4x4 Lockers

[addicted]

Why dont trucks come with lockers from the factory? instead of this limited slip BS. Seems like they could make some money if they had it as an option 

[MuleySniper]

Toyota does. I know Dodge offered them on the powerwagon not sure if they still do. They are electronic. If you want lockers and money is not an option go arb. If you want to save a few bucks just put a lockrite or a Detroit in the rear.

[addicted]

Toyota does. I know Dodge offered them on the powerwagon not sure if they still do. They are electronic. If you want lockers and money is not an option go arb. If you want to save a few bucks just pit a lockrite or a Detroit in the rear.

i was definately considering the lockrights. they came highly recomended. i was also looking at the new ones from powertrax, the No-Slip model.

[yakimarcher]

i put a lockrite in a smallblock nova ran 13.5 on it a few times and it was shot, spent the extra money on the detroit locker it's much stronger.

[MuleySniper]

Yeah personally I think you'd be golden with just a lockrite in the rear. The arb's are sweet but spendy and have more parts to have possibly fail
MS

[FC]

Because most people are four-wheel-drive retarded as it is! In about April/May I used to replace (or have rebuilt) about 30-40 transfer cases that had been left sometimes in four LOW since about the first week of December even though there had been no snow since about the third week or so of the same month.

 The really fun ones were when people would come in complaining of a weird noise and I would take it out of 4x4 and put it in 2x, they would then come back complaining of a lack of power or that they were just spinning their tires everywhere they went. Telling people to try not taking off with their foot to the floor every time as a fix was hilarious and some of these dummies put their trucks back into 4x4 (they really showed me there) and then whined about their gas mileage and then a while afterward that there was this ugly growling sound coming from under the truck during acceleration with a nice howling sound while cruising.

I can't imagine how bad the warranty complaints would be, Americans as a whole feel pretty entitled and will take their shiny new toy out and abuse the snot out of it, after it breaks they will take it back where they got it and instead of telling the nice man who sold it to them that they are too stupid to own it, the blame gets laid on a faulty product...Can you imagine all these pea brains trying to drive in the snow with all four truly locked in?

[deerslyr]

if your gunna go with a lockrite or powertrax you should just buy an aussie locker. almost exact same design and from what ive experienced they last ALOT longer and theyre a bit cheaper 

[JackOfAllTrades]

Because most people are four-wheel-drive retarded as it is!

OMG!  How friggin true!

Can you imagine all these pea brains trying to drive in the snow with all four truly locked in?

Yeah! Describing 'push steer' to a soccer mom is a real challenge in life.

-Steve

[FC]

On a positive note, that problem would be largely self solving but i wouldn't want to be out while it was getting solved!

[addicted]

hmm the aussie locker does seem to be a smidge cheaper.

i love seeing minivans and miata's in the ditch, another californian bites the dust lol

[jeepasaurusrex]

I installed an Eaton E-locker for a friend a couple of years ago and he has had zero problems with it. No compressor needed, just push a button to lock it in.

Find you a set of axles out of a Rubicon and swap them underneath. They come with lockers from the factory and are much stronger than what is under there now.

One big factor in offroad situations a lot of people overlook, is tires. A good mud terrain tire will be a good all around tire. I run BFG Mud Terrain KM's on my CJ7 and have had great luck with them. In the snow I air down to about 8lbs and it goes everywhere. Airing down in the snow is a huge factor. A rock hard tire will not get traction.

Beings this is your daily driver and sees a lot of pavement, I would really look into a selectable locker. They are transparent on the street, but fully locked when you need them. Worth the extra $$$ if you ask me.

Since my CJ is mainly an offroad rig, I run a spool in the rear and a Lockrite in the front. 

[high country]

lockers in the winter can be downright scary. I used to love to drive my cj7 in the winter, but after I detroited it.....she will not see a snow covered road again. it is always fun to try and guess which way it will dive when the front unlocks......not cool. add the holy crap factor of being on a slick side hill with a log to cross, with open diffs one or two tires are going to stay planted, locked up they are all spinning.......sending you sliding sideways.

I know why mfr's like clutch type traction control.

[jeepasaurusrex]

Thats why I got rid of my Detroit. A very strong locker, but unpredictable if your on/off the gas. A Detroit Tru-Trac is a good option for the front.

[gasman]

For an cheap locker, i would go Aussie. Have them in front and back of my jeep.

But i would spend the coin on a ARB if i had it 

[Bofire]

 :)Lots of folks do not ever get used to the "clunk" when they lock up, think something is broken.
and high country makes some good points,
Carl

[dad98684]

Why dont trucks come with lockers from the factory? instead of this limited slip BS. Seems like they could make some money if they had it as an option 

maybe i missed it, but what kind of rig are you wanting to lock? do you tow with it? what do you use it for?
i have used and installed a few different lockers in my trail rig. the ausi and lock right are pretty much the same, the down side is the springs will wear out and leave you hanging. the noslip is smoother then either of those for road manners, but it is still basically the same unit. a Detroit is a bit harsher for street use, very noise and feels clunky, but very tough. if you have the money a selectable is the way to go. if you choose selectable or a Detroit you will need to have your gears set up again witch is a cost. the lunch box lockers can be installed at home easily.
i have been running a lock right in the front and a spool in the back for the last 4 years, but i don't drive the road much any more with it and i will be changing the springs in my lock right soon.

[addicted]

04 cherokee limited 4.0 with the quadradrive. I'm not even sure how well the locker would work with the quadradrive. I can put it into 4low so it has the essence of a real  4 wheel drive.

I know i'm not going to get a lot of articulation out of it if i ever want to do anything serious with it(unless i put 10 grand into it with 14 inches of lift) so what ever tires will be touching the ground, i want turning. 

It may be a crack dream as of this moment but i'm looking at a KOR 2.75 inch lift and 31x10.50 AT's. it will put me right around a grand.(not including lockers which look like $250 a piece. aussie) Much bigger than that doesnt seem to agree with the Dana30 or the tranny that come on the rig and i wont be spending the cash to put bigger diff's on there.  The set up i have in mind does seem to be functional.

wife made me grow up and buy a sissy jeep. i miss my yj. for the same grand i probably could have put 6 inches of lift on it. 

[jeepasaurusrex]

I did my spring over lift (5.5") for around $60 in parts. 

Being it is full time 4wd, I would look even harder at selectable lockers.

[Alchase]

I did my spring over lift (5.5") for around $60 in parts. 

Being it is full time 4wd, I would look even harder at selectable lockers.

I agree a good articulating suspension won't cost anywhere near 10k. Look at teraflex, Dusty's etc....

"Quadra-Drive II consists of the New Venture Gear NV245 transfer case mated to front and rear electronic limited slip differential. It includes a Neutral mode and utilizes a 2.72 reduction gear ratio in low-range."

You already have limited slip, both front and rear. Getting a "compatible" selectable locker for the rear would be a good option. Any more then that you will loose your day to day drivability. Lots of guys in my Jeep group ran nothing but Limited Slips and did just fine.

If you want a wheeling maching lock that puppy up front and rear, lol

[high country]

go for a ride in a locked up full time 4wd rig and you will be happy to get out of it alive.......trust me. you need selectables if doing a locker.

[gasman]

Talk with Ron at http://store.4wheelingplus.com/ see what he can do for you. Good prices, out of Ellensberg and a nice guy.


Again, selectable is the way to go of a daily driver, but dont forget, depending on wich locker you go with, you will need to replace the carrier. Even the racheting lockers will not work with a limited slip carrier, you will need to buy a open carrier to install ther locker.

And i know plenty of guys that use Cherokee's as there wheeling rig and daily driver. Used to work with a guy who used Aussie lockers fron and back and drove his rig work every day in an 04 limited. He is teh one that turned me to teh Aussie Locker.

And for the Aussie locker, North Ridge 4x4 is the only one in WA (located in Bremerton and shipped to your door) that sells them, or they were last time i bought one.

[addicted]

I see several people saying the D35 on the rear will destroy axles if locked. so i guess i'm only looking at the front. Which is more advantagious?  front where the weight of the engine is or rear where the towing weight is?


anyone ever do electric lockers?

[addicted]

i was really looking hard at te auburn ECTED but apparently they work fantastic on everything except a dana 30. 
i was really starting to bank on that one too because it said it maintains a limited slip while not engaged. Do any of the other selectable lockers do this? Things were so much simpler with my YJ.

[dontgetcrabs]

I have an aussie locker in the front and the back is open, I think it's better to lock the front.   

[norsepeak]

I've got auburn E-locker in my Dana 30, been in there for over two years, works great.  Was a little tight, hard to disengage at first, but after some miles and use, it loosened up.  Now it locks and unlocks very quickly and works great.  I hardly have to lock them in becuase they are an 80% limited slip when unlocked.  I have them front and rear in my jeep and wheel them hard.

[timberghost72]

Talk with Ron at http://store.4wheelingplus.com/ see what he can do for you. Good prices, out of Ellensberg and a nice guy.


Again, selectable is the way to go of a daily driver, but dont forget, depending on wich locker you go with, you will need to replace the carrier. Even the racheting lockers will not work with a limited slip carrier, you will need to buy a open carrier to install ther locker.

And i know plenty of guys that use Cherokee's as there wheeling rig and daily driver. Used to work with a guy who used Aussie lockers fron and back and drove his rig work every day in an 04 limited. He is teh one that turned me to teh Aussie Locker.

And for the Aussie locker, North Ridge 4x4 is the only one in WA (located in Bremerton and shipped to your door) that sells them, or they were last time i bought one.

X2 for the Aussie locker.  Its inexpensive but not lacking in quality.  I have it just in the rear of my Wrangler dana 44 and have not had any problems with it. I bought it from Northridge 4X4 too.  Those guys are awesome to deal with.

[addicted]

I'm not gonna go with the aussie or the lock rite on this one because of the quadradrive. the auto4x4 could kick in at any time and cause  mishaps that i may not be able to correct in time. Also I dont want my daily driver to be hindered in the snow.  stupid quadradrive.

[Alchase]

Addicted, unless you are planning on rock crawling with your daily driver, or running 33 in or bigger tires while locked up you really do not need to worry about the Dana 30 fronts. In all my years in the NAXJA I have only seen one Dana 30 front explode and that was trying to climb a near vertical rock locked.

If you are building a off road rig, then I would beef those up, otherwise I would not worry about it.

I would suggest you get a "good set of rock rails" though. I have seen many Cherokees do serious frame damage by not protecting the sides with rock rails. This is by far the most common serious damage location.

Wilderness Rock Rails, makes some excellent (and good looking) sliders/rock rails, plus they give you a huge location to use your High Lift jack when you do get stuck.

[addicted]

I havent been worried about the dana 30 exploding, but i have read that the 35(rear on the WJ) doesnt like to be locked. the problematic thing with the 30 is that the locker i wanted has been performing fantastic in everythign except the dana 30. problems engaging, problems disengaging, to the point where 4 wheel drive parts doesnt want to sell them for the dana 30 anymore. the auburn ECTED locker.

if you said that the dana 35c has a slim to no chance of blowing up on me while locked under the same circumstances mention(33's or smaller) then problem solved, I lock the back with the ected. 

I've definately been looking at the rock rails/sliders. the cherokee is like seal, gonna have to slide on my belly over everything. 

[JackOfAllTrades]

I know its not what you're considering, but I've never busted a Detroit Locker. Twisted the snot out of several axel ends in a front Dana 44 that was locked up though. I set up a TracLok years ago in a Dana 60 that snapped two axels on different occasions.  Just be warned if you do lock things up, there is more chance of breaking something if you all the sudden get traction, or if you use too much snap throttle when in low gear.

-Steve

[addicted]

I know its not what you're considering, but I've never busted a Detroit Locker. Twisted the snot out of several axel ends in a front Dana 44 that was locked up though. I set up a TracLok years ago in a Dana 60 that snapped two axels on different occasions.  Just be warned if you do lock things up, there is more chance of breaking something if you all the sudden get traction, or if you use too much snap throttle when in low gear.

-Steve

yeah, i'm figuring that out as a i go. just dont tell my wife so i still get new toys 

[coachcw]

lockers break stuff on pavement , limiteds work well for most cases