I have a detroit in the rear and a Torsen diff in the front (almost exactly like a truetrac). For a heavy rig, the detroit is the way to go, I don't even know it is there on the highway, even on ice. I would recommend a selectable electric locker in the front. They are like a limited slip when unlocked and like a spool when locked. They are much better than air lockers because they don't leak.
I would recommend a tall skinny tire for the D44 front. wide tires give you the death wobble, are heavier, harder to steer, etc. I think the front end would live longer with a narrow tire. I like the 34 x 9.50 LTB's, narrow 35 boggers or narrow 38 boggers. I ran the skinny 38 boggers on a Jeep with D44's with no issues, loved them, amazing traction and my 4.0L could actually spin them.
I would recommend a tall skinny tire for the D44 front. wide tires give you the death wobble, are heavier, harder to steer, etc. I think the front end would live longer with a narrow tire. I like the 34 x 9.50 LTB's, narrow 35 boggers or narrow 38 boggers. I ran the skinny 38 boggers on a Jeep with D44's with no issues, loved them, amazing traction and my 4.0L could actually spin them.