Does the transfer always apply power to the front wheels or does it only apply power when the rear wheels start to slip?

 

Full-time-four-wheel-drive always sends power to the front and rear driveshaft's at the same time in equal amounts. (AWD is different)
Your traction control sends power from the wheel that is slipping to the one that is not by applying the brake to the slipping wheel.
Physics 101, stop the spinning wheel and thewasted power from that wheel tranfers to the other wheel.
When you lock your CDL then all four wheels get equal power no matter what, that is why your trac control will not work when the CDL is engaged.
This a is short explination, and there are a few variances and sidenotes that are confusing if you dont know 100% what they are talking about.
But for all intenseive purposes this is how it works.
Do this answer your question?

 

Not 100% accurate spike......

When you lock the CDL it only disables the TC "if" you do a retro fit and don't cut the wire to the slabs ECU. factory fitted CDL cars use TC as well......

Also, even with the CDL locked, you can still have a spinning wheel on either or both axles through the front or rear diff, this is why its good to have TC as well as it will then aid the traction again on either or both axles with spinning wheels.

So for the "best" possible performance, CDL + TC isas close as you'll getwithout adding a locker.

 

" When you lock the CDL it only disables the TC "if" you do a retro fit and don't cut the wire to the slabs ECU. factory fitted CDL cars use TC as well......"
If you retro fit a 99 thru 01 you can shut off the TC, by turning of the engine while the CDL is engaged and restarting, this will turn of the HDL, TC and ABS.
When done wheeling, disengage the CDL, wait till the light goes off then restart the engine to regain all the functions.

 

Mike, I have just posted ref this in the other post about ABS......

I cannot for the life of me understand why you would not want CDL + TC..... It's far superior to having only the CDL.

The TC is the ONLY system inhibited when you "half" retro fit the CDL

 

I agree with you, for me though, with a Detroit and a T.T., my front diff works better if I leave the TC off allowing the T.T. to do it's thing.
If it weren't for the lockers I would be in 100 % agreement.