Front Locker

Hey,
Anybody out there running a front locker only? Was wondering if this would be a good way to go for my daily driver (command-trac case)

I've heard of it done, but personally think it's a waist of money. You’re most likely to need the locker when you’re climbing over stuff, in which case most of your weight is on the rear axle. For that reason if your only going to install one locker install it in the rear where it will do the most good.

I have an ARB front locker, since it's selectable it works great on the road (or doesn't work, as the case may be)

FiFo said:

I've heard of it done, but personally think it's a waist of money. You’re most likely to need the locker when you’re climbing over stuff, in which case most of your weight is on the rear axle. For that reason if your only going to install one locker install it in the rear where it will do the most good.

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Couldn't you switch your reasoning though to say that a front locker would pull you through stuff?

Not when your climbing, no it would not. When you climb your front wheels have very little relative weight on them, everything shifts to the rear end.

If your having a hard time getting traction with your nose down, going downhill .. then yes, that would hold true.

cal said:

Not when your climbing, no it would not. When you climb your front wheels have very little relative weight on them, everything shifts to the rear end.

If your having a hard time getting traction with your nose down, going downhill .. then yes, that would hold true.

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You could just run the trails in reverse.

Don't try it though. I do it sometimes to show off my precision driving skills and it always leaves a crick in my neck.

I put one in the front of my daily driver a few years ago. The rear was an open D35, and I wanted to keep it that way till i changed it out.

Your right in that it will help pull you over things, better than a rear locker will. Ledges and rocks that I struggled with, became a walk in the park with the front locker.I found that it was more usefull than my buddies rear locker in most stuations. Steep hill accents does unload the front, but still I always had enough traction to make it. More than I had with no lockers. There is one hill in particular that I remember not being able to climb before the locker, that I could climb easily after install. It was loose dirt or mud, with off camber section right at the top.The nice thing about having the locker in the front, is the ability to hunt for traction by turning the wheel back and forth. On hill accents I found myself doing that more, than after adding the locker in the rear (which made everything easy). With an open rear you can also apply the brake when climbing an obstacle, that alows the rear to turn both axles a bit. This takes practice, but with a locked front, and the ability to apply some two axle power in the rear, you can get some pretty good traction. You can't do the brake trick with the open front (that 80/20 thing with the brake system).

So My opinion is that the front locker is better off-road than a rear, if you have to choose. My wheelin' is in the south, where we have "slick" as in muddy, rock, not that excellent traction surface they have out west.

The only thing about a automatic front locker, is that it will make noise in a dd that you will notice. Hard turns on pavement will bring a loud ratcheting sound, and will even play with the steering wheel a little. On the interstate at high speeds, and around town I never new it was there. Only time I really noticed was in parking lots making tight turns, or the hard left I made at the end of my drive-way. Not so much that you can't get used to it. Though new passengers will be asking what the H*&^ was that.

Driving a lok-rited rear XJ which was a friends, I noticed unloading effect. This would happen as you slowed to make a stop-light or sign. This would make the XJ want to pull to the left, then on unload, snapped it back to the right. Something you can also get used to, but more of a driveability problem than the front locker. That's the reason I bought a No-slip later for the rear, as they are transparent on the road, and excellent traction off road (they are a true locker, not a limited slip. Just a heck of alot smoother).

I used it with a front only for a year, welded the rear D35, broke the rear d35, and added a no-slip and an 8.25. The ratcheting eventually got to me and I installed lock-out hubs.

That said, if I started over again, I would have just done an OX locker (weren't available when I got started), or an ARB air locker. Expensive up front cost, but less in the long run if you don't want to run lock-out hubs.

I say the answer to another million dollar question is.... lock the front if your only locking one axle.

P.S. I noticed your in NC, so our traction problems are more similar than those of our western Brothers.

I put a aussie, in my d30 front it is by far the best mod I have dun. my 02 is go for it, it makes the huggest difference..good luck

One more thing...

Since you'll see snow, it's not really advised to run a automatic front locker in snow and ice. I could see running 2x4 untill it gets rough, then slow down and run 4x4. But with the dicey conditions y'all get, I would definately run a selectable locker. With hills, and ice, we're talkin' the difference between stayin on the road or headin' over the side. If your area sees winters with ice and snow driving, and you have to drive in it, leave the dd alone or add selectable lockers. The auto lockers will allow the front to push, and you'll essentially have no steering input in a slippery Icey situation. I tried unlocking one hub after adding lock-outs with the lock-rite up front. Does not work in the snow. I still plowed straight ahead with regular power to the pedal. With a very gentle application of the right foot, I could drive in 4x4 without plowing. In 2x4 I had no problems.

If your a careful driver that sees only occassional snow especially ice, then you'll be ok. If you like flying down the interstate in an ice-storm showing of your 4x4 prowess, I would go with a selectable locker.

i put an Aussie in my 30 and i love it. i went to Moab for the Fall Fling and it preformed awsomely. there were some parts that our open/open bretheren were having a hard time with on the wet slick rock and it was a breeze for me. instead of a locked rear trying to push the entire vehicle into then over a ledge or whatnot, the locked front pulled the front up and over the obstical.

as far as the snow goes, it does get some getting used to. the front end doesnt want to turn on me as well as before being locked. i dont use 4x4 in the snow too much as i dont want the false sence of security (i still have only four cappy MT/R's to stop me in the snow) so i like to stay in 2 wd as much as possible. from what i have done though it has been manageable even on city streets. just be a little careful when accelerating.

hope that helps
stewie

Front Aussie here too. Love it.

Front Aussie - open 35 rear - runs good! i reccomend it! Whenever the 35 blows up, then I will get something worth putting a locker in; in the rear!

I'll join the front Aussie crowd. There have been many instances I have been able to make obstacles easier than guys that are just locked in back. I originally wasn't going to wait long to get a rear locker, but since installing the front, I haven't been worried about it. I do plan on locking the rear before summer though.

This is from the Aussie website offroadlockers.com

"If only installing one locker should I install in the front or rear?"

"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. "

I will be getting a front locker soon and was curious about this thread as well.

Now another thing, to say that it is not the best idea and that most weight is in the rear is an interesting statement. What if you can't get the front up on a ledge to even put weight on the rear? Two tires pulling you up a hill/ledge rather than one is an advantage.

Oh and engines have some weight to them, so I'd have to agree that this would be just fine without a rear locker.

Of course, locked front and rear would be nice...

just a quick question would a front auto locker in 2wd mode stay unlocked until you put it in 4x4. i thought auto lockers unlocked when no power was sent to them. so it 2wd no power sent to front would it stay unlocked?

i have run no locker, rear locker only, and now lockers front and rear. for off-road, two lockers is the only way to go, no matter what tires you run and all the other over thought out things that people who have not had lockers wonder about. But, as a daily driver goes, if you have snowy streets much of the year, then a selectable locker is good advice. it's really good advice for all rigs, it's just that a trailered rig for example doesn't really need selectable lockers (most of the time) it's just that selectable's are much costlier to buy and install if you're not doin it yourself. remember, a drop in locker is only as strong as the carrier it goes in. if you live on flat land, no big deal. if you wheel in Johnson valley, go Detroits all the way. but, anything is breakable if you try hard enough.

97XJ Jeeper said:

just a quick question would a front auto locker in 2wd mode stay unlocked until you put it in 4x4. i thought auto lockers unlocked when no power was sent to them. so it 2wd no power sent to front would it stay unlocked?

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Yes it stays unlocked, but will ratchet as all that stuff is turning up there. That's why you only really hear the front locker on tight turns when there is a sudden big difference in differentiation. Driving in two wheel drive in snow and ice, you won't notice the front locker.

You have none of the "unloading" characteristics of the rear locker which is under power.

xjaddiction said:

Yes it stays unlocked, but will ratchet as all that stuff is turning up there. That's why you only really hear the front locker on tight turns when there is a sudden big difference in differentiation. Driving in two wheel drive in snow and ice, you won't notice the front locker.

You have none of the "unloading" characteristics of the rear locker which is under power.

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i understand now thanks i have always wondered about this

I just ordered an aussie for my d30 and cant wait for it to get here. I have an 8.25 with a new factory lsd and i figured that would do untill the clutches smoke in it, im only on 31s. I live in upstate NY so winters are pretty mean, so i guess we'll see how it works on snow and ice. My logic is that ive had such POS cars with crap tires and blown suspensions all my life i think i can handle a little front end pushing... ill let ya know how i like it on ice next week. (its -5 right now.)

mjd99xj said:

I live in upstate NY so winters are pretty mean, so i guess we'll see how it works on snow and ice.

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Just drive slow, don't gas it around turns, and it's not bad.

We don't get the snow you do, but I have driven mine locked through deep mountain snow (about 13"), to ice, and everything in between. Ice is scary, of course that's the case in about any truck. It's not too bad at all in snow, and has actually helped more than hurt.

The worst experience I had with it was one time heading up a twisty mountain road in the snow, I came around a turn and someone was sideways in the road. Well, I stopped in time, and helped them get straightened out. However, when I went to take off, the front end just slid sideways toward the ditch (I was heading up hill in a well banked curve). After avoiding the ditch, by using some cat litter for a little traction, I was able to get it going. I avoided fully stopping on a hill the rest of the trip and had no more problems. I do have mud tires with practically no siping, so that didn't help at all.

Anyway, just drive to an open area and play around with it first so you know what to expect.