theksmith
NAXJA Member #1072
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ
Somone told me that you can't tow a trailer if you have a rear locker... I can't find this anywhere on the net. So is it complete BS?
THat makes no sense. IIRC from the dealership you could get a limited slip and towing setup. Anyways I towed around town a trailer full of bricks with my rear detroit and I was fine.kristoffers said:Somone told me that you can't tow a trailer if you have a rear locker... I can't find this anywhere on the net. So is it complete BS?
XJJack said:If it is in the lock position or a spool, then with the extra wieght on the rear axle from the tounge of the trailer then you are putting alot of strees on your axles. Without the wieght on can slip on the ground, but what I have seen with the trailer pushing down and the tires locked when you try to turn the front will slide and you go straight.
XJJack said:If it is in the lock position or a spool, then with the extra wieght on the rear axle from the tounge of the trailer then you are putting alot of strees on your axles. Without the wieght on can slip on the ground, but what I have seen with the trailer pushing down and the tires locked when you try to turn the front will slide and you go straight.
Jeepin Jason said:
Towed just fine with a Detroit and 35's. Flat-lands only though! haha!
edit: oops, fergot the pic! :gag:
Goatman said:Sorry, but this is a misunderstanding of how a locker works. An automatic locker is just that, it's automatic. The tires don't slip when you go around a corner, the locker differentiates (allows the tires to turn at different speeds) by letting the outside wheel spin ahead. With an automatic locker power is always going to the inside tire when cornering, which is where the unique driving characteristics come from......not from the locker locking up, but from it unlocking and driving only one axle around a corner. The only time the locker would "lock up" around a corner is if you're on the throttle hard enough so that the torque coming through the driveline is more than the torque working on the axle through the tires traction with the ground. The chirping tire around a slow corner that is a common characteristic of automatic lockers is actually from all the power going to only the inside axle, so if too much power is applied the inside tire (with less traction due to the body leaning away from it) spins to catch up with the free wheeling outside tire. If the locker locks up, you'll get a solid squeal, but if it chirps it's just the inside tire catching up, but the outside tire is still spinning free.
Trailering won't cause the locker to lock up more, it will actually cause it to lock up less, since the extra weight on the tires increases the traction so it would take more torque (throttle) coming down the driveline to overcome the traction and allow the locker to lock up. There's absolutely no reason why you can't tow with a locker. In fact, before lockers became popular in 4x4 rigs, there were heavy trucks that came from the factory with Detroit lockers installed in them.
Jeepin Jason said:
Towed just fine with a Detroit and 35's. Flat-lands only though! haha!
edit: oops, fergot the pic! :gag:
XJJack said:If it is in the lock position or a spool, then with the extra wieght on the rear axle from the tounge of the trailer then you are putting alot of strees on your axles. Without the wieght on can slip on the ground, but what I have seen with the trailer pushing down and the tires locked when you try to turn the front will slide and you go straight.
XJJack said:That it why I stated "if" it is locked. And as far as the chirping of the inside tire, yes is it locked at that point and you do not get a constant squael because of "stick slip" the tires stick then biuld up a force because there is a difference of travel from the inside and outside and things flex ie. tire, suspension, chassie, axle. Then that force becomes greater then the traction of the inside tire (because there is less wieght there) then it chirps. If you have the extra wieght on the axle then it biulds more force and somthing must give. I have towed with a locker but would not advise it unless you have bigger then stock parts, and avoid sharp turns at slow speeds.