Sorry, you're asking a legitimate question here.........but I'm going to rant for a second.
Where did all of this front spool/welded diff stuff come from?
Like I just said in another post, welded front diffs are lame. They may work for some, but the degree of success is purely based on expectations.....low expectations.
To answer your question. No, you won't have a locker in the front if the diff is welded and the hubs are locked. You'll have a spool. A spool and a locker are different. A spool permamently locks the two front axles together, so both tires will always turn at the same speed, meaning one tire will always have to slip when cornering. A locker allows differentiation, which is one tire turning faster than the other when cornering. The tires won't have to slip when cornering with a locker, since the locker allows the outside tire to turn faster than the inside tire, so no tire scrubbing when cornering with a locker.
A locker still won't turn as good as an open diff will, and a spool won't turn as good as a locker will.
Considering the amount of money we spend on our rigs in lifts, tires, gears, etc, the couple of hundred bucks that a lunchbox locker costs is pretty damn cheap. It's impossible to argue that a spooled front won't be harder on axle joints, the degree depending on terrian. Two broken front shafts is the same as the cost of a locker. So, what's cheap?
You guys that are so willing to tout your welded front diffs need to understand something. To most of us around here, you're simply saying that "I don't care much about handling, and I'm cheap". If that's OK with you, it's OK with us, but don't expect to not get called on it.
