what is a spool?

hightime81

hightime81

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2005
Location
Holly Springs, NC
Here is some newbiness, but what is a spool and what does it do? i understand the purpose of lockers, are these similar?
 
Basically a spool is sort of like a locker except it never unlocks... it is always loked all the time..

They are sometime cheaper and easier to install
 
heres a pic for you also

spool.jpg


i run one in my TJ's D44.....tears up tires but is great for adding traction off-road
 
BRUISER said:
Basically a spool is sort of like a locker except it never unlocks... it is always loked all the time..

They are sometime cheaper and easier to install
Click to expand...


isn't it pretty much like welding them, except a little easier to "undo"?

Greg
 
bigwaylon said:
isn't it pretty much like welding them, except a little easier to "undo"?

Greg
Click to expand...
yes its easier to undo. because u just unbolt your ring gear from the spool, put your spiders and carrier back in and finally set your back lash. that is a solid 2 hrs worth of work by the time you take out shafts and all.
 
If you weld your spider gears, depending on how you do it, you may have to trash the thing if it breaks, or go through a PITA to cut everything out. A spool is a an inexpensive way to get positive traction. If you don't like it and kept your old diff, you can always go back and not be out of too much $.
 
or, for the ultimate in reversability, a mini-spool which simply replaces the spider gears while retaining your current carrier. It's the lunchbox locker of spools. If you don't like it just remove it and reinstall your spider gears.
 
ecu88xj said:
or, for the ultimate in reversability, a mini-spool which simply replaces the spider gears while retaining your current carrier. It's the lunchbox locker of spools. If you don't like it just remove it and reinstall your spider gears.
Click to expand...

That's good... IF you have a carrier and crosspin that's strong enough to handle it.
 
Rich said:
That's good... IF you have a carrier and crosspin that's strong enough to handle it.
Click to expand...
Axle durability is always a condition. FWIW I have seen a 9 inch shear a pinion while the minispool in it held up.
 
Rich said:
That's good... IF you have a carrier and crosspin that's strong enough to handle it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, blew out my mini spool in my 8.8 2 years ago at Tellico. Cross pin broke and ended my Dixie Run :(
 
If you do very much pavement driving I would not reccomend a spool @ all, it is hell on equipment, an I mean hell. If its an offroad rig a spool is hard to beat for it is the cheapest traction device probally on the market, an probally the most ultimate, vertually it would be like running a solid axle, with very little moving parts, but keep in mind it will break things because there is zero slippage, if the tires dont slip under the torque, something will fail.
 
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