100 series landcruiser diffs

Why did you lose traction ?
Were you cross-axled ?
What was the track surface ?

That's a very broad statement. More info is needed

Which tyres are you running? What pressure were you running?

Which gear were you in? Hi or Low

How steep was the incline?

Was the surface wet and muddy or dry with loose gravel?

Do you do this often?

PS 100 series front diff is a Hilux diff, so I have been led to believe

White Knight.

I know what you mean. We went out with a friend who had a 100 TD and it was very easy to lose drive due to opposing wheels losing traction. the ind front end is partly to blame, we were in my 80 series naturally solid axle and was substantially better. Since then have put front and rear air lockers in and it is now brilliant. If i were you i would do front and rear air lockers,if budget allows for only one,i would go rear. You will be impressed.

Regards

Greg

There was a piece on channel 31's 4WD TV a while back - A guy who specialises in diff locks, from memory in Brisbane somewhere, demonstrates to 100 series owners that with one front wheel jacked up, they will not move.

He sells a lot of diff locks , apparently.

as to some coments here , it's apparant , that some people have no idea , when it comes to cars. Of course a all wheel drive vehicle wont move if you lift a a wheel of the ground , HELLO , that's how it works

the reason you lost Traction, is more likekly the lack of off road experience . Picking track , tyre pressures and the most important one , knowing how to apply the brake to equalise pressure on both axles to limit traction loss to one wheel .

Sounds like a tradesman blaming his tools. 100series is no different to any of the other big 4wds out there. We have all sorts of vehicles on our trips, club training etc, and I'm always impressed by what a leveller that 4wd trips are.

Eric and Phil are talking sense here! And Willems questions raise good points as well!!!!

The 100 series is a very capable car, but like all 4X4's, only as capable as the drivers experience allows. Lockers are good devices, but from what I've seen in our club environment, they usually allow "not-so-experienced" drivers to get further into trouble before someone has to come and rescue them.

Cheers

Brian

Hi White Knight.

I have front and rear lockers as well as revised suspension and tyres. All are designed to allow me to drive more carefully (eg on rocky climbs) and keep the stress on the vehicle to a minimum.

Best wishes

WK. 100 series are heavier than many other 4by's & if you had road preasure in the standard tyres then together with the limited IFS wheel travel they do tend to spin the wheels pretty easy, particually the turbo. Selecting a higher gear or less throttle will often avoid wheel spin all together and maintain traction.
Upgrading the suspension would be the first priority in my book followed closely by more suitable tyres. Diff locks are an addition that can & will get you into far more trouble (particually for the inexperienced). From what I've seen there are very few tracks you can't get up with a 100 series in the hands of an experienced driver taking the correct lines.
When fitting lockers to Cruisers, the rear locker will give slightly better traction particually climbing hills with front diff locks being handy especially on rock ledges but the main issue with them is they do make the steering very heavy. Another point to consider is if you are truely looking to do a bit of genuine offroad the front diffs are particually weak & it has been shown when ARB lockers are fitted they are more reliable.
Cheers Craig............
HZJ105 Vic

White knight
it is very suprising how easy it is to stop any 4wd and it is also amazing how far a 4wd will actually go.
for your scenario it is difficult to judge - is it factory set up or have you A/T or M/T tyres?
What are you comparing the 100 series to?
have you raised suspension? Were you in sand/mud or on scaly rocky vic high country track?
i have 04 td with F/R arb lockers and raised suspension and use BFG mud terrains and i can still drive into mud or sand and stop instantly if im not looking at what im doing or observing the conditions. on the other hand if i take notice of tyre pressure,road conditions,pick (in my opinion) the best line and flick the swith for the lockers i can scare myself as to the angles the car can go.
Yes with standard tyres and set up it is easy to get stuck but you will still be amazed at where you can get with this set up.
There are still places whatever your setup is and certain track conditions will not permit progress even with the best driver of your group.
You have a great vehicle but also note there are plenty of other vehicles more capable and i can say that F/R lockers certainly help
cheers
fozzy

Theres a big button on the dash called centre diff lock - press it

The 100 seems to be no different to any other Toyota out there and the standard Toyota LSD isn't worth it's weight in scrap metal..

Yes I have heard all the stories of the diffs being soft and all that and no i don't own one.. I drive an 80 and yes they are said to have a soft front diff also..

If the 100 is like the 80 then you will get a HUGE benefit from fitting diff locks..

The diff lock will give you the ability to (ARB Air Locker or TJM Air Locker) turn the locker on / off while lockrite and the others are a constant diff lock and won't let you choose when to engage... handy on slippery side slopes where you won't want both wheels spinning...

the other bonus they talk about with the 80 is that the diff locker will actually strengthen the front diff.... I don't know if you have a live axle or IFS and if you have the IFS I can't give you much help but the live axle will have the extra strength of the locker...

If you are a weekend off roader and only take it off road occasionally and don't play too hard you can always try driving techniques like either putting your hand brake on enough to load the rear drive.. this will in effect make the diff work harder and will often help you to drive through a situatiion where you would have normally sat with a wheel with a light load spinning... you can also try using the foot brake for this too but you will find that the foot brake puts more brake to the front so if you are in the soft stuff could stop you dead...

My 2 cents worth anyway!