lockers in the midwest

from what ive been told....Lockers make mud harder to get through. That is just what I've heard tho...so there is like a 100% chance that I'm wrong :eek:

Fixed for accuracie. :D
 
Seems like every one has different opinions on this... I have the 242 with a Non-disco axle so I guess I would be better with... Hell I have no clue anymore

selectable lockers would be more beneficial you i would think, but i bet you don't wanna pay for them! :D
 
my worry is... when i go out and play in the mud, will i lose the fun of 4 wheelin? cuz yanno you get more of a thrill of open diffs when you almost get stuck and ur like ahh ahh ahh ahh!! and get out of something barely lol or if ur climbing a hill and u crest over and lose traction up front and u gotta fight it to get over... wel i dont wanna lose that thrill lol

Same thrill.

Bigger hills.

Robert
 
daily driver with np231 and truetrac's front and rear ( soon to be aussie's both ends )

the front truetrac adds nicely to the offroad traction ( arguably not as much as a locker ) without destroying onroad manners .
you might notice it turning sharply in 4wd part time , if you hit a patch of dry pavement .

manufacturer's stated max. tire size is 32 inch's , i have been running 33in. bfg's for some time now without exploding it ( 32.6 in.)

Dude havent seen or heard of you since our run at Flat Nasty (winterfest 07?) why changing to aussies soon if you're happy with the tru-trac's?
 
Hell no I don't want to pay for them. I may just take my chances with a aussie locker. And hope nothing breaks.

As long as you don't use full-time you should be alright(don't quote me on that)! :D
 
A couple of things I have seen over the last couple of days.

Auto locker operation: When you apply power, they lock and act like a spool. When you stop putting power in, they un-lock and ratchet. When locked, there is no difference between inner and outer wheel speeds. None. That is why the outer tire squawks in turns under power, it is being dragged along. It happens at speed too, you just don't notice it.

FT 4WD should work with lockers front and rear. The purpose of FT is to add the ability of the drive train to have the front and rear axles turning at a different rate, like if you were to stop with traction at the rear, and none in the front. Another instance would be if you put the vehicle in a tight turn in 4WD on dry pavement. The front and rear axles will try and turn at a different rate and with a PT case, the drive train will bind up. That should not happen in FT. Any binding that you feel should be in the axles themselves, and not the drive train as a whole.

Lockers add to traction, and rairly subtract from it. Having a locker in mud will always get you further than if you were open. Having a locker in mud will get you understeer, but considering mud has questionable traction ability anyway, you won't really notice unless you are off camber and over-power your side traction. I won't go into the politics of mud as it gets rather sticky ;)

As a rule, lockers in the Midwest are good, and allow you more control than you have without lockers. They have allowed me to go slower, have more fun, and disturb the ecology less. There is a caveat; you will get further into an obstacle before you get stuck, so have some good recovery equipment handy for the times you do get stuck :D
 
So much misinformation this week. Is it a full moon? :dunno: I swear there was someone in another thread advocating swapping out his D44 for a D35 due to the gain in ground clearance. :looser:
Anyway . . .
auto lockers do not act like spools when under power. They act like auto lockers - which is to say that they will not allow either wheel to turn slower than the ring gear. They will permit either wheel to turn faster than the ring gear, however. Selectable lockers such as the ARB or the OX do act like spools when locked, whether under power or not. That is to say, when activated, these lockers will not permit either wheel to turn any slower or any faster than the other wheel or the ring gear.
Mud and snow are where real driving skills are developed, not on silly rocks. Rocks are essentially broken up pavement - which is what we here in Illinois are used to driving on all the time anyway. So get out there and drive on the fun stuff and quit worrying about it on the internet. :lecture:
 
auto lockers do not act like spools when under power. They act like auto lockers - which is to say that they will not allow either wheel to turn slower than the ring gear. They will permit either wheel to turn faster than the ring gear, however.

My mistake. I was under the impression, though experience, that the Lock-Right acted more like a spool. Richmond Gear says otherwise http://www.powertrax.com/powertrax/lroperation.html .
 
I'm pretty sure I made up my mind. Come spring I will be going with an Aussie in the front. (if I don't lose my job by then)
Anyone have any problems with running a lunchbox with 33" tires?

On a side note, where would be the best place in here to post pics of my rig?
 
Anyone have any problems with running a lunchbox with 33" tires?

On a side note, where would be the best place in here to post pics of my rig?

Nope.


Picture Showcase.
 
I ran an aussie in a 44 front with alloy shafts and 37's. exploded a alloy shaft, didn't do anything to the locker....
 
Anyone have any problems with running a lunchbox with 33" tires?

Only comment I'd have would be to make sure you're running 297 u-joints. Earlier models (like my '89) came with dinky u-joints that snap like butter if you lock up the front end. I busted 2 of them in one weekend, and would have continued to break them if my brother hadn't loaned me a set of shafts with 297 joints. Then again, I am running 35's and I was rock crawling at the time... Just thought I'd throw that out there.

If you're talking about the front-end that is. Otherwise ignore me.
 
I'm pretty sure I made up my mind. Come spring I will be going with an Aussie in the front.

Definitely what I'm gonna be doing as well. I'm thinking I may just go with the aussie in the back as well. They are inexpensive, and, from what I can gather, pretty friggin good for the money.

Lets talk rear end now. If I lock that back end, am I gonna get some serious ratcheting noises and tire skipping around corners? Or is it still tolerable for daily driving.
 
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