Can a locker be put in the non-adv H3?

[JAYB1RD]

So I've noticed that the rear axle on the H3 looks just like the one in my old Chevy truck. I've been searching for information on it, but can't find what I'm looking for. Is it just a narrow version of the 10-bolt in my Chevy with the 8.5" ring gear? If so, how many splines are on the axles (28 or 30 I'd guess)? Do the non-adventure models have an open diff, or is there some sort of a limited slip back there? I'm hoping it's the 8.5" open version, as it seems that a locker for the Chevy truck would slip right in place! I did not get the adventure model, but sure would like to add a rear locker if I can.

Here's a picture off of Summit's site of the Powertrax No-slip locker that I'm considering:

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by JAYB1RD

So I've noticed that the rear axle on the H3 looks just like the one in my old Chevy truck. I've been searching for information on it, but can't find what I'm looking for. Is it just a narrow version of the 10-bolt in my Chevy with the 8.5" ring gear? If so, how many splines are on the axles (28 or 30 I'd guess)? Do the non-adventure models have an open diff, or is there some sort of a limited slip back there? I'm hoping it's the 8.5" open version, as it seems that a locker for the Chevy truck would slip right in place! I did not get the adventure model, but sure would like to add a rear locker if I can.

Here's a picture off of Summit's site of the Powertrax No-slip locker that I'm considering:

Take both axles out of your K1500, put them on your H3.....problem solved!

A rear locker set up on a Base model is going to be very pricy. Simply installing a locking differential has been discussed on this site, and has been estimated to cost 3-4K.

It is not as simple as putting an aftermarket ARB set up on. For the most part, the average ARB setup runs 2K+, including a compressor.

ARB will have the R&D done on the H3 by the end of the year. I'd wait for the ARB.

[Desert Dan]

Yep I'd wait on the ARB and get one front and rear.

You may want to re-gear if you don't have 4.56 axles dpending on what size tire you will be running.
Id figure on $1500-2000 per axle (parts and labor) If you are changing ring gears and adding locker.

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Desert Dan

Yep I'd wait on the ARB and get one front and rear.

You may want to re-gear if you don't have 4.56 axles dpending on what size tire you will be running.
Id figure on $1500-2000 per axle (parts and labor) If you are changing ring gears and adding locker.

Hey Dan, they all come with 4:56's.

[Crash ?]

The rest of GM's trucks can be ordered with option G80.. It's a Eaton mechanical locker..

http://www.traction.eaton.com/prod2.htm

I can't help but wondering why it's not an option on the H3 or even the H2.. Not sure if it'll fit in the H3 as an afterthought or not... It's not an air locker or E-Locker, but it's gotta be better than nothing and it's a WHOLE LOT cheaper for the parts if it will fit in the H3 diff without further mods..

I've heard they work pretty good, but are about as delicate as the front diffs in the H3..

Bebe you got the answer..??? Will the G80 fit the H3..??

Rob

[JAYB1RD]

Originally Posted by Crash ?

The rest of GM's trucks can be ordered with option G80.. It's a Eaton mechanical locker..

http://www.traction.eaton.com/prod2.htm

I can't help but wondering why it's not an option on the H3 or even the H2.. Not sure if it'll fit in the H3 as an afterthought or not... It's not an air locker or E-Locker, but it's gotta be better than nothing and it's a WHOLE LOT cheaper for the parts if it will fit in the H3 diff without further mods..

I've heard they work pretty good, but are about as delicate as the front diffs in the H3..

Bebe you got the answer..??? Will the G80 fit the H3..??

Rob

I'm familiar with the G80. Anyone who frequents the full size gm truck crowd knows they're refered to as the "gov-bomb" instead of the GM terminology "gov-locker." They work rather well, but very fragile, like you said. I assume the reason it's not offered in the H2 is most likely because the e-locker is standard on them....as far as I've seen anyway.

Originally Posted by HummBebe

Take both axles out of your K1500, put them on your H3.....problem solved!

HAHA, thats funny! I thought of that too! But really they're almost exactly the same, the hummer just seems to be a narrowed version. The front axle is still just cast aluminum in the Chevy. So I don't think it would be worth it.

I'm planning on trading in my stock goodyears for some 33" BFGs so the 4.56 gears will be just fine. The goodyears have less than 500 miles on them and are just sitting in the garage waiting for me to get down to the tire store.

ARB just seems to expensive and complicated for my tastes. Nor do I think I'll need one for the front, moreso because noone will make one for the front. Mostly just sand dunes, a bunch of ORV trails in MI, and a couple trips to Badlands under my belt. I like the powertrax unit because you don't have to pull the carrier out to put it in, just the spider gears, axle shafts and cross pin. Total cost, after installing it myself, wouldn't be much over $500.

Does anyone know if the rear axle will accept the "lunchbox" type locker? I'm almost ready to just buy it, and if it doesn't fit in the H3 I'll just toss it in the Chevy!

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Crash ?

The rest of GM's trucks can be ordered with option G80.. It's a Eaton mechanical locker..

http://www.traction.eaton.com/prod2.htm

I can't help but wondering why it's not an option on the H3 or even the H2.. Not sure if it'll fit in the H3 as an afterthought or not... It's not an air locker or E-Locker, but it's gotta be better than nothing and it's a WHOLE LOT cheaper for the parts if it will fit in the H3 diff without further mods..

I've heard they work pretty good, but are about as delicate as the front diffs in the H3..

Bebe you got the answer..??? Will the G80 fit the H3..??

Rob

As far as I can tell, no. The diffs used in the H3 are different.

You can go to GM Parts direct and look up the two different rear ends to compare.

I've done some reading on the Chevy forums, and no one seems to be very confident in the "gov-bomb".

Honestly, until someone totally tears it apart, and starts playing around with it, we will never know.

[marin8703]

Originally Posted by JAYB1RD

I'm familiar with the G80. Anyone who frequents the full size gm truck crowd knows they're refered to as the "gov-bomb" instead of the GM terminology "gov-locker." They work rather well, but very fragile, like you said. I assume the reason it's not offered in the H2 is most likely because the e-locker is standard on them....as far as I've seen anyway.


HAHA, thats funny! I thought of that too! But really they're almost exactly the same, the hummer just seems to be a narrowed version. The front axle is still just cast aluminum in the Chevy. So I don't think it would be worth it.

I'm planning on trading in my stock goodyears for some 33" BFGs so the 4.56 gears will be just fine. The goodyears have less than 500 miles on them and are just sitting in the garage waiting for me to get down to the tire store.

ARB just seems to expensive and complicated for my tastes. Nor do I think I'll need one for the front, moreso because noone will make one for the front. Mostly just sand dunes, a bunch of ORV trails in MI, and a couple trips to Badlands under my belt. I like the powertrax unit because you don't have to pull the carrier out to put it in, just the spider gears, axle shafts and cross pin. Total cost, after installing it myself, wouldn't be much over $500.

Does anyone know if the rear axle will accept the "lunchbox" type locker? I'm almost ready to just buy it, and if it doesn't fit in the H3 I'll just toss it in the Chevy!

hey, i have no knowledge to offer on this but if you do manage to get this done, make sure to let us know, cauze if its not too expensive i wanna do this too. I miss not having a locker.

[JAYB1RD]

Originally Posted by marin8703

hey, i have no knowledge to offer on this but if you do manage to get this done, make sure to let us know, cauze if its not too expensive i wanna do this too. I miss not having a locker.

Absolutely I may end up pulling the diff cover off soon and poke around to see what I can find out in there. I hate to do it to such a new truck (just hit 700 miles today!) but I've already taken the entire interior apart, except for the seats and half the dash....what's a couple more bolts and a few quarts of diff oil right?!

[marin8703]

Originally Posted by JAYB1RD

what's a couple more bolts and a few quarts of diff oil right?!

haha, absolutely!!! i love tinkering with stuff but dont have the resources to do big projects like this, thats why i stick with electronic improvements and additions.

[MountainBlue]

Yea, i would love to have some sort of locker or at least a limited slip kit like the Phantom Grip, But I'm not ready to trade the truck in just to get it. I wish i'd done a little more reasearch, cause the dealership did have a few with the adv. pkg. we could have gotten. ARB's are expensive, but they do work well from what I've seen of them. I just wish they were e not air.

[Wu Jen]

Did anyone manage to put a front locker on their H3?

[tomp]

Why don't you guys buy this one: http://www.trailduty.com/index.php?cPath=112_119_124

Shouldn't cost but about $350 to install at 4-Wheel parts

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by Wu Jen

Did anyone manage to put a front locker on their H3?

The front diff in the H3 is already weak. Adding a locker is only going to cause more stress and lead to more failures. Unless you can swap in a bigger diff with a cast iron housing, its just not a good idea IMO.

[marin8703]

Originally Posted by tomp

Why don't you guys buy this one: http://www.trailduty.com/index.php?cPath=112_119_124

Shouldn't cost but about $350 to install at 4-Wheel parts

thanks for the info, i'll look into getting that. isnt this the same that is in teh stock h3. i think i've heard that the 3 has an eaeton. is that rite?

[marin8703]

Originally Posted by Sewie

The front diff in the H3 is already weak. Adding a locker is only going to cause more stress and lead to more failures. Unless you can swap in a bigger diff with a cast iron housing, its just not a good idea IMO.

isnt the locker the differentlial itself, except that it has the ability to lock the two wheels? or do you mean the housing? or whats up?

im just asking out of curiousity, not that i would do anything to the front.

[JAYB1RD]

Originally Posted by marin8703

isnt the locker the differentlial itself, except that it has the ability to lock the two wheels? or do you mean the housing? or whats up?

im just asking out of curiousity, not that i would do anything to the front.

A locker either replaces the entire carrier in axle or, if it's case of an open differential, it can replace just the spider gears. Adding a locker of either type increases the stress put on the housing. Research on the aluminum IFS housings in many other trucks has shown that they tend to break with the added stresses that a locker adds under offroad conditions. HTH

The Eaton eLocker is indeed what comes in the H3 (with adv. pkg. obviously). The Auburn ECTED is another electronic locker worth looking into, also from an OEM, that replaces the entire carrier. But when in the off or un-locked position it functions as a limited slip. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the eLocker is either open or locked. Personal preference I suppose...

FWIW I was originally hoping to replace the differential in my H3, which I thought was open at the time, with a locker that only replaces the spider gears (sometimes known as a lunchbox locker). However, after some use, I have found that the limited slip in my base model H3 works quite well for what I need. And since it isn't an open carrier, I don't think it's worth a $1000 bill to be replaced anyway. Through the snow and mud, and hopefully the sand as well when it warms up, I have been very impressed with it!

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by marin8703

isnt the locker the differentlial itself, except that it has the ability to lock the two wheels? or do you mean the housing? or whats up?

im just asking out of curiousity, not that i would do anything to the front.

Well JAYB1RD answered most of it, but yes most of the problems with the front diff seem to be due to the aluminum housing. It flexes under stress, allowing the pinion gear to move which results in the gears getting chipped. I've gone through two front diffs already. Chipped teeth off the ring gear first time around and chipped the pinion gear the second time. There was also a problem with the hardening of the gears in early builds. GM supposedly went back to the manufacturer to change the hardening process last summer.

[marin8703]

i see. thanks!

[tomp]

The diffs are open on front and rear. There is no limited slip feature.

The rear locker is a very good addition to any off road vehicle.

Due to the weak design of the H3 front housing, I would not put in a locker until GM beefs it up. After that, replace the front assembly if it ever breaks to the later model and add the locker. You will always risk breakage if you are not careful regardless.

Yes, the eaton is OEM from Hummer. The one trail duty offers is a real nice unit and Phil over there is awesome.

Adding a true locker does require replacing the entire diff assembly, just as the one from Trail Duty is a complete locker/diff.

Adding a locker is the only way to get both wheels spinning together. IMHO a 4X4 without lockers is not really a true 4x4 as you can not spin all 4 wheels together. However, there are ways around this, such as BTM. Taking the time to learn what this is and how to effectively manipulate the capabilities of your Hummer, is what wheeling is all about.