Dodge ditched the Dana rear end in 2500 and 3500 pickups with a massive overhaul of the Ram lineup in 2003. The body style change garnered a fair amount of attention, but also newly available were the revolutionary 5.7 Hemi and completely redesigned common rail Cummins diesel engine. Both powertrains came armed with an American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) rear end sporting a 10.5” or 11.5” ring gear, the larger of which was destined to replace the venerable Dana 80.

While it may not have been well-received by the Dana purists at first, AAM’s 11.5” tire-spinner turned out to be a tried and true, heavy-duty piece.

Comparisons to its predecessor generally result in a draw with few feeling strong enough to argue the merit of one over the other. That’s especially true now that the 11.5” AAM has basically doubled the Dana 80’s eight-year Dodge production run.

With so many of these rear ends out on the road with open or dilapidated differentials, Eaton thought it a fine time to release an all-new Detroit Locker for the 11.5” AAM (P/N 250SL195A).

Equipped with the ability to equally transfer 100% of available torque to both rear wheels, the locker design has been around for years and is well-tested in on and off-road applications. An automatic, speed-dependent locking and unlocking feature makes for trouble-free performance while putting down the maximum traction any time its needed most.