front or rear locker??

[builder]

If your from bullhead city, no snow. lock the front and WAIT till you can afford to lock the back, unless your rig is strictly a wheeler. my .02.

 

[stewie]

I am glad we could "help" the OP make a decision. However, I will still add a little fuel for the fire and hopefully benefit anyone who looks at this thread searching.

You can use 4 locked front and rear in the snow. But if you're locked front and rear, unless the snow is really deep, there really isn't much need for 4 wheel drive. When you're locked front and rear in deep snow (unplowed roads) and you need to turn, sometimes it doesn't want to, but you just hit the gas and the front will turn....just like wheeling with locked front and rear. Sometimes you gotta hit the gas to make the front end pull rather than be plowed forward by the rear.

It's really not as big of a deal as everyone is making it out to be. If you're not familiar with driving in the snow, don't drive in the snow. If you know what you're doing, it's really not a problem.

I have similar experiences. I went through 2 snowy winters in Utah with an Aussie in the front before I moved to Phoenix. I quickly learned how the Jeep acted after the locker. Only once in the two years did I feel the locker engage at a less than opportune time. But I do think that over all I had more control with the locker than without. Where I was living and working the top priority for snow removal was the flight line with main roads a very distant second place. "Residential" roads, secondary roads and parking lots were rarely plowed. There were a few times when I lost traction and went in a direction that I did not intend to. I found that a quick tap of the throttle would help put me back on track with both front tires grabbing.

Now, on the topic of lockers on the trail. Here is a little experiment. Keep your Jeep in 2wd for this experiment. First pull up to a curb square on with both front tires contacting the curb at the same time. With power only to your back tires, try to power up the curb. Note the amount of power required to do so. This part of the experiment simulates being on a trail with the front axle up to an obstacle and having no power (like with open diff and loss of traction in the front). The rear has to work quite hard to PUSH your front wheels over the curb.

The second half of the experiment is to back into the same curb with both rear wheels contacting the curb at the same time. Apply throttle and note the amount of power required for your wheels to PULL themselves (and the vehicle) up the curb. This simulates (I know to entirely accurate) the front wheels encountering an obstacle and the rear being powerless.

You will find that it takes a lot more energy to push the front wheels up the obstacle than it does for the wheels to pull themselves up the obstacle. I know that its not entirely accurate (weight distribution etc) but its an easy and half way accurate demonstration.

hth

 

[rooneypower]

If I had to do it again, i would lock thefront first. (im lock front and rear now) When i put the rear locker in, i was doing lots of hill climbs and it was very usefull for that. But I couldnt get over a 2 foot rock. If I had a locker in the front, I could. So I'd say lock the front and save up for a rear locker.

Keil

 

[icewolf73]

I agree with locking the front first and that is how I am.

My favorite set up is is Lock Rite in the front and Detroit in the rear. Seen that set up in many rigs, both mild set ups and extreme rigs (running 40+ tires) and they work great.

Just my $.02.