front or back diff lockers

If you have a good LSD in the rear, you would waste it putting in a Locker... WOuldnt be much more advantage over the LSD.

Locker and LSD is the go.

The rodeo LSD's are very good and yep, truckster is correct go for the Locker/lsd in the front! if he had a toyota with one of their lsd's with over 50,000k on it I'd say put it in the back first!

That's all very well as long as you keep all wheels on the ground, but driving up steep rutted tracks most of the traction effort goes onto the rear wheels, 70%, a LSD and thats what it is limitted "slipping" diff does not produce the traction to stop the vehicle slipping all over the place, diff lock in the front with one wheel off the ground most of the time due to the IFS front end will place a lot more strain on the CV joints and the traction gained is not the extra 30% needed to drive slow and carefully.

No one spoke about the 60-40% drive of a constant 4WD.

Therefor as a long time user of diff locks IMHO you get better service with a diff lock fitted in the rear. Sure the best is to have two but in this case the question asked which end is better for one.

You can go on about this topic for days , in most cases i rear wheel pushing and two front wheels pulling is a far better way to create forword momentem . There are areas that having a rear lock is better , but we are talking about accross the board

You can go and on about what if this wheel is off the ground and about if this slips this way or that way Craigs hut 2003

If it's across the board we are talking about, you can use the rear diff lock and not have the vehicle in 4WD and with it in the rear you get no slippage, as in the LSD you still get some.

I dont see why you would need a rear lock , if you arn't in 4x4 , if the road is good enough not to use 4x4 , then i dought there would be a need for a diff lock, or do we need to dig up the tacks just to see how far we can go with our cars in 2x4 , just to show whos is longer :-)

Just a debait please dont take any offens , Craigs hut 2003

Forgot to add , what I opted for , was rear lock right , front air lock , I am very happy , the rear does like to growl every now and then Craigs hut 2003

Hi all.

As stated above.

I have been down that very expensive trial and error path starting with an auto locker to the front and the standard troopie rear LSD.

With the front wheels locked up in loose beach sand or any other types of loose sand,..... I can not think of any other better way of GETTING bogged. Forget about steerage in mud!

I have written a detailed article on this matter some time back, suffice to say.......Pooh to an AUTO front lock!

If you must get a locker in the front. PLEASE make it one that you can engage or disengage your self.

MY end result.... Removed the Detroit Soft-locker from the front and replaced it with an Detroit True Trak LSD and now have ARB in the rear.(A deal done with Detroit)

This setup is just the ducks nut's, only thing better would be ARB in the front and rear.

An auto locker to the rear......don't know, have not had any experience with that.

Regards

I've got an auto front locker and, after a brief learning period, have had no problems with steering.

Just come off the power a little and around you go!

Hi Chopper.

Under normal off road conditions I will agree with you.

I do not know where you drive, so I can't comment as to your case, but what I can say is, when in loose sand with an all up weight of 3.2 tonnes , when the foot comes off the pedal the vehicle stops.. PERIOD!

If you turn in loose sand, with both wheels driving, one drives the other acts like a bulldozer blade pushing the sand in front of it until a stall or very close to it occurs. And yes, I do let my tyre's down, and yes I have experimented with different pressures.

When leaving the beach up a sand dune, there is invariably always an sharp left or right turn midway . The front wheels tow like an express train until the turn. Take you foot off and you stall mid turn (no more momentum) , don't take your foot off ....'hello bush'

If you stop in loose sand and then drive off again, instead of the wheels walking out like they do in an open diff, they both dig in and bury you, most of the time.

As I said before, I have been down this path. I put up with the Auto locker in the front diff for 2 years of regular club activities under most conditions before I said quits. So the decision was not taken lightly

As I said, an expensive exercise. Believe me it hurts to admit to your self that you made a wrong choice and then have to fork out again to convert the front diff. Had it not been for Detroit coming to my aid and substituting the Diff, I do not know what I would have done.

As is, it still cost me $250 for the exchange, removal and re-installation of the TrueTrack LSD.

Knowing what I know now, I would have bit the bullet, saved some more money and gone ARB front and rear. What I have now is about 90% traction all up but certainly better than the problems I had with the Auto front Diff locker.

Having said that, if you are happy with what you got, then that is all that counts.


Regards

Janset, we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one, A lot of my driving is on Fraser Island and Kinkuna, quite often with trailers.

(and i do a lot).

I love my lokka(s)!!

Hows the Prado Steve?Regards Bob
Where to next

The Prado is fantastic.

Why i didn't buy one earlier i don't know.

IFS drives well, very capable offroad, small outide, roomy inside, well built and solid.

Steve