Locker in front or rear?

[MrSimon]

I choose front first for two reasons:

1. I had a D35 at the time of purchase.
2. I was worried that locking the rear would affect my on-road driving. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't, but a front locker is completely invisible on the road (in 2WD of course). I don't even know its there.

I'm thrilled with the traction improvement with my front locker. I found that in rocks it was great to have both front tires pulling the truck up and over rocks and out of divits and holes. It was a HUGE improvement over open/open.

Maybe a rear locker would have given me the same traction improvements, but at least this way I still have an open rear for the road.

Eventually, I'll get a TruTrac or a selectable for the rear.

 

[-96JeepSpeed-]

Not to add that locking the rear also allows you to do some awesome doughnuts.

X2:laugh2:

 

[muddyrocks]

ok I'll throw in on this... the front. for the first reason stated , but more: If the front isn't making headway it won't matter how much push you get. Heck, in rocks if you can't get the front up there is no bump.

Always the front first unless your into mud or something crazy like that.

 

[ceb0217]

sell jeep buy a civic......... and no more 35 or locker problems. A guy that I know put one in the front and has broken 4 axle shafts and the ball joints and it only does a little better for fourwheeling.

 

[MoparManiac]

sell jeep buy a civic......... and no more 35 or locker problems. A guy that I know put one in the front and has broken 4 axle shafts and the ball joints and it only does a little better for fourwheeling.

Tire size? Driving style? Broken joints, spit caps, or the actual shaft broke? 260s, 297s, or 760s?

More specific please, you're making him sound like he doesn't know how to drive.

 

[Darky]

My friend has an ARB front (and rear). He snapped his pass side ujoint trying to climb out of a hole while wedged against a rock. This was on 32s with a D35 rear. He says if he had unlocked, he wouldn't have broken.

 

[MoparManiac]

Maybe I'm just lucky along with the people I go wheeling with.

Almost all of them have lunchbox lockers with 33"+ tires on D30s. I've yet to see them break a shaft with full circle snap rings. Hell, even with the factory half circle clips.

I used to air out my D30 cresting over ledges and come back down on it. Definitely didn't snap a shaft with full circles. Went right to the ring gear :gee:

Basically, I wouldn't have hesitated to put a lunchbox in the D30 again.

 

[fubar XJ]

What, is this topic a weekly requirement or something?

Search, it's been done a hundred times. Need help searching? Look in the FAQ area on the front page.

 

[ceb0217]

Tire size? Driving style? Broken joints, spit caps, or the actual shaft broke? 260s, 297s, or 760s?

More specific please, you're making him sound like he doesn't know how to drive.


he drives foot on the floor, he has broken the small and large shafts/joints and twisted the shaft off on the pumpken,spit the caps out causing ball joint sepperation. its on 33/10.50 bfg mud but know he has ktm i think

 

[Renegade360]

Tire size? Driving style? Broken joints, spit caps, or the actual shaft broke? 260s, 297s, or 760s?

More specific please, you're making him sound like he doesn't know how to drive.


he drives foot on the floor, he has broken the small and large shafts/joints and twisted the shaft off on the pumpken,spit the caps out causing ball joint sepperation. its on 33/10.50 bfg mud but know he has ktm i think

Yep, doesn't know how to drive for the equipment he has.

I went with aussie in the front. A) because I had one that I stole out of my CJ, so it was free. B) the Aussie 8.25 is like $60 more than the D30, C) The logic that Aussie has on their website about this topic is sound, Here it is;

A front installation will usually yield the greatest improvement in off-road capability. This is due to the general requirement of increased in traction under hill climbing or rock crawling. Under full climbing conditions, due to the angle of the vehicle, the rear wheels carry a much greater weight (weight transfer) and therefore, the front carries less weight and tends to break traction very easily.

Once one front wheel starts to spin the other wheel stops turning and the whole front diff ceases to provide traction. At this point the load is transferred to the rear diff as if the vehicle was a 2WD and due to the increased load the rear wheels tend to spin and the vehicle stops. If you can stop the front wheel from spinning you have solved the traction problem. In addition to the traction performance a front installation does not introduce any changes in handling characteristics.

 

[Deadwood]

I've seen this topic every week like mentioned before....yet there's so many different opinions and forms of logic....basically, I'm looking forward to buying a locker and finding out for myself first hand.

 

[xtimmax]

Front first FTW!!!

Im locked on both ends now, But If I had to take a locker out I would ditch the rear way before I got rid of the front.

I guess it also depends on the type of wheeling that you do.

 

[cher96]

I vote Selectable in Front and an Auto Locker (LunchBox) in the Rear where it is most beneficial.

Detroit, Lockright, or Aussie (in that order) for the Rear.

For the front

Go with a Selectable for the front... The very best is the OX Locker and is less expensive than an Air or Electric Selectable. ARB Locker Kit plus Air Pump= Big Bucks.

No wires to short out. No hoses to crack or brake or Air Pump to worry about.

On slippery, rainy, icy, or snowy surfaces a selectable is always the best for the front. When unselected the wheels spin like an open diff and you will not have to worry about it suddenly locking up and taking you where you have never been before. It's very difficult to make normal turns with a LunchBox on the Front. The front end feels like it's on ice and your turning radius is cut short.I will never go with anything else but a selectable for the front.

I have seen People go up Inclines and hit Mud or Sand and their LunchBox wouldn't let them Steer. I have driven in Heavy Rain here in Florida and the Oil, Grit, Rubber, Sand have kept me going straight without a Locker... heaven forbid I had a LunchBox in the Front.

* 100% MADE IN THE USA.
* Lockers are made of 8620 steel. SAME AS RING AND PINION GEARS
* Only FORGED and heat treated steel. NO CAST PARTS HERE
* Exclusive 4 spider gear design on ALL OX Lockers.
* HEAVY DUTY Steel Diff Cover. Included FREE with each locker
* “Back Cut” gear tooth locking ring and locking gear. DESIGNED FOR MAXIMUM LOCKING FORCE!
* 100% mechanical design with cable and shifter.
* Optional Air Actuation System.


If you choose you could go with any of these options:

Manual shifter OX-SHFT

Air actuation system OXA1001

Electronic shifter OXE1001


OX Lockers for the following aplications:


Dana 30 3.73 and up, 27 spline OXD30C373H-27

Dana 30 3.73 and up, 30 spline OXD30C373H-30

Dana 35 3.55 and up, 27 spline OXD35C355H-27

Dana 35 3.55 and up, 30 spline OXD35C355H-30

Dana 44 3.73 and dn,30 spline OXD44C373D-30

Dana 44 3.92 and up, 30 spline OXD44C392H-30

Dana 44 3.92 and up, 33 spline OXD44C392H-33

Dana 44 JK, Non Rubicon, 30 spline OXD44JK-30

Dana 60 4.10 and dn, 35 spline OXD60C354H-35

Dana 60 4.10 and dn, 30 spline OXD60C354H-30

Dana 60 4.56 and up, 35 spline OXD60C456H-35

Dana 60 4.56 and up, 30 spline OXD60C456H-30

Ford 8.8 2.73 and up, 31 spline OXF88C273H-31

AMC 20 3.08 and up, 29 spline OXA20C308H-29

Yes, they are working on a Chrysler 8.25 Locker and its in testing right now.


http://www.ox-usa.com/ox/Home/tabid/365/Default.aspx


OX

440 S. Pinellas Ave

Tarpon Springs, FL 34689


Technical Support: 727-230-7803

Fax: 727-232-3721


Email at:

[email protected]


Hope this helps.[/QUOTE]

 

[hidesintrees]

front first, why do you think front wheel drive cars do better than rear wheel drive cars on snowy mtn roads and passes? becasue pulling is better than pushing. go find someone with a fr locker only and a rear locker only, go try and get over a TUFF obstacle that someone locked f/r did with ease. end of story.
more weight to the rear just makes you spin and get cocked sideways if your actually crawling, i say this fom my experience and from watching plenty of other similarly equipped rigs suffer from this.
plus the aussies and lockrights springs wear out when put in the rear and daily driven(not all of em) but most people have issues with unexpected locking and the teeth start to wear down till your left with nothing, usually after 10-13ooo miles. i have an aussie in my d44 front and spoold rear 9". it works great in the snow, just learn how to drive better. plus you dont know its there unless theres power to your front end.
my2cents

 

[cher96]

front first, why do you think front wheel drive cars do better than rear wheel drive cars on snowy mtn roads and passes? becasue pulling is better than pushing. go find someone with a fr locker only and a rear locker only, go try and get over a TUFF obstacle that someone locked f/r did with ease. end of story.
more weight to the rear just makes you spin and get cocked sideways if your actually crawling, i say this fom my experience and from watching plenty of other similarly equipped rigs suffer from this.
plus the aussies and lockrights springs wear out when put in the rear and daily driven(not all of em) but most people have issues with unexpected locking and the teeth start to wear down till your left with nothing, usually after 10-13ooo miles. i have an aussie in my d44 front and spoold rear 9". it works great in the snow, just learn how to drive better. plus you dont know its there unless theres power to your front end.
my2cents

The reason Front Wheel Drive Cars (noticed I said "Cars") do better in the snow than Rear Drive Cars is because all the Weight is in the Front where the Engine is and Front Wheel Drives do not come with Lockers. One wheel will spin at a time. Cars usually have little or hardly any weight in the back. That is why People sometimes put Kitty Litter or Cinder Blocks in their Trucks when driving in Winter.

There is NO comparison between a Car and a Jeep, SUV, or Truck 4x4. IMHO

 

[93gc40]

Front or Rear first?? This depends on the type of wheeling you do, and conditions when DDing. Spend some time wheeling OPEN for a while. When you are out on the trail, notice, which slips first front or rear? Lock the end that slips the most. For me it is the front, up steep slippery hills and when climbing up rocks. So as soon as possible I will be locking the front.

For the rear I'm still not sure what to do. I may just go with LSD, there. This is because most of the slippage I get is in the front end. When the rear does let go, the front is ussually already slipping. So locked front and LSD (even converting to stock system) will work perfect for me.

 

[Magus2727]

The reason Front Wheel Drive Cars (noticed I said "Cars") do better in the snow than Rear Drive Cars is because all the Weight is in the Front where the Engine is and Front Wheel Drives do not come with Lockers. One wheel will spin at a time. Cars usually have little or hardly any weight in the back. That is why People sometimes put Kitty Litter or Cinder Blocks in their Trucks when driving in Winter.

There is NO comparison between a Car and a Jeep, SUV, or Truck 4x4. IMHO

X2

Also have you ever driven a Front Wheel car in the snow and take a turn going just a hair too fast? Since it's got your power and your turning, you just go straight (same thing with taking too fast of a turn on dry pavement in a FWD).

some FWD cars have Posi-Trac (Quailfe or Torsen are big names) on select models (usually sport or after market) but is a biasing issue where it will bias a certain amount of power from the one slipping to the one with traction up to a certain percentage of power transfer (most aggressive I have seen is a 60/40 split where it will pull 60% power from the slipping tire and put it to the non-slipping tire). This is good since it does not create problems with turning due to not having a ratchet style design or a locker and is constantly biasing power between the tires.

They need to make these for our jeeps then it would be perfect for the front axle.

 

[boomhauer]

Good grief. Locked front is definitely the most noticeable for off-road gain. The rear helps alot too and is fun as all get-out, but if i was allowed only one, i'd lose the rear and keep my front. And the people who are worried about winter driving with a front locker, don't be. BUT be cautious and learn how to drive with it. 2 foot driving style in an auto, just like off-roading is very beneficial. Learn how to drive with it, if you cannot or it still scares you, please remove it and sell it to someone who can.:lecture: -B

 

[boomhauer]

X2

Also have you ever driven a Front Wheel car in the snow and take a turn going just a hair too fast? Since it's got your power and your turning, you just go straight (same thing with taking too fast of a turn on dry pavement in a FWD).

some FWD cars have Posi-Trac (Quailfe or Torsen are big names) on select models (usually sport or after market) but is a biasing issue where it will bias a certain amount of power from the one slipping to the one with traction up to a certain percentage of power transfer (most aggressive I have seen is a 60/40 split where it will pull 60% power from the slipping tire and put it to the non-slipping tire). This is good since it does not create problems with turning due to not having a ratchet style design or a locker and is constantly biasing power between the tires.

They need to make these for our jeeps then it would be perfect for the front axle.

They do, it's called a True-Trac.:laugh:

 

[tbburg]

..., This is good since it does not create problems with turning due to not having a ratchet style design or a locker and is constantly biasing power between the tires. [/FONT][/COLOR]

They need to make these for our jeeps then it would be perfect for the front axle.

Funny this comes up. The TJ Rubicon has it's famous lockers. When they're not locked,
The FRONT is open.
The REAR is a limited slip.