whhich to lock first, front or rear?

Seems like most go with the rear then do the front, any reason?

When climbing hills your weight is going to be transfered to the rear. In this situation I would rather have a rear locker than a front.

Depends on what rear alxe you ahve and what tires you run. Also depends on what kind of terrain you wheel. give us some more info

Well there are sure to be as many opinions on this subject as there are jackasses on the freeway during rushhour.
I run with a locked front on a D30 with 33" tires and a Ford 8.8 with ford trak lock limited slip. I get my jeep through 4.5 rated trails without much fuss.
I usually end up giving the guys with a rear locker only a pull up some obsacles also.
I imagine that it depends on driving style and tires and a bunch of other factors though also.
Me personally, if I were to build another rig from scratch and could only afford 1 locker to stasrt, I would go front. I have never gotten stuck and I do nothing but rock climbing here in the deseert.

Lata

Motorvated said:

Depends on what rear alxe you ahve and what tires you run. Also depends on what kind of terrain you wheel. give us some more info

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D35

rocks, mostly.

philip_g said:

D35

rocks, mostly.

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Lock the front.

Get a new rear axle

philip_g said:

D35

rocks, mostly.

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Lock that and you're gonna be posting up here on how to do a Ford 8.8 swap.

Get an Aussie for your D30.

93XJLI said:

Lock that and you're gonna be posting up here on how to do a Ford 8.8 swap.

Get an Aussie for your D30.

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you mean a D35 won't last long with 32s? I'm amazed Hasta



probably a good idea. I hadn't really thought about down the road.

In the rocks, I like a locker up front over one in the rear. Lock the front with an aussie and in the mean time find a XJ dana44 and lock that and bolt it in.

philip_g said:

you mean a D35 won't last long with 32s? I'm amazed Hasta



probably a good idea. I hadn't really thought about down the road.

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Assuming you upgrade the D35, lock the rear. I broke my rear drive shaft when driving between Rusty Nail and Golden Spike in Moab and was amazed how little a locked front end did when getting over rocks. I had to be pulled over most things to get out of Golden Spike/Gold Bar Rim (I carry a spare drive shaft now).

philip_g said:

Seems like most go with the rear then do the front, any reason?

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You have a D35 rear and there is no point wasting money on it. Lock the front or upgrade the rear axle and lock it.

However, if you had a decent rear axle and could only lock one, the rear is the one to lock for many reasons.

1. When climbing anything the weight transfers to the rear axle and that is where your traction is.

2. When climbing the front becomes unweighted and there is significantly reduced traction at the front tires. There is a reason nearly all manufacturers put a larger axle in the rear, it does most the work.

3. On most 4x4's the rear axle is stronger and better able to handle the stress placed on axle shafts by a locked differential.

4. Running with a locked front axle places large amounts of stress on the axle shafts and steering components, and increases turning radius. The locker causes the wheels to resist turning and go straight. This is why a selectable front locker is best in front, because you don't need to lock the front most of the time.

Every 4x4 publication I've seen that has written on this subject agrees that if you only lock one axle it should be the rear.
JP Magazine said it pretty well:
"Front or Rear?
Some people would argue that if you are going to use only one locker you should put it up front. That way you won’t have to deal with the adverse on-road driving characteristics because you can unlock your hubs. We say that’s wrong. First of all, many Jeeps don’t have hubs to unlock up front. Secondly, if you are driving up a steep hill all of the vehicle’s weight is on the rear tires, while the fronts may be just scratching the surface instead of digging and pulling. A locker in the rear will dig and fight until you go up....."

I have ARB selectable lockers front and rear, and I have run both ways, there is no comparison. I find it interesting that the ARB wiring harness will not even let you engage the front locker unless the rear is already locked. I had to by pass the ARB harness to test front locking only. As one of the posters above mentioned, if you lose the rear locker or drive shaft, you will quickly realize how little traction the front axle alone will provide when attempting to negotiate an obstacle or incline.
Most people who believe the front axle is providing more traction than the rear do not have the ability to unlock the rear and really test the difference.