Diff locks

IMHO you would be better off with it in the back. I guess it depends on what type of 4wd you do.
In steep country most of the vehicle drive up a steep hill is from the back. If you get one rear wheel off the ground with an LSD , there is no drive and I doubt that locked fronts would pull you out. A locked rear would ensure you had drive from the rear.
In flat boggy country the LSD back, locked front may be better for traction. Though I would not like to drive a great distance on a muddy outback road with the front locked!!!
I once drove from Wilcannia to Bourke after 3 inches of rain with a Detroit in the back of my Range Rover. Much of the time I was looking through my drivers side window.
A locked axle will just slide down any slope in the road in slippery conditions.
Regadrs Philip A

G'day Steve,

I asked the same question about my hilux. Fit to the rear was the unanimous response. It has made a big difference in both mud and crawling up steep shale/gravel tracks; best piece of gear I have.

Not that I have tried, but I am told a locker fitted to the front diff can seriously effect control and handling and may cause you more grief than its worth. Plus, despite all the claims, an LSD won't stop you getting bogged.

Cheers,
Sheps

I had a Ford Courier and put a Detroit in the front which improved the vehicles off road performance considerably. The only drawback was the slight clicking when turning sharply plus some loss of steering when in slippery mud conditions but not enough to panic about. As for steep inclines the engine weight alone will keep at least one front wheel on the ground with traction thus the vehicle will still be able to move provided that it is not too steep resulting in a 4 wheel spin.
I now run a GU patrol with a lockrite in the front currently 140k cliks with no problems except that the clicking when turning tightly is more pronounced, this is caused by the ramping of the locker to allow turning. The other alteration I did to the Patrol was to replace the auto hubs with manual ones. (my personal preference) As it alows me to back the van into tight spots using low range to reduce speed at idle without the front wheels being locked in on a concrete surface.

HI,
Hope this info helps you.
I have owned two GQ patrol/maverick set up with diff locks both being diesel 4.2 lwb wagons.
1. Lsd rear detriot front (1992 model) used extensively around Collie region of WA ie mud hills etc with 33 bfg mud terrains. I liked this setup and had no problems with directional control in fact i think the front diff lock worked well as it went where you steered as the back wasnt locked up. Very happy with this setup
2. 1988 Lwb wagon (GQ) with ArB airlockers both ends. Once again excellent and worked well however I was unable to lock the front seperate to the rear (saftey reasons at installation time) and found that in tight turns the rear tried to push the front thus losing some turn abilty..only a small niggle but having had both i liked the detriot set up and also less parts to go wrong.
3. In a perfect world id like detriot front ,ARb rear as i think it would work well.
4. In your case id be fitting the locker to the front as the lsd diffs are quite strong in the rodeo's.
5. I know some may not agree but over 20 yrs in four wheel drive clubs etc and using the vehicles for what they were designed for that is my recommendation to you.
6. As a by the by I now have an 80 series GXL with no lockers but intend to get ARB AIr lockers when funds allow. As this is constant 4wd im not going the detriot route.
Hope this helps.
Alan.

How good are the Rodeo LSD’s, and how many K’s dose it have on it?.

If it is still functioning well I would put the locker in the Front, F**K the ARB Air locker off, and get a Detroit E-Z or Lock right or something and save yourself some money, if you have Free wheeling Hubs that is.

The other Option could be a Detroit truetrac LSD, it’s a gear driven LSD so it will never wear out, but with a Truetrac LSD Say if you lift a wheel instead of all the drive going to the lifted wheel like with standard LSD, it will be sent to the wheel that still has traction.

i have fitted a lock right to the front of the triton due to the ease of the front to lift a wheel over everything cos of the IFS. works really well.

Steve,
I've had two Rodeo's now, one with a 'Lokka' and the other with an 'Air Locker'
I didn't even consider the rear diff as the Isuzu LSD is very good, so both went into the front
In the R9 Rodeo, (2.8TDI) i used the 'Lokka' because of the free wheeling hubs fitted. When in 2WD, (even if front hubs locked in) there is no concernable loss of control, when in 4WD, sure it's noticable that it's there, but don't lose any sleep over it
In the RA, I went the ARB 'Air Locker' in lieu of the 'Lokka' only because the hubs are always engaged to the axles. My seconf RA will be getting the 'Air Locker' treatment shortly, once again in the front

Cheers,

Dion.

Before you worry about where to put it you should look into which ones you can get and where they will fit.

In my 1997 Rodeo you could fit a Lokka to the front and an ARB air locker to the rear. There were no other options.

The LSD in the rear is great so long as you can keep both rear wheels on the ground.

Before you ask Willem, the Rodeo is gone!