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Trac Lok

What Combo?

  • Limited Slip front and Rear

    Votes: 6 5.9%

  • Limited Slip Front, Locker Rear

    Votes: 22 21.8%

  • Locker Front, Limited Slip Rear

    Votes: 14 13.9%

  • Locker Front and Rear

    Votes: 55 54.5%

  • Nothing at all stay stock

    Votes: 4 4.0%
  • Total voters
    101
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9

96xjeeper

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Fort Leonardwood, MO
I have a 96 Country with stock open diffs in it and 3.55's. I have EVERYTHING I need to go to 4.11's and I am wondering is it worth it for me to buy a Trac Lok Limited Slip carrier for it. I am intending on adding a limited slip OR a locker to the front, whichever I find for a more reasonable price first! should I just keep looking for a locker. I am looking at paying under $100 adn occasionally find a locker on ebay for that but OFTEN the Trac Lok for that, in fact less. So the question would it be worth my while to put a limited slip front and rear? By the way This is a trail vehicle only
 
If it's trail only I see no reason why it shouldn't be locked front and rear, with limited-slip front and rear as a second option. This is where someone is bound to say "Lincoln Locker" if it's truly trail only.

If you do decide to go with a limited-slip or a locker though, get it installed at the same time as you do the gears themselves to save quite a bit on labor.
 
First you need to decide where the Jeep will be used most !!!!
IF you are going to use it as a daily driver and the Jeep will only see trail use 5 times a month then you need to determine what type of trails you are going to do and what you will need to do them.....
A rear locker will get you thru most obstacles where a limited slip may not....
Personally I ran a TracLoc in the rear and a TrueTrac in the front until I decided the TracLoc just wasn't up to the task of doing the trails I was doing.... I installed a PowerTrax No-Slip into the TracLoc carrier.... used that for over 2 years and then installed a Detroit Locker in the Corp 8.25 (29 spline version). A few months later I installed a selectable ARB air locker in the front. The front locker ONLY gets used during the HARDEST of obstacles since the Detroit Locker usually gets me thru almost all obstacles by picking the right obstacle approach line.....

OOOPSSS.... Missed the TRAIL ONLY VEHICLE...... in the above post....
If you can afford it.... go with the locker in the front and rear......

Charles
 
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Since it is trail only, I'd do what's suggested above and weld the rear or full locker but the full locker is going to set you back quite a bit more than a hundred. If you have a D35, I've got a Trac Lok I'm getting rid of for 3.55 and numerically higher gears, new clutches.
 
OK first, ACE how much for the trac lok?
And second, will welding the front and rear weken it much?
I do ALOT of hill climbs and will be getting a little more into rocks. No mud anymore unless it is in the way. I am in TN so I would be doing Tellico some, and if anyone is familiar with Land Between the Lakes (Turkey Bay) in KY, I go there alot, it is local for me.
Third if breakage happens from licoln locking were will the breakage occur? The spider gears, R&P, housing itself? Thanks guys.........
 
what breaks first???
AFIK in the d-30 it's usually the intermediate shaft? (the one between the diff and the disco) or the u-joint's.

d-35 shaft's

it all depends on your luck you can break anything if you try hard enough but from what i've heard theese are the most common
 
I wouldn't waste any money on a Trash-Loc. It's barely better than open for trail work. D35's are weak, and are always at risk of breaking.

Welded D35's have been known to break an axle on the street.

Welded front diffs are lame......especially a D30. Ask guys who have an ARB or Ox Locker how they would like driving around continually with the front locker engaged. It's just a bad idea, and will cause an increased likelyhood of breaking something.

It takes a little bit of dough to do this sport of 4wheeling. Save up a little and do it as right as you can.
 
I was wondering how a Lockright would be in the front d30 I can afford that, Its my daily driver but i want to enjoy alot of difficult trails aswell. Just wondering you guys take on a lockright..
 
Los11 said:
I was wondering how a Lockright would be in the front d30 I can afford that, Its my daily driver but i want to enjoy alot of difficult trails aswell. Just wondering you guys take on a lockright..
Click to expand...


Lock Rites are great in the rear for a daily driver, but not the front. They aren’t in the same class as a Detroit or ARB, but they are a quarter of the price and you can put them in your self in an afternoon.
 
Many, many people have run Lockrights and other lockers in the front. You won't feel a thing in 2wd, it has no effect on handling or the feel of the vehicle. If you have a disconnect front axle the locker doesn't do anything at all in 2wd, if you do not have a disconnect front axle, then even though you'll never feel the locker it can chatter in real tight turns, which can be annoying but it won't do anything other than make some noise. I've run an EZ Locker in the front so I'm speaking from experience......not just what I've heard or read.
 
Having progressed through most of these options, here's what I did.

Started with a Trac-Lok that had been rebuilt and was running all new clutches in the rear and was open in the front. Ran most trails in the Northwest with lots of wheelspin and just a small amount of control.

I later added a Lock-Right to the front of my non-disco D30. It improved the capability of the rig by a magnitude of 5. It was literally amazing and if I had to do it again I would stick the front locker in first.

I've since added a Lock-Right to the rear D35 and have been able to go virtually anywhere I want.

I just did the Rubicon last month, no bypasses, no straps or winches and the axles worked flawlessly. I haven't broken anything and I contend that comes with experience and patience.

I did lose a rear driveshaft on Cadillac Hill and had to drive out in front wheel drive, low range. The Lock-Right drug me out to the paved road but the resulting front locker bind on the drive from Lake Tahoe to Carson City was quite an event. That's the only disadvantage to a non-disco D30 and a locker, driving on pavement in full time 4WD is really not an option any longer.
 
I was also wondering how its on the road in 4wd in snow any comments on it in the snow. I just want to figure out if the good out weighs the bad cause I want to lock the front but a selectable locker is just to much money right now you know.
 
If you can afford it run selectable lockers front and rear (ARB, OX). You'll have better steering control and parts will last longer. Use your judgement on the trail when you need to be locked or not locked. The big benefit is on the street when you can unlock and drive open. This is especially helpful in the snow. I realize that this will be a trail only rig, but I bet it will see street time.

The other option is Truetrac's front and rear. My buddy has them in his TJ and they get him through just about everything. HTH

Brad
 
Teh ONLY street time it will be seeing is between campgrounds and trails, it is not even registered anymore. But after all the advice I am looking at a welded rear and limited slip or selectable front, POSSIBLY welding front too.....my only other concern is a welded front and I gonna lose my turn radius?
 
With a welded front you might loose some wheeling partners. Hate to be so negative, but if I find out someone has a welded front D30, I won't wheel the same trail with them, or allow them on one of our runs.

It's your rig, and your money, but the people you wheel with have to deal with your breakage.
 
Welding the front spider gears (Lincoln locker) is not the answer to your needs.... While it may temporarily get you the traction you need.... your steering will suffer... along with most likely breaking U-joints or the welded parts.
I have gone thru a factory TracLoc in the rear with a open front, to TraTech (Detroit) TruTrac in the front with TracLoc in the rear, then to a TracLoc carrier with PowerTrax No-Slip inside the TracLoc carrier, to an ARB up front with the PowerTrax No-Slip in the rear and then finally a Detroit Locker in the rear with the ARB up front.
There is A LOT of accumulative wheeling experience who have been where you are now...... save your money and build it right the first time.... and you will save money on parts and labor in the long run.

Charles
 
CharlesS said:
Welding the front spider gears (Lincoln locker) is not the answer to your needs.... While it may temporarily get you the traction you need.... your steering will suffer... along with most likely breaking U-joints or the welded parts.
I have gone thru a factory TracLoc in the rear with a open front, to TraTech (Detroit) TruTrac in the front with TracLoc in the rear, then to a TracLoc carrier with PowerTrax No-Slip inside the TracLoc carrier, to an ARB up front with the PowerTrax No-Slip in the rear and then finally a Detroit Locker in the rear with the ARB up front.
There is A LOT of accumulative wheeling experience who have been where you are now...... save your money and build it right the first time.... and you will save money on parts and labor in the long run.

Charles
Click to expand...

Hey Charles, you get the body damage fixed from Moab last October?
 
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