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Lockers - fit to front or rear?

Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 09:37

Coyote

So if you were only going to fit one locker, would you go front or rear?

I have an 05 GU which has reportedly a pretty good rear limited slip diff. ARB have recommended that this be removed and the locker go in the rear.
Benefits = no direct effect on steering/turning circle and it 'pushes' the vehicle up an obstacle.
Alternativley, if I fit them to the front which I have also heard is good, it enables the front of the car to do the pulling as obstacles are reached, and avoids the unecessary scrapping of what is reportedly among the best LSD's on the market?

Opinions/comment invited

(note, obviously 2 is better than one, but I want to hear only about which way to do only one. Cheers all)
ThreadID: 28543 Replies: 13
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AnswerID: 141920   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 09:45

Member - Omaroo (NSW) replied:

Coyote

If it were me, I'd be going with option #2. The limo in the GQ/GU is arguably one of the best in the business - so why get rid of it? One of my GQ's has 340,000km on it now, and the diff still churns up the gravel big time in a full-lock turn. Awesome after that many kays :)

I hear people going on about the type of terrain they normally like to do (i.e. rock work vs. sand and mud) determines whether a single locker would go front or aft. Any comments on this anyone?
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Reply 1 of 13
FollowupID: 395630   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 20:35

sudsy posted:

Lockers dont make a lot of difference in sand. All four wheels are usually in contact with the sand anyway.
If the LSD is that good then put a locker in the front diff. The front wheels seem to be in the air more than the rears. I dont know your vehicles but usually the rear has more flex than the front and so has more ground contact at the rear wheels.
If the LSD's are as good as you say then I'd go front locker but I find it hard to believe that any LSD will lock both wheels 50/50 like a locker does.
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 141922   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 09:49

Member - Stan (VIC) replied:

Patrol got very good LSD, so I would put one in front only.

Also have a look at this article Locker Test
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Reply 2 of 13
FollowupID: 395569   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 15:10

Coyote posted:

Great article.. makes it pretty clear that front is the best way to go.. Cheers for that..
FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 141923   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 09:57

Truckster (Vic) replied:

Its a shame to waste the best LSD in the business, but no doubt -> Locker in the Rear.

Usually when you need a locker going up a hill or something, all the weight is on the rear of the truck.

also on off camber slimey hills with both fronts spinning up, and no rear traction, I have seen incidents where the front of the car turns suddenly and points back where ya came from.. A real 'remove the seat cover from your date' situation
Reply 3 of 13
AnswerID: 141929   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 11:04

Member - Davoe (Widgiemooltha) replied:

An SA 4wd magazine did a pretty exaustive test on that exact subject matter with a twin locked patrol and it showd conclusivly greater benifit was to be had with just the front lockers in than just the rear
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Reply 4 of 13
FollowupID: 395543   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 11:08

Member - Omaroo (NSW) posted:

I think I agree with this Davoe. Every time I'm heading up a very steep incline, both my rears are normally on the ground as the fronts go for the next rock ledge - usually at different times during the climb. The rears are pretty much loaded up and the limo is keeping both reasonably close together. My fronts are the ones that slip straight away when one side of the open diff loses traction as the terrain varies.

I don't know - I guess that I've usually seen my fronts lose it rather than my rears.... hence my preference for a front locker if any.
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FollowUp 1 of 3
FollowupID: 395573   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 16:08

Member - Tony G (ACT) posted:

Davoe, was the double diff locked vehicle fitted with ARB or some other type.

If fitted with an ARB you cannot lock the front in without the rear locked in first, unless the wiring has been fiddled with.
Tony
FollowUp 2 of 3
FollowupID: 395582   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 16:29

Andrew (Whyalla SA) posted:

Front and rear ARB lockers.
The interlock preventing engagemnt of front only had been removed
FollowUp 3 of 3
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AnswerID: 141932   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 11:28

Peter McGuckian (Member) replied:

I've fitted mine in the front (2002 GU) Works really well.

Peter
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Reply 5 of 13
FollowupID: 395585   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 16:50

Member - Roachie (SA) posted:

Gotta agree with Peter....gr8 up front and a gr8 lsd down the back. If the lsd ever wears out, it'll be a arb locker for the back pumpkin too....

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FollowUp 1 of 1
AnswerID: 141935   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 11:53

Damon replied:

I have one in the front - very good and the best option.
Reply 6 of 13
AnswerID: 141937   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 12:03

Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. replied:

Coyote ,
If I was going to be climbing rocky terrain I would put them in the front .
If I was going to be doing lots of sand work , I would put them on the back as you cannot steer with the buggers in the front , except at really low speeds .
The front are a fair bit more expensive than the rears - much more labour time.
Cheers ,
willie .

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Reply 7 of 13
AnswerID: 141939   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 12:11

cokeaddict replied:

Definately in the front.

Works a treat.
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Reply 8 of 13
AnswerID: 141947   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 12:53

Member - Troll 81 (QLD) replied:

I have front and rear and if I have to get rid of one set I think it will have to be the rear...I have had many times where I have one front wheel in the air and if I did not have lockers then it will just spin and not move..but with the front lockers on they both turn and away I go

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Reply 9 of 13
AnswerID: 141948   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 12:56

Turbo Diesel replied:

Depends on what you want to do in the Patrol, just bear in mind that if a REAR locker is fitted and you prehaps snap a front axel or break something in your front diff, a rear locker will probably get you home in the patrol. However if you have a locker in the front and the diff snaps you are most probably stuck. As your patrol will become a one wheeler in the difficult spots. In my opionion I would put the rear locker in, however the front diff of the patrol is huge so either way your patrol will go just about anywhere.
Reply 10 of 13
AnswerID: 141968   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 14:46

Member - Duncs replied:

You have, as has been said before one of the best LS Diffs on the market hung under the rear end of that Patrol, it is very nearly as good as a diff lock. On that basis most people put their only diff lock in the front.

A good friend of mine put his in the rear for this reason, I think it has merit. By putting the lock in the rear you convert the LSD into an open diff, unless you lock it of course. This results in much better tyre life.

I often hear my rear wheels spinning on the balck top as I make a tight turn, manouvering into a tight spot or making a "U" turn, particularly in reverse. This is the down side of that great LSD putting an ARB diff lock in the rear removes this downside.

Just something else to think about. :0)

Duncs
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Reply 11 of 13
FollowupID: 395566   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 14:59

Coyote posted:

Thanks for that.. just when it seems almost unanimous.. you come along and make the D hard again.. good point though defenitley worth considering..
FollowUp 1 of 3
FollowupID: 395572   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 16:05

Member - Tony G (ACT) posted:

I'll put my hand up for the rear. Most of the drive/push comes from the rear at least 70%. And you can use it in 2WD without locking the front hubs for that little bit extra traction when needed.

Now with a Patrol with the very good LSD, i would put it in the front. So lets say all vehicles other than a Patrol the rear is the place for it.
Tony
FollowUp 2 of 3
FollowupID: 395593   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 17:42

Member - Omaroo (NSW) posted:

Tony - I suppose that this is the whole point - 70% of the weight is already on the rear - making it a tendency to sit on the back wheels as you go up hill. If you sit on the rears with the bulk of the weight of the vehicle, chances are that the rears are both in contact with the dirt and are therefore giving traction - hence no need to lock.

How many times have you done a steep hill climb and lifted a rear rather than a front? Pretty rarely I would have thought. As wheels lift (givin that the front of the car is lighter than the rear as you ascend) this is when you loose traction on one side - hence the need to lock.
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'96 Mitsubishi Delica 2.8TD
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FollowUp 3 of 3
AnswerID: 141984   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 15:58

Flash replied:

I'd go the front also.
Have both, I put the rear in first and regretted it as it was little better much of the time than the LSD, which is outstanding, even after many klms.
Don't forget that in that test referred to above, the rear unlocked was worse than with an LSD fitted, ie: the result would have been even more one sided.
Cheers
Reply 12 of 13
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AnswerID: 142019   Submitted: Thursday, Dec 01, 2005 at 19:42

babs replied:

Hey coyote, I have a GU IV 05 mod, I went the FRONT ARB AIR Locker the LSD is great, yeah like someone else mentioned the tyres chew on a hard turn, but I have over come it by slowing the turn down. The way I look at it I have front and rear lockers with only the price of one, great hey.

Babs.
Reply 13 of 13

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