lokka diff lockers

Hi Stuart and Gunny,
I have had a Lock Right brand of the same design in the front of an 80 series for 15 years. The car is part time 4WD so it isn't working all the time but when the front hubs are locked and 4WD selected the locker works a treat. The design is really an auto-unlocker as it is locked until the outside wheel revolves faster because of the different speeds of the front wheels on a turn and then it unlocks only to relock when wheels are doing the same speeds again.
Maybe not as "sexy" as a $3000 Air locker but mine works a treat at keeping both front wheels turning at the same speed when one is off the ground.
However, I can't vouch for the quality of the Lokka brand you asked about.
Ian

I had a Lokka from them in the rear of my Jeep diesel. I had to remove it because the Mercedes gearbox in the diesel Jeep kept throwing the car into limp mode when going through a roundabout, it was very touchy about the abs sensors. I would have to stop and turn the car off and on again to get back to normal. I have since found this to be very common on that gearbox and auto lockers. Funnily enough, petrol Jeeps with US gearboxes are not affected and work fine with the Lokka. I have an LSD in the rear now with no problems...it was an expensive exercise all up.

Ive been out on tracks (sand/dirt) with 2 patrols with front lokka diff lockers. They work very well.
A few down sides that every one mentions is the inconvenience of have to get in and out of the cab to active them.

Having them constantly on in sand is ok until you need to turn sharper corners with a little more momentum, you wont stay on the track.

On dry dirt tracks its the same, guys can not be bothered to get out and disengage the lokka very few km's when turning or doing U turns and the stress put on the diff is huge.

For these reasons I went front and rear air lockers, convenience and control at a flick of the switch at your finger tips.

Hi all if your interested in my 4x4(kennel on wheels) this is a previous posthttp://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/104224/The_kennel_on_wheels_is_nearly_finishedAdvice_please.aspx?ky=&sn=Member+-+Stuart+and+Gunny&p=%2fForum%2fDefault.aspx%3fs%3d1%26sn%3dMember%2b-%2bStuart%2band%2bGunny%26pn%3d1
Since then i have had another 150 amp battery fitted,giving me 2x 150 amp battery's.More work done on the rear springs to raise the back another 35mm by Stan at Cairns and stuffed the grey water tank trying to do a part of OTT.This kennel has been all over the top end of Australia plus the Bloomfield track and many others without a problem.Currently we are at Mt surprise heading to Darwin via Sav way.

Stuart and Gunny

I have had a 4WD Systems Lokka in the front of a Hilux for going on eight years. The first time I used it was on the first day of a 10 day trip in the Victorian High Country. The steering instantly felt ever so slightly heavier. Ten minutes later I was wheeling the car around steep hair pin bends, over huge rocks and through rivers and it was not causing me any concern at all.

I disagree with the suggestion that they are more like unlockers than lockers. They are almost always unlocked, or in the process of unlocking, because it is very rare for two wheels to turn at exactly the same speed in off road situations. One is always rolling up over a rock or down through a hole etc.

The same thing occurs even on a freeway. I just did a few calculations with my size tyres. If one was as little as 1 mm smaller in diameter than the other due to wear or whatever and, assuming you were driving on a billiard table smooth road surface in a straight line, that wheel would do seven more turns than the other over a 10 k distance. The Lokka would allow that to happen. You would not hear the clicking as the teeth slid up and over each other because it would be happening very slowly but it would still be happening.

It is for that reason you can fit an auto locker in the rear and drive around town or on sealed highways all day without tearing your tyres to pieces. Try doing that with a manual locker engaged.

I have only had one experience of it causing problems with the steering and that was while I was climbing up a curved muddy slope about forty metres long. The wheels were obviously locked and the steering developed a mind of its own. Exactly the same thing would have happened if I had a manual locker.

The reason I put it in the front was I could not see the point in being content to loose the front axle when one wheel lost traction, particularly on steep hills, and then expect the rear axle to keep the car going. I had a few problems with that before I fitted the Lokka. The difference it has made is unbelievable.

I have also driven the car on desert sand hills. I have never had a problem on any of them but I don't know if the Lokka helped of not.

The same applies to mountain tracks. A driving front wheel on the inside of a steep corner could loose traction.The outside wheel, which would have been rolling ahead on a larger radius, would lock instantly and take over driving. The inside wheel could regain traction a few seconds later. The diff. would immediately start to unlock as the outside wheel started rolling ahead again and the driver would be none the wiser.

There is one point that you have to be careful of though if you have one fitted in the rear and are driving on sealed roads, especially wet ones. If you accelerate too quickly anywhere, particularly coming out of a sharp corner, the inside wheel could loose traction. If that happens the Lokka will instantly lock and you may experience some rear wheel steering. I think this is why car manufacturers do not use auto lockers. Far too many drivers would get into trouble with them.

Have had a Lokka in the front of a Patrol for about 9 years - its brilliant.

It is very simple, robust and will not wear out if installed correctly.
Always works, (no airlines and compressors to fail)
I always have steering in soft sand, mud and when climbing steep slippery slopes. (A mates front air locker made it almost impossible to negotiate a fallen tree on a steep slope. If the locker was on he could not steer around the obstacle as the 2 steer wheels turned at the same rate together dragging him in a straight line towards the tree. If he disengaged the locker he could not move as he didnt have enough traction. Ended up using the winch. In that situation I had no problems at all).

Ensure the Lokka is installed correctly and FINALLY tested with the vehicle up - wheels off the ground - turn each wheel (on the axle with the lokka) - there should be equal turning pressure forwards and backwards on each wheel with the hubs locked in. You will hear the Lokka clicking as it works its magic.

Read their instructions they are very comprehensive and foolproof.

It is that simple!

Hope this helps

I have had a 4WD Systems Lokka a Detroit Soft Lock and now ARB. I had no issue with the Lokka which was fitted into the front of a 2003 Hilux. Yes the steering was different but never an issue. My Hilux was an auto and this makes a lot of difference as you can still be on the move but vary the torque to the wheels when turning by easing off the pedal. I now have a manual Patrol with the ARB lockers fitted front and back. My opinion based on using the two different types over ten years would be a Detroit auto (Un) locker if the car was an auto and a Eaton or ARB in a manual car.

All are better than nothing.
As stated most issues with lockers are due to the installation not being done correctly. Both my brother and I had 4wd System Lokkas fitted around the same time. His made a very loud clicking noises and an incredible Bang when disengaging mine was almost silent.

I think after reading some of the comments a few may have one of these fitted.




This is cheaper and simpler.

Bragging rights at least!

I've had one for 8 years on my GU Patrol, never had any trouble at all, friends have the ARB and have trouble now and then. Purge valve and sometimes won't turn on or off. You can't steer around corners with ARB when turned on and sometimes you need that traction to get around corners. People that knock lokka brand have never had one, and hate the fact they paid 3 times more.

It's like Nissan or Toyota , or Engel or Waeco.

Try driving both types.

Hi guys. I'm on my third nissan withfront lokkas, two GU and a GQ. I've always put the lockka on the front as the LSD is too good to replace. Been thru the Simpson 8 times both on and off track including the madigan line, the vic Alps 3 times and many other places and never had a problem in fact I reckon they're excellent, turning extreme and hazardous 4wding into pleasurable driving. Some minor driver adjustments are necessary ie smooth and consistent accel. useage but easy to learn. The best thing is that they're set and forget and no maintenance! Been with others with air lockers and as Murphy would have it, right in the middle of nowhere, on some extreme track, a vehicle has a problem with the air compressor and no more locker.
I would highly recommend, for the front diff at least!