TO LOCKER OR NOT TO LOCKER

What do you use the vehicle for? Do you need lockers, cause if your asking others, Id be lookin if I needed them

You'll know if you need em', that is "damn i wish i had lockers, best get the winch fired up!"

Rexy I have been playing with 4x4s for years and have many times thought of the same thing and to date not fitted one. I find with the correct tyre pressures and gears and LUCK I have nearly always got through. It also comes down to what sort of 4wdriving you are going to do.
All the best
Eric
4x4 Tag Along AdventuresCape York Connections

Im the opposite, ill never go back to an unlocked 4wd after seeing how much difference it makes.

If ya do serious 4wheelin then its a must but if you are mainly interested in traveling/touring then it may be overkill.

Gday Rexy
Lokas are good if you can choose to lock or leave open the diff. There are reasons why diffs are put there in the first place, and a good example of this is Landrovers leaving them open in the old Rangy but opting to improve suspension. They were very capable 4wd's in all but rockwork, which invariably lifts wheels.
Bottom line here is that ive tried most, and ended up with ARB lokas.
No squeeling wheels on road (and lets face it if you do more onroad than off, they are bad for mechanicals aswell as tyres) no torque steer offroad, or inability to lock front diff FWH for fast dirt secondary roads, etc etc etc.
Get a rear first...it will make a huge difference by itself. If you need front end repairs to c/v do that one whilst there.... or simply buy a winch if you cant afford the ARB's.
OOPs compressed air is also very useful.
Andrew
wheredayathinkwer mike?

Ive got a ARB locker in the rear of the Hilux. I allows me to tackle the really steep hills when im fully loaded with a lot more confidnce. When the 'lux is unloaded i wouldnt be woried, but when its fully loaded id prefer a smooth ascent up the hills. As far as coming back down the hill i find that having all of the weight in the back makes for a pretty smooth descent.

As someone said above, suspension makes a difference. The standard toyota doesnt give a great deal of articulation to keep both rear wheels on the dirt. If I had better articulation then i probably wouldnt need the locker.

And if i upgrade the suspension i need to drop a 2" lift kit in the house as i have just under 2" between the roof of the 'lux and the garage door, and it wouldnt fit if i played with the suspension!

Cheers,

Glenn.

thanks alot for the info guys, and yes i have had that problem a few times.usually when i get hung up cause the surf mobile has bugger all wheel travel and she gets crossed up and im stuck.and im not going to let any bugger snatch me out till i snactch him out first ( a bit of a bet as he has a patrol) lol,

so thanks alot guys once again you given me a bit to think about

cheers

rexy

Late entry..... I have a Detroit Locker in the back of my Prado and a Truetrac LSD in the front. Good tyres (MT/R) and suspension too. I used to get most places with open diffs and A/Ts, but wanted that bit extra. Now I can go most places with ease where those with me have several attempts or bounce/scramble all over the place. Skill, tyres, pressures, suspension etc make a difference, but all other things being equal, difflocks make a big difference. You need to decide what you want to do, and whether difflocks will help you do that. Good luck!Russell S
Prado RV6