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Old 12-07-2019, 05:07 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess View Post
Yes, most of the 18-wheelers I drove over 27 years had air-controlled locking diffs.
Check with Acme (used) Truck Parts in Stockton, dzl.
https://www.acmetpe.com/default.htm

Wow, really!? I never would've guessed semis would have locking diffs, especially not selectable air lockers. How were they used? What sort of trucking were you doing?

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Old 12-07-2019, 05:14 PM   #22
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Try ujointoffroad.com. They sell Ford Van conversion kits and have a pretty good discussion of not only the kits but also axles and transfer cases.

Yeah I'm aware of ujoint, they do good work! If you reread the OP you will see I actually linked to their website:

Quote:
Originally Posted by DZL
When I first began looking into Skoolies my plan was to find a cutaway ford E-450 and at some point in the future convert it to 4wd. Because Ford vans are so ubiquitous and Sportsmobile and a handful of other companies outfitted E-Series vans for offroad overland use there is a pretty great little cottage industry and community centered building out this chassis for offroad use.

Fast forward a few months and I've now begun to favor a conventional style short bus for a number of reasons...

The ford chassis is definitely the best and easiest bus chassis to modify for offroad performance and there is a great aftermarket (ujoint, sportsmobile, aluminess, etc). I may end up going this direction. But this thread is specifically about conventional school buses. Information and aftermarket parts are a lot harder to come by with conventionals it seems.
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Old 12-07-2019, 06:29 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by dzl_ View Post
Yeah I'm aware of ujoint, they do good work! If you reread the OP you will see I actually linked to their website:




The ford chassis is definitely the best and easiest bus chassis to modify for offroad performance and there is a great aftermarket (ujoint, sportsmobile, aluminess, etc). I may end up going this direction. But this thread is specifically about conventional school buses. Information and aftermarket parts are a lot harder to come by with conventionals it seems.
"The ford chassis is definitely the best and easiest bus chassis to modify for offroad performance" Yup what thou sayest!
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Old 12-07-2019, 08:51 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by dzl_ View Post
Wow, really!? I never would've guessed semis would have locking diffs, especially not selectable air lockers. How were they used? What sort of trucking were you doing?

*Most* of the big trucks I've driven didn't have lock-able axles, they only had the "diff-lock" that locked the splitter - basically sending the same RPM's to both axles.


Normally the axles spin around the same speed anyway but there's a differential that allows one ring-and-pinion to spin independently of the other, which is good if the tires are slightly different sizes (not usually intended but a common result of tire wear). It's not good if you manage to high-center the front axle or low-center the rear ... if you manage to high side one axle and high-side the other, then you can still get "Stuck" (I've witnessed this in more than one gravel lot with large 'potholes').


I did drive for one company that spec'ed the trucks with diff-locks and axle locks as we hauled live chickens and out of muddy farms, so we needed maximum possible movement in these difficult places. There were 2 switches, one for the common "diff-lock" and another for the axle locks.
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Old 12-22-2021, 02:48 AM   #25
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Locking dif for meritor axle

I've been looking for the same thing, a lockable differential carrier but for a Meritor axle. From looking through their product info I see that they have a DCDL driver controlled locking differential that was an option on several axles. So far I have not been able to locate one or ascertain if it is a direct replacement for the non DCDL carrier. Of course I would have to supply the airline to it and wire the switch. Has anyone come across any of these carriers?
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Old 12-22-2021, 08:22 AM   #26
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I have seen them on vanderhaags. I plan to regear and they have my third member with a locker. Search by Rockwell and meritor. It looks like the the only difference is on the front side where the air fitting goes. I tried to find info on the dcdl being retrofitted and couldn't find anything. You might call one of those axle shops selling them and ask about compatibility.
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Old 12-22-2021, 08:44 AM   #27
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Thanks, I will look into vanderhags. Likely I will end up having to order one up with the correct gearing, if I don't have to change the driveshaft length.
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