Power divider/axle interlock

[GAnthony]

back in the old days, if memory serves me, we could not drive with the power divider/axle interlock engaged.

it was supposed to be used for only getting unstuck or to provide some more traction on snow/ice when maneuvering into your dock or parking space.

have any of you driven with this turned on, and for how many miles, and at what speeds..???

are these trucks today better at handling/driving down the road with the device turned on..??

thanks in advance

 

[Les2]

You could always run with them on it was just that the older ones weren't as well built as todays.

 

[Racer X 69]

Whenever I am running on snow and ice I flip the lever for the traction control and the power divider. But just like in a 4 wheel drive pickup, when I get to where the pavement is bare and wet or dry, off they go.

Easy Squeezy

 

[stonefly]

Don't drive with the diff lock engaged. There is no reason to do it unless you're pulling on greasy ground.

If you lock it on dry pavement, and the drive wheels are not all exactly the same size, then you'd be putting a lot of stress on the gears in the diff lock.

The dash light for the lock does not work on my truck. When I use the lock to get over a lump or through something greasy, I have to remember to unlock. Sometimes I forget and don't realize until I notice the lock switch is thrown left.

I hate it when that happens.

 

[Rigjockey]

I have never driven with the diff-lock on, Only on some slippery uneven ground or when stopped on ice, Like when hooking to a trailer.

Tires slip, I flip the switch the truck usually walks right out of it, Turn the switch back to off.

 

[Duck]

The power divider is only for when you need the traction to GO. It actually will have a negative effect on your side-to-side stability & make you more likely to jack-knife.

And unless all 8 of your drive tires have the same amount of tread wear, you're putting undue stress on the gears.

 

[GAnthony]

Whenever I am running on snow and ice I flip the lever for the traction control and the power divider. But just like in a 4 wheel drive pickup, when I get to where the pavement is bare and wet or dry, off they go.

Easy Squeezy

when i was at the truck stop last night, at the counter as i was buying my DEF fluid, 2 drivers were talking about using the axle interlock/power divider. one driver was thinking like me, you do not use it for other than getting out of a parking lot situation, but the other driver says like you, that you can drive with it turned on, then off when the roads are wet or dry.

i left the truck stop with out getting into thier conversation.

but, isn't there a speed limit you'd want to NOT go over..??? in other words, if the roads are slick, snow covered, etc, would you still stay at a reduced speed..?? say for instance, with the power divider/axle interlock off, your normal winter weather speed was say, 40 mph, would you still do the 40 mph..with the switch turned on..??

again, thanks in advance.

 

[GAnthony]

The power divider is only for when you need the traction to GO. It actually will have a negative effect on your side-to-side stability & make you more likely to jack-knife.

And unless all 8 of your drive tires have the same amount of tread wear, you're putting undue stress on the gears.

you see, this what you say, and from my years of learning about them, they can "burn out" easier if driven on for any length of distance/time...

in other words, they were only "temp get outta jail" uses....

 

[Rigjockey]

when i was at the truck stop last night, at the counter as i was buying my DEF fluid, 2 drivers were talking about using the axle interlock/power divider. one driver was thinking like me, you do not use it for other than getting out of a parking lot situation, but the other driver says like you, that you can drive with it turned on, then off when the roads are wet or dry.

i left the truck stop with out getting into thier conversation.

but, isn't there a speed limit you'd want to NOT go over..??? in other words, if the roads are slick, snow covered, etc, would you still stay at a reduced speed..?? say for instance, with the power divider/axle interlock off, your normal winter weather speed was say, 40 mph, would you still do the 40 mph..with the switch turned on..??

again, thanks in advance.

I would have to question how this would work? Being as you are not supposed to engage the lock when in motion. So if driving over snow and you have it engaged and then unlock it over dry roads ( I am told it is ok to unlock it when in motion but never to lock it when in motion) So when you hit slick road again you wold need to stop, Right?

 

[Duck]

you see, this what you say, and from my years of learning about them, they can "burn out" easier if driven on for any length of distance/time...

in other words, they were only "temp get outta jail" uses....

Trucks come with a big heavy duty ziplock bag with the manuals for the truck, engine, stereo, etc. If the company hasn't removed them from the truck, that's what you should refer to.

I've driven trucks with manuals that say not to use the inter-axle lock above 25 mph, and others that say you can run them up to 45 mph, etc.

Some trucks you can't hit that switch unless you're at a dead stop, others you can hit it while moving as long as you're not currently spinning the tires or turning a corner.

Most of the fleet trucks I've been in have all kinds of stickers and idiot-proof labels all over everything that say don't do this, don't do that, ... this T-660 I'm in doesn't have any of those labels, except for one on the sun visor that says not to park in the middle of a tall grass meadow or wheat field during a regen. (I'll have to remember that one, ... cuz I park in fields and meadows all the time... )

 

[Rigjockey]

Trucks come with a big heavy duty ziplock bag with the manuals for the truck, engine, stereo, etc. If the company hasn't removed them from the truck, that's what you should refer to.

I've driven trucks with manuals that say not to use the inter-axle lock above 25 mph, and others that say you can run them up to 45 mph, etc.

Some trucks you can't hit that switch unless you're at a dead stop, others you can hit it while moving as long as you're not currently spinning the tires or turning a corner.

Hey now, There's a "Novel" idea! They left the manuals in my truck and I have read through them while waiting for loading/unloading .

 

[GAnthony]

Trucks come with a big heavy duty ziplock bag with the manuals for the truck, engine, stereo, etc. If the company hasn't removed them from the truck, that's what you should refer to.

I've driven trucks with manuals that say not to use the inter-axle lock above 25 mph, and others that say you can run them up to 45 mph, etc.

Some trucks you can't hit that switch unless you're at a dead stop, others you can hit it while moving as long as you're not currently spinning the tires or turning a corner.

i was hoping for a "general rule of thumb".

my truck does not have an "owners manual", as it is a lease truck, so i have nothing to refer to. i can check with my co-worker, maybe his truck has an owner's manual, but i would highly doubt that too. other than that, i have nothing else to go on.

 

[Duck]

Hey now, There's a "Novel" idea! They left the manuals in my truck and I have read through them while waiting for loading/unloading .

The "radio removal tools" are in there. That reminds me, I gotta take mine back out and plug the satellite antenna back in, and unplug the other unlabeled mystery-connector. I've been trying to find and disconnect the wire that makes the GPS interfere with the stereo. The GPS is screwed up, but still works for showing my little triangle icon on the map. (Can't program routes or turn the stupid voice thing off) Every time I come up on any type of intersection, the damn thing kicks the stereo over to "REAR AUXILLARY" and ****es me off. The Qualcomm talks through the left speakers, but it'll do that even when the stereo is turned off, so I figure it's spliced into the speaker wire, and nothing is connected to the back of the stereo.

i was hoping for a "general rule of thumb".

my truck does not have an "owners manual", as it is a lease truck, so i have nothing to refer to. i can check with my co-worker, maybe his truck has an owner's manual, but i would highly doubt that too. other than that, i have nothing else to go on.

In general, regardless of whether the equipment can handle it, it's a bad idea to have the power divider locked when you're just cruising along. If you're pulling a grade and need the "go the **** forwards" traction, then it's ok, but just cruising along, if the power divider is locked, and your drive tires are not perfectly identical to each other in size and tread wear, even inflation pressure, you're more likely to jack-knife on a curve. They tell us that about 14 times per winter, during safety messages and fleet-wide qualcomm messages. So pretty much, only use it when you're stuck or doing low-speed maneuvering in a place you think you're likely to get stuck, like an un-plowed parking lot, or when you need to get up a hill.

 

[Injun]

I have PDL and Off Road switches on my dash. I do not engage them while moving. They won't engage unless the transmission is out of gear anyway and if I'm moving on slick surfaces, I'm MOVING and there is no reason to lock them. My personal rule of thumb is do not engage them on the fly. This International with Eaton-Fuller transmission and Rockwell rears is not built like my 2005 Ram that is made specifically for shift on the fly 4WD.

I get out of the mud, ice, snow or whatever I got myself into and then disengage at the lowest possible speed...at a stop if possible. I do not drive over 15mph with traction control engaged. Of course, there have been a few times I forgot to disengage them. Thus far, it has not had a negative effect on my gears that I know of. I don't have X-ray vision to see through my rears or differential, so I can't say for absolute certain. My theory is why take chances on expensive equipment?

 

[moving]

I have a KW T660 2012. We will drive with it on when it is snowy and ice or when I need extra traction. We can engage it moving just clutch in flip the switch and hold the clutch for a min and let out. Of course we do not drive over 55 miles and will not engage it if we are going faster then 40.

 

[Injun]

I have never driven with traction control engaged just because there's weather. It is unnecessary if you simply drive smoothly without punching the accelerator, jerking the wheel or jabbing the brakes. The only thing traction control does is help you go. It does not help you stop.

Going is optional. Stopping is mandatory. You will stop one way or another, whether due to friction or impact. I prefer the gentler physics of friction, personally, so I don't engage any enhancement that has the potential to make excessive speeds beyond the capability of friction to correct possible.

In layman's terms, stop driving with your PDL locked, Swifty! If you can't go faster than 50mph without it, maybe you SHOULDN'T!

Who in the hell teaches people crap like this, anyway?

 

[moving]

First off traction control and diff locks are different. Diff lock when locked in will lock in both Axles, where as traction control is a automatic thing that switches side to side for stability. And you use the diff lock going up a hill it gives extra traction going up a Icy hill if you start to slide or something like that.

And this is how my father in-law has driven his brother there dad for many many years

 

[Tim]

View attachment 19177View attachment 19178

And stay under 40mph and DO NOT engage while going DOWN hill.
View attachment 19177View attachment 19178

 

[Injun]

First off traction control and diff locks are different. Diff lock when locked in will lock in both Axles, where as traction control is a automatic thing that switches side to side for stability.

I believe we all know what's being discussed here. Yes, there is an automatically engaging traction control that works similar to a limited slip differential. But there is additional traction control that is manually engaged with the dash switches. Just in case there is someone out there who needs it spelled out, we are discussing manually engaged traction control that includes (on my S***Spreader, anyway) PDL lock and Off Road.

And you use the diff lock going up a hill it gives extra traction going up a Icy hill if you start to slide or something like that.

That's not what you said:

I have a KW T660 2012. We will drive with it on when it is snowy and ice or when I need extra traction. We can engage it moving just clutch in flip the switch and hold the clutch for a min and let out. Of course we do not drive over 55 miles and will not engage it if we are going faster then 40.

And this is how my father in-law has driven his brother there dad for many many years

If there's any lame excuse for doing something that irritates me more than "----- has always done it that way, so that's why I do it" without some evidence that it's the RIGHT way to do a thing, I have no idea what it could possibly be.

I have been driving through six winters, now. I have driven in thundersnow,Upstate New York, Idaho ice storms and blizzards, Snoqualmie Pass with chains and without, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Iowa in near blizzard conditions, etc....and NEVER found it necessary to lock my PDL while driving on the road. I have used it for getting out of sticky situations and for those times my main drive wheel group has been lifted off the ground for whatever reason...usually an inconvenient dip in a place I need to back into or pull out of.

But I wouldn't know what I'm talking about because I haven't been doing it this way (and NOT ruining the gearing in a modern truck) for 75 years.

 

[Injun]

Okay. I just talked to a mechanic about this because I DON'T know everything and I don't have a great-grandfather who drove horses a certain way to demonstrate how I should drive my truck.

He said the PDL can be operated and locked in UP TO 35mph, which is the max speed the truck should be driven with it engaged and ONLY for short periods. Anything faster than that and it ACTS like it's working, but it's not. All it's doing is heating up from the gears rubbing together, but it's not working. Apparently, there was a driver here who locked it in going over Satus Pass and rolled on into the yard with it engaged the whole way, running 55mph. The differential was glowing red from the heat. Two hours later, the temperature of the oil was too hot to touch.

*the distance was 87 miles.