One locker, front or rear first?

[Mstrkage]

I have a disconnect front axle and plan on purchasing an aussie for the front and leaving the rear open as it is a D35. I figure with a manual disconnect for the front (homemade posi-lock) it will be like a poor mans selectable. At least that is how it works in my head. And I looked on the aussie locker sight and they showed the lockers on backorder, where did you order from

 

[mscans]

The reason you put a selectable out back is that when your in 2wd your front locker is virtually invisable...that is at least for a street driven rig...

this isn't true with our unit bearings and front ends always rotating is it?

 

[nootay]

first off, thanks a TON for this thread, its answered a lot of my questions.

this isn't true with our unit bearings and front ends always rotating is it?

OK so im going to try to answer this with what ive learned from this thread and other research. With automatic lockers such as aussie lockers, they are only engaged when the driveshaft is turning the front, aka torque is being applied. just because the front is always rotating doesnt necessarily mean torque is being applied. So with this in mind, the locker would NOT be engaged. Correct me if im wrong, im by far no expert with this.


I live just outside of harrisonburg virginia. Get out to the trails maybe once a month if im lucky. I do a few easy-moderate trails around the area. mainly mud and dirt trails. with this in mind it seems a front aussie would work best for me ('99 xj d30/8.25). ive been wheeling with a friend that has locked front and rear and watching him zip up some of the climbs around here compared to me runing front and rear open diff leaves me incredibly jealous. Being on a pretty serious budget right now, $250 for an d30 aussie locker really seems the way to go. if i were to get new shafts for the d30, does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Jawa]

I also have a '99 with the D30/C8.25 axles and I run a Lock-Right in the front only. I can't recommend it enough! The locker really is invisible most of the time. It snaps and pops here and there and it clunks a bit when making a tight turn (u-turn), but for around town driving you'd never know its there.

Performance off road is amazing. I regularly zip right over obstacles that guys with open diffs struggle on. I haven't found a con to having a front locker only yet - maybe I will once winter hits and I have to drive in the snow with it...

 

[nootay]

I also have a '99 with the D30/C8.25 axles and I run a Lock-Right in the front only. I can't recommend it enough! The locker really is invisible most of the time. It snaps and pops here and there and it clunks a bit when making a tight turn (u-turn), but for around town driving you'd never know its there.

Performance off road is amazing. I regularly zip right over obstacles that guys with open diffs struggle on. I haven't found a con to having a front locker only yet - maybe I will once winter hits and I have to drive in the snow with it...

yea on road driving in the snow is the only thing im worried about. in virginia last year we didnt have much snow. what snow we did get iwas able to move around in 2wd all the time.

as for d30 upgrades, would it be advisable to get greaseable ujoints? the stock arent greasable i dont think. seems like it makes sense for them to be greaseable. how do you tell if your d30 can disconnect or not? mine is bone stock right now

 

[Mstrkage]

if yours is a 99 than it is a non disconnect. The disconnect option was only in the early years of the cherokee and is generally a less than desirable axle. Except for me, I tend to like the idea of it and plan on getting a locker for it as soon as possible

 

[Jawa]

as for d30 upgrades, would it be advisable to get greaseable ujoints? the stock arent greasable i dont think. seems like it makes sense for them to be greaseable. how do you tell if your d30 can disconnect or not? mine is bone stock right now

If you find yourself in water frequently the greasable ujoints might be better. If you get water in them you can force it out by pumping in more grease.

Like the previous poster said, you're D30 is definitely not a disconnect. They stopped putting those in after 1992, IIRC.

 

[squidd]

I ordered mine through torque masters website (aussie parent company), they went off of backorder status tuesday night, $261 shipped. Got a tracking number so they must really have them. I also found them in stock at northridge 4x4 for $259 shipped and just got an e-mail back from them yesterday that they had them for the D30 ready to ship.

 

[Ramsey]

Just put an aussie or lockright in the front, lock both preferably, but if only one, do the front.

 

[squidd]

Just got the aussie installed in the front and took the cherokee out to reiter pit this past Sunday. What a difference!! Crawled over stuff I wouldn't have thought of going over before. Deffinitly a great improvment. Can't tell its there in 2wd on the street and locks right up in 4wd. Great mod!!

 

[Camo-5]

Anyone have more experience with an Aussie type locker in the front only in snow (other than the couple posts so far)? I'm in Michigan and frequently travel to northern Michigan snowmobiling and encounter FEET of snow on the way up. Most of my summer wheeling is done on hardpack and sand on tight trails so a front only application would seem to work well.....

Thanks!

 

[asp]

Anyone have more experience with an Aussie type locker in the front only in snow (other than the couple posts so far)? I'm in Michigan and frequently travel to northern Michigan snowmobiling and encounter FEET of snow on the way up. Most of my summer wheeling is done on hardpack and sand on tight trails so a front only application would seem to work well.....

Thanks!

last weekend i went out with xbobj. for reference, he has a lunchbox locked D30

and open rear on about 5" lift and worn 33" TSL's. i have a no-slip in the rear, open front on a 2" BB, lots of trimming, and 31" BFG muds with good tread. we were both running swaybar-less. after seeing how each of our jeep's performed, i wouldn't have done it any other way than going with the no-slip. i think having my rear locked helped me more than him having his front locked helped him. but anyway, to more specifically answer your question, when you encounter feet of snow, you're not going to be going fast and you will want all the traction you can get. i would suggest against a lunchbox in the front for 4HI normal driving speeds in snow (20-40 mph) because it will cause the steering to pull. for slow speeds in feet of snow, i think it will help. in fact, i might not hesitate to lunchbox lock both, if traction is a priority in situations like that. fwiw i DD mine and don't mind it at all. sure it breaks a tire loose here and there but oh well.

 

[Dustin_XJ]

When you guys talk about mud trails, how deep is the mud you are talking about? I run in a lot of local mud bogs where the mud is any where from 2ft- 5ft deep, and I only see a couple of normal trails a year.(i.e some rocks smaller hillclimbes ect) and the winters here haven't been that bad in a while and this is my DD. So, even after reading all of the above i am still wondering which i should lock first. Please help.

ps:I have an '01 with the D30 and the 8.25 out back on the RE 4.5" lift and 32s

 

[winkosmosis]

My coworker says:

Yeah mine is in the front, my rear is welded (spool). But I also have manual hubs in front. We have a ranch truck in Mississippi that has a lunchbox in the front and I never unlock the hubs on it, but drive around in rwd a lot. Steering acts squirrely sometimes so I assume the locker is acting on the axles without the front driveshaft engaged, but I don't know for sure.

 

[WaXJ_Skier]

Anyone have more experience with an Aussie type locker in the front only in snow (other than the couple posts so far)? I'm in Michigan and frequently travel to northern Michigan snowmobiling and encounter FEET of snow on the way up. Most of my summer wheeling is done on hardpack and sand on tight trails so a front only application would seem to work well.....

Thanks!

I have aussies front and rear and have no problem driving in the snow. I ski every weekend in the winter, as long as I drove at a sane speed I was fine, to be honest I was more worried about my brakes, stock brakes suck in the snow with 33's

 

[grize]

I just got done reading all of this and still don't know what to think, living in MI and DDing my Jeep (97 sport 3" BDS w/31/10.5 AT's) 90 miles a day. I was with the crowd for locking the front with an aussie and later a selectable in the rear but I use 4HI driving the freeway in the winter and it sounds like this would cause trouble.

 

[Turfzilla]

I would not call it trouble, just have to hang on to in at highway speeds in snow.

 

[JAS]

.... Yes, to each his own. Try it the other way and then report back what you find. The whole concept of running a selectable front locker to be able to turn better is being proven incorrect........even though that has been the way folks have been doing it for a very long time. We've also had this discussion regarding front Detroits vs selectable lockers like ARB's. The guys have run the ARB's so they can turn better, yet on a tight obstacle when it really matters they need to keep the front locked. In that scenario, the front Detroit will turn better than the locked ARB, since the ARB is now spooled and the Detroit will allow some differentiation between the two front tires. I've talked to guys who have run it both ways, had a front ARB and now have a front Detroit, and they say that the Detroit turns sharper.

Anyway, good discussions, with good info. Let the reader make their own analysis.

I think this is the best thing that I have learned here. I have generally been of the understanding that ARB would also alow the outside tires to be over spun just as a detroit would allow. It appears that I have been wrong.

Having had a welded rear in a CJ for years I really understand the reallity of having a spool in the rear and how 'lockers' are better than spools.

I do not believe that I have seen this discussed anywhere on the web.

Are these statments below really true...

Detroit allows one tire to be spun faster than than the tire that is being driven... ie the outside tire can be spun faster than the inside tire

ARB is more of a selecteable spool...It does not allow the outside tire to be overspun and therefore scuffs and scrapes when locked in the same way a welded diff or real spool does when locked.

 

[tomcat]

I do not believe that I have seen this discussed anywhere on the web.

Are these statments below really true...

Detroit allows one tire to be spun faster than than the tire that is being driven... ie the outside tire can be spun faster than the inside tire

ARB is more of a selecteable spool...It does not allow the outside tire to be overspun and therefore scuffs and scrapes when locked in the same way a welded diff or real spool does when locked.

the internet is a vast place, and the information is out there, but here is my version

yes, the Detroit, and any "auto locker" is really an "auto un-locker", where it allows a wheel to slip, but will re-lock at its earliest opportunity, and when under load. some are more aggresive than others, and some are noisier than others, but all the same concept

yes, any selectable locker is more of a selectable spool, and in the front will fight you if you are turning with both wheels on the ground. i try to unlock the front at the earliest opportunity.

 

[JAS]

the internet is a vast place, and the information is out there, but here is my version

yes, the Detroit, and any "auto locker" is really an "auto un-locker", where it allows a wheel to slip, but will re-lock at its earliest opportunity, and when under load. some are more aggresive than others, and some are noisier than others, but all the same concept

yes, any selectable locker is more of a selectable spool, and in the front will fight you if you are turning with both wheels on the ground. i try to unlock the front at the earliest opportunity.

Is it really a slip or overspin? I am just wanting to make sure that I understand this correctly. I am about to spend 2K+ on lockers and gears and want to make sure of what I am buying and what it will do to my Jeep.

I am leaning towards front and rear ARBs along with cutting brakes to get some of that manuverablity back. After Having a welded rear I think I am OK with this.