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Aussie Locker

hey i have though about putting one up front, i hear alot of good things about them in drier climates, but they also say that you'll just be all over the place in the snow. mainly on hills.
i would go selectable/truetrac if your in the snow
 
I love mine, but it isn't a daily driver, so I can't speak to that. Although I can't ever tell that it is there in 2wd. Heck I never even know it is there in 4wd, except that both wheels always turn.
 
youll hate a full time locker in the snow on the road... youll be all over the place. Its good in the snow if your stuck but not for driving around town. If your gonna take the time to build it id say wait for a 44 or just do a selectable locker (not an LS either)
my .02
 
Tom, I've run either a Lock-Rite or Detroit full time locker in my front axle for over three years. I have no regrets, and the thing has been unstopable in the snow. Seeing as we live in the same area and as little snow as we get on the roads, I wouldn't hesitate to lock it up.

For our area, it works fine. If you have to drive on packed snow and ice every day, I can see how it might get old.

-----Matt-----
 
I've driven several days on packed ice here, and the aussie up front hasn't been a problem...

I don't understand where these claims of "you'll be all over the place" come from, frankly.
 
Snow....thats the white cold wet stuff I have seen on TV isn't it??
 
I have been running an Aussie in the front diff DANA 30 for around two years. I also have a spool in the rear 44 besides going thru rear tires it's great. Were I live there is snow on the ground from Oct to early May. I find all you have to do is drive accordingly. If the intersection is slippery I put it 4hi then when I get going I pop it back into 2wd. No worries.
 
mikes offroad said:
I have been running an Aussie in the front diff DANA 30 for around two years. I also have a spool in the rear 44 besides going thru rear tires it's great. Were I live there is snow on the ground from Oct to early May. I find all you have to do is drive accordingly. If the intersection is slippery I put it 4hi then when I get going I pop it back into 2wd. No worries.
Click to expand...

This guy really knows about snow, living where he does. I would consider his comments the most valid about driving in snow. His experience with a 231 and an Aussie are the only real ones I would consider if snow driving was my main concern.
Having said that what about an Aussie in a 242 in fulltime 4WD. Any comments from anyone about snow or dirt or rain or rocks or mud or sand???
 
I can't comment about any issues with a 242, however I live in MA and we usually get a bunch of snow in the winter. This is my first winter with a Loc-Rite in the D30 up front.

I don't know why everyone says "You'll be all over the place".

Can you floor it from a dead stand still going around a 90 degree corner? No.

Have I ever lost control because of it? No.

Would I go back and do it again? Yes. (unless I HAD the money for a selectable)

Honestly, do it. You won't regret it. Just drive how you normally drive in the snow, cautiously, and you won't have a problem.
 
The one thing that does get a little annoying is when you go to stop at a light. One tire is on ice and the other on the gravel they spread on the roads then the locker wants to engage and diengae making alot of ratching noise. The first time this happened I thought that I had screwed something up. But further research showed it was just the locker ratcheting. But I love it in the front. It will stay there till I can go to a 44 and 9". Happy Snow Wheeling
 
I live in buffalo, ny... we get a fair amount of snow. This is the first year with my aussie in the front. If in 4wd you cannot turn while powering, the truck will just go straight. let off the gas and turn slow (should do that anyway) In bad conditions I find my self using 4wd from a slippery digg or while going straight in heavy snow. Majority of the time I cruize in 2wd. and then you don't even know the locker is there. One plus is that if you get stuck because you couldn't steer your truck and ran into a ditch, you can probably get your self out.
 
swbooking said:
youll hate a full time locker in the snow on the road... youll be all over the place. Its good in the snow if your stuck but not for driving around town. If your gonna take the time to build it id say wait for a 44 or just do a selectable locker (not an LS either)
my .02
Click to expand...

damn....i guess i just learned how to drive with mine, because i never had that problem.....maybe all you need is a little practice :shhh: i wouldn't hesitate to do it again...
 
mikes offroad said:
The one thing that does get a little annoying is when you go to stop at a light. One tire is on ice and the other on the gravel they spread on the roads then the locker wants to engage and diengae making alot of ratching noise. The first time this happened I thought that I had screwed something up. But further research showed it was just the locker ratcheting. But I love it in the front. It will stay there till I can go to a 44 and 9". Happy Snow Wheeling
Click to expand...

Hijack on.....Are you an Ice Road Trucker?....Hijack off
 
I ve had my aussie in front for about 4 years now and do A LOT of snow driving in the mountains. Let off the gas into a turn excelerate out of the turn ( like you are supposed to do) and I ve never had any problems what so ever. It just boils down to smart driving. Go for it, you will love it!!!
 
mikeforte said:
This guy really knows about snow, living where he does. I would consider his comments the most valid about driving in snow. His experience with a 231 and an Aussie are the only real ones I would consider if snow driving was my main concern.
Having said that what about an Aussie in a 242 in fulltime 4WD. Any comments from anyone about snow or dirt or rain or rocks or mud or sand???
Click to expand...


wikipedia said:
Yellowknife (IPA: /ˈjɛloʊnaɪf/) (2006 population 18,700 [1] ) is the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories. It is located on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km. (250 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River.
Click to expand...

That sounds really, really cold.


Mikes Offroad gets my vote for snow wheeling authority of the season.! ;)
 
IntrepidXJ said:
damn....i guess i just learned how to drive with mine, because i never had that problem.....maybe all you need is a little practice :shhh: i wouldn't hesitate to do it again...
Click to expand...

haha well i only drove once in the snow with a locker. It was my buddies a YJ with a detroit front and rear. granted it wasent mine so that could have caused more of the "all over the place" driving. Hell maybe if i did have some more practice it wouldnt be so bad :D
 
X2 on the hijack about the ratcheting with one wheel in slush. sounds nasty, but its just locking and unlocking under load. No handling problems that i can tell under normal conditions as long as u know how to drive in the snow in the first place. One weird thing tho- and im not sure if its aussie related/ was in 4hi climbing out of a steep driveway and turning right- went back to 2hi, and it felt like it stayed locked for about a block, wanted to steer sharply in either direction on its own, then one clunk and it popped back out. anyone experienced this? Other than that, id say go for it, works great.
 
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