It absolutely does, limited slip DOUBLES the traction surface available over what an open differential with ONLY one axel/tire spinning can offer.
Have you ever driven a high horsepower/torque (big block) open differential car on a nice newly asphalted road, with perfect even traction to both axels? When you stomp on it you only get one big long single black mark, never two. Because the open differential is never going to power both axels when you start applying torque and spinning...
Tractors are not the same as cars/trucks with much smaller tires by the way. I have a 4x4 tractor and use my rear axel lock quite often. One more tire adding a little bit more traction to overcome the resistance often makes all the difference.
Ordering a limited slip rear costs a few hundred dollars or less on a new rig, and is a No-Brainer. The very first time it gets you off some wet grass without having to lock your hubs (If you happen to have 4X4) or get pulled out by someone else, you will be thankful you ordered it...
"My Name Is Nobody" wrote in message news:ZRwph.5540$V91.2528@trndny05...
I suggest you study up on how a differential works. You will not DOUBLE the traction with a limited slip if both wheel are on equivalent surfaces. With an open differential, you can only supply as much torque to either wheel as will make the wheel with the least traction break loose. If both wheels are on a surface with the same traction avalable,the amount of torque applied to both will be approximately the same. Certainly, both wheel don't have exactly the same traction available, so one will break loose first. However, this doen't imply that no torque is being applied to the wheel that doesn't break loose. On the contrary, the same level of torque (or very close to it) is still being applied to the non-spinning wheel. With a solid rear axle, the torque reaction will slightly unload one wheel, and load the opposite wheel a little more. If you are drag racing and applying fuill power, then the unloaded wheel will always spin first, and this limits the amount of toruqe applied to the non-spinnng wheel to the same level as for the spinning wheel (and a spinning wheel can't provide as much traction as a non-spinning wheel, unless you are really spinning it fast so that it aacts more like a paddle wheel than a traction device). With a limited slip differential, the two wheels are locked together under this situation, so the wheel that is more heavily loaded can develop maximum traction based on the higher normal force applied to that tire. This is improtant for cases where you are applying maximum torque, but for someone easing a boat out of the water it is not so important. The effect is still, there but to a much less degree. Now if your two wheels are on radically different surfaces, a limited slip can be very useful. The down side is that if you break both wheels loose at the same time, you loose lateral location also. This is why cars with limited slip often fishtail on slippery surface. About the worst thing you can have on glare ice is a 2WD/RWD car with a torquey V-8 and a limited slip - especially if there are hills involved.
Again, you need to study how differentials work. The fact that only one wheel is spinnng does not mean that torque is not being applied to the non-spinning wheel. With an open diferential both wheels are getting close to the same torque, even if one is spinning and the other is not. Leaving two black marks might be cool, but it doesn't mean that the guy who left one mark only had half as much traction. When turning or applying lots of power, the rear wheels are unevenly loaded (not the same normal force), so the two tires cannot develop the same traction. In this case a limited slip will be somewhat of an advantage, but it can lead to fish tailing and even a spin (for reckless kids). For most people, most of the time, the difference in traction available is trival. For kids who like to spin tires, the difference is signifiicant, but that is somethnig I am well past.
The only thing that happens when I apply the differential lock is that both tires spin together and I dig two holes instead of one.
I don't disagree that a limited slip is worth the money. But I don't think a limited slip is necessary for pulling a relatively small boat up a well constructed ramp. In the case of the OP, I wouldn't go out and trade trucks becasue I don't have a lmited slip. For many years I pulled the 21 foot sail boat out with an 2WD F150 with an open rear differential. With the sail boat I was so far down the ramp that my rear wheels were under water and on the slippery stuff. I never had a problem pulling the boat out, even up some really steep ramps.
"My Name Is Nobody" wrote in message news:ZRwph.5540$V91.2528@trndny05...
You are confusing breaking a wheel loose with "powering" a wheel. With an open differential, both wheels always receive approximately the same torque (the traction to either wheel is limited to the traction available to the wheel with the least traction). The non-spinning wheel is getting more or less the same torque applied as the "spinning" wheel. The open differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds. With a limited slip, the two wheels are locked together under some conditions. This means that if you have enough power you can now break both wheels loose, not just one. If both wheels have approximately equal traction available, this is not going to be a big advantage over an open differential. The big advantage of a limited slip is that both wheels turn together in situations where there is drastically different traction available to the two wheels - like when one wheel is on ice and the other is on pavement, or where one wheel is in a hole and the other is on solid ground. In this case, the traction is not limited by the wheel with the least traction. Both wheel turn at the approximately the same speed, even though one wheel has drastically less traction available. The downside of a limited slip is that if both wheels are on surfaces with limited traction, both wheels break loose. Once a wheel is spinning, it is just as likely to go sideways as forward. Since it can easily go sideways, cars with limited slip are likely to fishtail and can be easily spun out. I had a Mustang GT with a limited slip rear axle. Is was very difficult to drive on ice. The rear end was difficult to control. The car also had traction control, but on ice, this was virtually useless since it reduced engine power. You could either leave the traction control on, and the car had virtually no power to climb a hill, or leave it off and have to wrestle with the rear end. Not fun. 4WD really helps in this situation, since the front wheels tend to pull you straight.
Not if you are in a plowed field that is relatively consistent.
I actually agree with you on this. I would always recommend some sort of limited slip on a 4x4. My Nissan Frontier has an interesting system that uses the ABS system to lock a spinning wheel (or at least add drag to it). This applies more torque to the wheel on the more solid surface. So far, this system seems to work better than a conventional limited slip. However, I've only used it in mud, never in a situation where one wheel is completely off the ground. That is not something I do (at least not on purpose).
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.