a locker. If a selectable locker is in the budget right now, then it probably makes sense to buy the locker and get it over with. If it's not, he can get by with a TrueTrac for a while; as you said, he may "struggle in some places where those with a locker zip right up", but he can still get by as long as he stays off trails where a locker is an absolute necessity. For example, I'm going to Sierra Trek next month, but there's no way I would take my Jeep on the Fordyce Trail without lockers in both axles. So I'll do the easier trails until I get a rear locker and feel my Jeep is ready, but I did take your advice and got the US-made Revolution axles for now.
 
It's like any other modification, it depends on where you live and how you use your jeep. I have a 2003 with 35s, a 5.9 v8, 4.56 gears, hp Dana 30/ Dana 44 combo. I currently run an open front, trutrac rear. It works well for me. In the summer, it's just cruising around easy trails, sand dunes, etc. In the winter, we like to play in the snow. A couple of my friends run lockers front and rear and hate them. They can not keep their jeeps on the trail. The locked front just pushes around and you cannot control it.

I am going to add a trutrac to the front this fall hopefully. That's what works for me.

I totally get that lockers rule in the rocks. Like I ( and many others) have said, what do you want to do with the vehicle?
 
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