deciding between frnt/rear locker

[Mitchen]

the 8.25 is fine through 35's. go 8.8 if youwant discs or plan on going bigger than 35's. otherwise leave the 8.25.
the 30 is plenty strong.
but if you are getting a 410 front, do you have a geared rear to go in too???

i have climbed a lot of stuff where my front tires have barely been touching the ground. so a front locker woulda done jackshit. the front locker does help you break over the crest more than the rear locker would, but without the rear most rigs couldnt get to the position to climb in the first place.

REAR locker FTW


oh and if you decide to lock the front and havent upgraded your steering yet, carry lots of spares

the biggest i would ever probably plan on running is 35's but that would not be any time soon.

i need to either find a used 8.25 29 spline carrier and a set of 4.10's or order them.

the front axle isnt going in until i rebuild it completely and get the locker in and the rear matching gears.

i can see how front - rear, both have there positives and negatives. but i think i will be happy with the lockright this summer until i can get the rear Detroit.

if i ever step up to 35's i would probably consider getting a 44/ARB

 

[jeeperjohn]

IMHO- If you are using an automatic locker with a Dana 30... do the rear. If you are using a selectable or adding locking hubs... do the front. The front has more advantages ultimately off road, but it can cause handling issues on road that you definitely have to compensate for (the rear does as well... not as severe). Either way adding a locker is a great decision!

The only way you would have handling issues with a front locker on the road is if you have and use full time 4WD. With a NP231 t-case the front locker is invisible except for during very tight turns and then it only makes a little noise.

 

[jasonsxj]

buy a front locker ! and then weld up the rear ! bam two locker's for the price of one !

 

[JeeperMatt]

And a crap ride on the road, been there done that. Absolute crap, and the tires wore out so much faster I should've just saved the money for a locker in the first place.

My vote for locker positioning is in the rear, HOWEVER I base that purely on the fact that I get a decent amount of snow and ice during winter, and with the way the roads curve on the up- and down-hills there is no way in hell I'm running a locked front and losing steering response.

Having said that, a buddy I wheel with runs a locked front and his rig is plenty capable, especially over rocks and ledges in general. As previously mentioned, a locked front is completely transparent while on the road in 2wd, as the front end doesn't have any drive power going to it.

 

[Stukboy]

I've had Jeeps with them installed in both first.
Front pulls/ rear pushes.

Dana 30 is weaker than the 35/44/8.25/8.8 etc...

I like a rear locker first.
I would suggest an ARB up front for street drivibility.
Like the first post on this thread: It will be debated and not answered.
Good luck.
Stukboy

 

[WAD357]

the 8.25 is fine through 35's. go 8.8 if youwant discs or plan on going bigger than 35's. otherwise leave the 8.25.
the 30 is plenty strong.
but if you are getting a 410 front, do you have a geared rear to go in too???

i have climbed a lot of stuff where my front tires have barely been touching the ground. so a front locker woulda done jackshit. the front locker does help you break over the crest more than the rear locker would, but without the rear most rigs couldnt get to the position to climb in the first place.

REAR locker FTW


oh and if you decide to lock the front and havent upgraded your steering yet, carry lots of spares

x two

 

[The Merg]

Dana 30 is weaker than the 35/44/8.25/8.8 etc...

Wait, wut?

 

[clean4drxj]

Dana 30 is weaker than the 35/44/8.25/8.8 etc...


really? I guess between all the last stuff I've read/was told is all BS?
why is I've heard/seen a D30 lock hold up to more abuse than a than35?
I Blew my axle seals on my worthless d35 on 31's and that was before it was ever wheeled!

 

[jeeperjohn]

Dana 30 is weaker than the 35/44/8.25/8.8 etc...


really? I guess between all the last stuff I've read/was told is all BS?
why is I've heard/seen a D30 lock hold up to more abuse than a than35?
I Blew my axle seals on my worthless d35 on 31's and that was before it was ever wheeled!

IMO the D35 is weaker than a D30 but then I have seen alot of stock D30 axleshafts fail.

 

[robhurlburt]

oh and if you decide to lock the front and havent upgraded your steering yet, carry lots of spares

lots of spares...spare whats?

 

[nochance9]

lots of spares...spare whats?

Steering linkages. Tie rod, track bar, TREs ect... it would be safe to carry extra u- joints and shafts as well. Especially if you still have the small u-joints in your shafts.

 

[sunburned]

lots of spares...spare whats?

u-joints. I wheeled some crazy shit with just a rear locker and never broke anything. My first trip out after the front ARB, I cracked caps on both of my axle u-joints. Luckily I had RCV's as trail spares and changed one out at our campsite, the other a day later at work.

 

[JCS JP]

I am in the same boat. But I am going to go with ARB for the front and rear.

 

[Sierra Drifter]

This discussion comes up every couple of months and there are always lots of differing opinions. Terrain conditions such as steps and ledges will favor a front locker. However, overall if you are only going to lock one axle, a locker in the rear is prefered for several reasons.

First the link to the posted by american_zero to the ARB site should make it obvious that one locker in the rear is the better option. http://www.arb.com.au/getting-started/ask-arb/air-lockers/010Front_Or_Rear_.php

Traction is need most when climbing a obstacle or hill. And when climbing the weght is shifted to rear and that is where the traction is, and where a locker will do the most good. Any vehicle can negotiate the downhill side with gravity doing much of the work. When the front is un-weighted, and both front wheels are spinning it is not uncommon for the front of the vehicle to slide off sidways, creating some very exciting off camber "Oh Sh*t" moments. Also, a locker in front adds a tremendous amount of stress to the steering components. I often have to turn off my front ARB to make a turn at the top of a hill. I once bent my tie rod into a horseshoe on the Rubicon trying to turn in rocks with the front ARB locked. The rear axle is usually the stonger axle, more able to hold up to the added stress created by a locker, and there is no steering components or axle u-joints to worry about.

This ofcourse is just my humble opinon, YMMV.

 

[muddeprived]

i have got an 88 5speed Cherokee 30/8.25 on 33's 3.55's right now planning on getting a HP30 with 4.10's tomorrow.

just looking for some opinions, if i am only going to be running one locker for now until i can afford a second would it be more beneficial to have one in the front our the rear. this question is strictly geared towards wheeling situations im not to worried about on road issues.

i plan on running a lockright up front and a detroit solid in the rear.

it seems to me that a front lockright would be more usefull than a rear detroit. just thinking a front locker would pull you up over things easier than a rear locker could push you everything i have found on other forums seems to just be peoples opinions based on what his friends friend has set up.

school me on lockers please.

Just flip a coin and lock one. Debates like these always result in 50/50 mixture of opinions and eventually will end up with back and forth "no you are wrong, yes I am right, my experience proves this, etc etc". If you are gonna lock both then it doesn't matter which you lock first.


My PERSONAL PREFERENCE is locking the rear because I benefit from the locker 100% of the time, not just when it's in 4wd.

 

[87manche]

I never had a problem with my D30 and a locker with stock steering and shafts at 4.5" of lift and 34" Bias Super Swampers. ( I know right, I should have lost control and hit a bus full of schoolchildren with that setup)

I prefer the front if just one. I think it really depends on your driving style and the terrain you wheel. I'm a slow speed driver, I'm not "getting it" unless thats my last option. I wheel high traction surfaces like rocks, and the ability to get the front axle up over a ledge is key for me. If I can get the front axle up I can drag the rest of my LWB rig up.

It's locked and spooled now, so I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

Just pick whichever one fits your budget now, you're going to end up doing the other one later anyway. Once you've got one locker you're bound to have two in the future, the difference in performance is just that amazing.

 

[old_man]

My preference is to lock the rear first. Growing up on the farm we always had rear lockers in our trucks and it worked great, but......IIRC you said you were getting ready to do front gears. Given that, I would go ahead and do them together and save the work later.

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

are you regearing the rear axle to match a 30 with 4.10s? if so... now is the time to have the rear installed.

 

[Mitchen]

are you regearing the rear axle to match a 30 with 4.10s? if so... now is the time to have the rear installed.

yes i am regearing the rear, im doing it myself.

i think im going to stick with a front lockright as its what i can afford right now. and the front axle build is now on hold until i figure out why my jeep died today and now wont start.. guess the new axles just going to sit for awhile

 

[90xjblue]

cps! lol