I'm new to this and i just heard about the mini spool.............umm wtf is it? it says it does the same as a locker but is dirt cheap so can someone shed some light on my deformed head?

The mini-spool is permanently locked. As where a lock-rite type locker unlocks when you corner.

They'v both got there ups and downs.

The bad
Spool is always locked,, so its harder to steer on the street in parking lots. And that will chew and chirp the tires a bit,,,BUT Iv got a spool in my stock axle with 33's and its a daily driver and the ware and chirp arn't an issue.

Lockers pop and click when they engadge and disengadge around corners, I think there a bit unpredictable and don't like unexpected lane changes. Also even the SLIGHTEST ben in the axle and they screw up.

The Good
Spools are always Locked!!!

Yeah, spools are always locked. I think of them as that chinese finger pull trick. I think though, if you want to continue having your truck as a daily driver, a spool is a bad idea. Increased tire wear is annoying, and continued driving on the streets WILL result in axle snappage. Just because it hasn't happened to some of you doesn't mean it won't!   Granted bigger tires like 31's and 33's can cause this more so than smaller.

IMO for a daily driver, a lock rite is a better choice. You get used to the ratcheting noise, you get used to the popping, and extra torque steer, and if you have an auto, you don't notice too much that it's even there. The fact that a lock rite disengages around corners just means that much less tire wear, and axle ratcheting.

My experience with a spool on a daily driver with 31's was that it would ratchet the axles back and forth around corners. You could actually see the tension in the axle shaft as it rocked back and forth while the tires squealed around the corners. This has a tendancy to gradually weaken and then twist your splines.

Spool 5 Axles 0

I had one breakage with my lockrite in the time I had it in. Which was longer than I had the spool installed. The reason for the breakage however, was that I was situated between rocks, and I was trying to back up over them. One of my mudflaps caught between one of my tires and a rock, and as I torqued up going backwards because there was no slippage on the tire stuck on the flap, it snapped that axle.

Sorry to be so negative on spools, but that little $99 charge on a daily driver like mine ended up costing me 5 axles, and a set of tires. If your rig is going to be mostly on dirt, or on trails, and not a daily, go for it.

I just set up a group buy for mini spools from trailtough, I prefer a mini spool over and auto locker, or if i had the money Id buy arb's... but spools my best bet for now

I think i'll wait and use the Auto locker because it will hit the highway alot and 33's are cha ching enough

I have a spool in mine and the treadware is minimal, and I drive mine every day to and from work and to the trails.  

All of you are forgetting one thing. Auto lockers only disengage when your off the power.

[shadow=pink,left,300] :Dmuthafukka [/glow][/shadow]

Wow, these little special effects work.

[shadow=pink,left,300] :Dmuthafukka [/glow][/shadow]

Wow, these little special effects work.

Posted by: hcgalvin

 
 

Honest to god, I have been wondering what that glow and marqee stuff actually does.  So that was my test.

bad spool / good locker. i run a locker and have not broken an axle and have had it for over an year.

Or you can be like speedracer, lock the rear and blow up front cv's!!heheh

how about spooling the frount diff i have lockrights in the rear. do thay make one for the frount

If you spend 580.00 Bucks for the axel's, sure they do. or use late model kick axels for track kick's.