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Good day, has anyone tried the Richmond lock right posi traction in their M37....I've verified that my 53 Canadian is single track. I've owned other 4x4's with posi in the rear and would like to upgrade. Has anyone installed one? I see them offered on Vintage Powerwagons for around $365.00 which does not seem too high a cost. Are there other alternatives? I've only used my truck so far in my own driveway for plowing and I've already had opposite wheels front and back spinning, a little embarrasing for a truck that looks like it would go anywhere. My buddies were really harrassing me that it got stuck so easily.
Appreciate any and all comments.
Thanks Derek

Just a few things for clarification, and information...

The term "posi" apply's only to GM cars sold through the late 50's and 60's. Posi was the advertising name given to the limited slip diff's used in GM cars. A lockright is not a limited slip unit, but a 100% mechanical locking differential. It dosen't slip when engaged.

There are two lockers available for the M37 diff's, the lockright, as you've discovered, and then there is the ARB air locker. Its driver selectable, so it can be turned on and off, and is the superior way to go. The downside is thats it more complicated to install, costly, and ARB only does a limited production run at a time, so they can be difficult to get.

The M37 currently has an open differential (no limited slip or locker action) hence why your tires spin out when cleaning the driveway. My own personal preference is for the lockright, only due to the cost. If I had alot of money, I'd track down an ARB as its the better unit. The lockright will put additional strain primarily on axle shafts, so if yours are original, prepare yourself for the possibility of breakage. A cheaper alternative might be a better set of tires, or to some extent, some tire chains.

Hope this helps...

I won't go into great detail concerning lock-rite, I'll just say that most likely you will wish that an occassional spin out was the only issue you had if you install one. It won't be if you install a locker that can not be disengaged when not needed. We have installed many and used to be a dealer years ago, we stopped installing them long before the ARB's came along for the Dodge differentials simply because they are the root cause of so many other issues. Let's just say time and experience taught us well. When customers come back wanting to pay us to remove the Lock-Rites because of other issues they were causing, well it's time to rethink the products you offer; so we did. We still install one every now and then upon customer request; but not before making them aware of what they can expect.

The ARB is a far superior unit for many reasons. What some say about it being more difficult to install is a total myth. It's far less trouble to install than a Lock-Rite and doesn't just add a locking feature; it makes the entire set up procedure easier and is much stronger than the original diff with or without a Lock-Rite installed. We installed the first one for testing purposes several years ago; there was an article written in Military Vehicles Magazine by the gentleman who had us install it for him; I'm certain you can scroll back through the issues and find it if you care to read up on it.

They can be purchased from Dan Shockley at http://www.powerwagonlocker.com I have not talked lately with him, but at last contact he had plans of doing another run of 25 units; and planned to submit the order when he had 16 names on the list.

I WAS THINKING OF RUNNING A LOCKER ON MY M TOO. BUT THE EDUCATED OPINION OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS FORUM THAT HAVE DONE IT. STOPPED ME FROM DOING IT. THE POSSIBILITY OF BREAKING MY AXLESHAFTS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, WEIGHS MORE IN MY BOOK THAN GETTING STUCK AND ACTUALLY USING THE SHOVEL AND WINCH. THE ARB IS AWESOME IN THE FACT THAT AS AFOREMENTIONED CAN BE DISENGAGED AND REACT AS AN ORDINARY OPEN DIFF, OR LOCKED AND GET YOU OUT OF THE DITCH. THIS FEATURE MAKES IT ELIGIBLE FOR USE IN THE FRON TOO, CONVERTING THE VEHICLE FROM A "PSEYDO-4X4" TO A REAL 4X4. ALSO THE AIR PUMP NEEDED FOR THE POWERING OF THE ARB CAN BE HAD IN 24V, WHICH IS SWEET FOR THE M37. HOWEVER, PERSONALLY I DO NOT HAVE THE $1000 PLUS THAT THE ARB GOES FOR. IF I DID HOWEVER, I WOULD GET TWO OF THEM. (CAN YOU SAY "O V E R K I L L ?" LOL) IN THE MEAN TIME, SOME HEAVY STUFF ON THE BED WILL DO. (USUALLY A WHOLE BUNCH OF FRIENDS, DOGS ETC.) WORSE CASE SCENARIO, TIRE CHAINS. REMEMBER, IT IS NOT A FAILURE OF THE ENGINE OR THE POWERTRAIN THAT YOU GOT STUCK. RATHER LACK OF TRACTION BETWEEN THE TIRE AND GROUND. THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO REMEDY. JUST MY TWO CENTS P.S. M37 ARBS ARE AVAILABLE ON EBAY. COULD BE THE SAME GUY THAT CHARLES MENTIONED.

Thanks to all for the opinions, I'm looking into the air controlled unit.