Lunchbox lockers in the snow.
02-18-2008, 04:07 PM
#1
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Lunchbox lockers in the snow.
I'm sure this question has been asked multiple times on here, and if it has maybe someone can direct me to the thread. I'm seriously thinking about installing either an ez locker or an aussie locker in the rear of my 86 4runner. I live in Colorado and the 4runner is my primary vehicle when it snows. I have no problem with the noises or other characteristics that come with the locker, but how do they perform on slick surfaces? I've been told you pretty much have to be in 4 wheel drive on the slick stuff to maintain control, is this true? Any help in my decision is appreciated.
02-18-2008, 04:30 PM
#2
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Its doable.
I can't stand it. I can simulate a lunchbox locker in my truck, and I have trouble keeping it on the road. I'm sure with enough practice, you could get it down right.
I wouldn't let any one else drive your truck though. They'd stand a fair chance of putting it into the ditch or worse.
I can't stand it. I can simulate a lunchbox locker in my truck, and I have trouble keeping it on the road. I'm sure with enough practice, you could get it down right.
I wouldn't let any one else drive your truck though. They'd stand a fair chance of putting it into the ditch or worse.
02-18-2008, 04:38 PM
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Yeah, i've heard nothing but negative things, guess i'm just hoping i'll get enough positive feedback to justify getting one, but thanks for honesty. Saving up for an ARB is my next option.
02-18-2008, 05:59 PM
#5
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Molly's truck has a Detroit locker, which has much better onroad manners than a lunchbox, and it can be a handful on snowy roads. Off camber corners are particularly interesting. She has to go into 4WD well before I do with ARB's.
My car with a limited slip (and 3 season tires) wants to go sideways in the snow constantly.
If anyone else ever drives your truck, lunchbox is a bad idea. They probably won't believe you about keeping off the throttle in corners until they put it n the rail/ditch.
My car with a limited slip (and 3 season tires) wants to go sideways in the snow constantly.
If anyone else ever drives your truck, lunchbox is a bad idea. They probably won't believe you about keeping off the throttle in corners until they put it n the rail/ditch.
02-18-2008, 06:06 PM
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As cheap as the lunchboxes are, i'm almost leaning towards just getting one. If anything I can enjoy it for the summer see how it works come winter and if I don't like it replace it with an ARB.
02-19-2008, 06:54 AM
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ive decided to avoid them and im also here in CO. i do a lot of I70 driving at night from evergreen to lakewood, or even from the resorts to lakewood, and the ICE would probably kill me. where are you at in co?
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02-19-2008, 12:24 PM
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I feel compelled to post my feelings on running a "lunchbox" in the rear axle, on road, in the snow. I have read multiple posts, and reposts, with different feelings concerning lunchbox lockers while driving in snowy and icy road conditions with little feedback from drivers who have actually used them in these situations. I have just returned from a roadtrip that ran my Tacoma from the mountain passes of montana, to wyoming, idaho, and colorado. I drove primary and secondary roads, covered with solid ice, foot deep drifts, blowing snow, packed snow, and powder snow. The only condition I did not encounter for a considerable amount of time was slush.
Vehicle specs: 97 4wd Tacoma, 33" bfg mt, auto tranny, lockright locker in rear, axle with a considerable amount of weight in the bed.
Accelleration and decelleration on all winter conditions had very very little adverse affects, if any at all.
Patchey snow, and ice, where one side of the road is dry, and the other ice or snow, is where the lockright really shined. It gave great traction, and kept the truck extremely managable on these conditions with almost NO rear wheel slippage. A BIG plus in all aspects.
Powder snow(3+ inches or more on road surface) my truck handled as it did prior to lockright install. Very little if any noticable difference with or without locker.
Solid Ice on road. I encountered this where drifting and blowing snow would encounter the black sun warmed roads, and thus melt instantly covering the roads with a 1/2" of solid ice. Suprisingly I was able to keep a 40 to 45 miles per hour pace, keeping a feel for any wheel slippage so I can react with slight decelleration to prevent my rear end from sliding to the lower side of the road. Not a big deal, I ran at least 50 miles of SOLID ice on flat roads.
Packed snow: Packed roads, completely covered, but packed from other vehicles passing over multiple times. These conditions I was able to run 50+ miles per hour, and had great traction. No adverse affects.
Mountain Passes with extremely sharp curves covered in snow/ice:
Truck will want to understeer a bit because of slightly more traction in the back than in front. Had to keep this in mind. However, where if other vehicles would stop, they would not have the traction to get moving again, whereas my locked truck would. I'm not sure if this is because of added weight or a direct result of the locked rear end.
Well I hope this helps all those inquiries where people are questioning the use of lockers in snow. I had a thorough testing opportunity on this roadtrip and was pleased with the manners, and drive-ability of my lunchbox locked tacoma 4x4.
I lived in Northwest Washington also in the town of Glacier. When everyone else was digging out their truck......I was not. The main vehicles in my town was Subaurus, toyota pickups, and tacomas. My truck hands down, was always the one giving rides up one of the most dangerous mountain highways in the world: Washington St Highway 542....why? Becuase it was the only locked rig around; however I was reluctant to let my friends drive it as they always were amazed at how it "DOES DONUTS LIKE A 4WHEELER"
-Chad
Vehicle specs: 97 4wd Tacoma, 33" bfg mt, auto tranny, lockright locker in rear, axle with a considerable amount of weight in the bed.
Accelleration and decelleration on all winter conditions had very very little adverse affects, if any at all.
Patchey snow, and ice, where one side of the road is dry, and the other ice or snow, is where the lockright really shined. It gave great traction, and kept the truck extremely managable on these conditions with almost NO rear wheel slippage. A BIG plus in all aspects.
Powder snow(3+ inches or more on road surface) my truck handled as it did prior to lockright install. Very little if any noticable difference with or without locker.
Solid Ice on road. I encountered this where drifting and blowing snow would encounter the black sun warmed roads, and thus melt instantly covering the roads with a 1/2" of solid ice. Suprisingly I was able to keep a 40 to 45 miles per hour pace, keeping a feel for any wheel slippage so I can react with slight decelleration to prevent my rear end from sliding to the lower side of the road. Not a big deal, I ran at least 50 miles of SOLID ice on flat roads.
Packed snow: Packed roads, completely covered, but packed from other vehicles passing over multiple times. These conditions I was able to run 50+ miles per hour, and had great traction. No adverse affects.
Mountain Passes with extremely sharp curves covered in snow/ice:
Truck will want to understeer a bit because of slightly more traction in the back than in front. Had to keep this in mind. However, where if other vehicles would stop, they would not have the traction to get moving again, whereas my locked truck would. I'm not sure if this is because of added weight or a direct result of the locked rear end.
Well I hope this helps all those inquiries where people are questioning the use of lockers in snow. I had a thorough testing opportunity on this roadtrip and was pleased with the manners, and drive-ability of my lunchbox locked tacoma 4x4.
I lived in Northwest Washington also in the town of Glacier. When everyone else was digging out their truck......I was not. The main vehicles in my town was Subaurus, toyota pickups, and tacomas. My truck hands down, was always the one giving rides up one of the most dangerous mountain highways in the world: Washington St Highway 542....why? Becuase it was the only locked rig around; however I was reluctant to let my friends drive it as they always were amazed at how it "DOES DONUTS LIKE A 4WHEELER"
-Chad
Last edited by rngrchad; 02-19-2008 at 12:30 PM.
02-19-2008, 12:32 PM
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yup i know people around here that run welded.. on bigger trucks and they run all winter..if its YOUR RIG and your the only one that drives it... i say do what makes you happy.
02-19-2008, 02:02 PM
#10
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I drove a couple trucks before purchasing my lockers. One with a lockrite, one with a detroit. Drove them in the snow.
Couldn't stand it, but as stated, you can learn to drive with it.
TC and Molly have a detroit locked truck which he and she both drive around, in CO winters. So, he also knows what its like.
I can't speak for anyone else.
However, rgnrchad has some great first hand experience too, and his was positive.
Guess it just comes down to what you prefer. I'd recommend finding some CO members who have lunchboxes, and giving it a whirl in an empty parking lot. You'll never know for sure until you try it yourself. And, if you don't like it, no money spent, and if you do, no harm in the least, you just buy it.
Couldn't stand it, but as stated, you can learn to drive with it.
TC and Molly have a detroit locked truck which he and she both drive around, in CO winters. So, he also knows what its like.
I can't speak for anyone else.
However, rgnrchad has some great first hand experience too, and his was positive.
Guess it just comes down to what you prefer. I'd recommend finding some CO members who have lunchboxes, and giving it a whirl in an empty parking lot. You'll never know for sure until you try it yourself. And, if you don't like it, no money spent, and if you do, no harm in the least, you just buy it.
02-19-2008, 02:26 PM
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Dude, do it man. Unless all you do is on the road snow driving. If you off road, weld in the front (someone whos knows how to weld the pod right*) Lock the rear, Gears, tires, straight axle, flat bed, on board air haha.
But to answer your question yes, a lunch box in the rear would be good. Takes a while to get used to it tho. The people that say no have either never drove one w/a locker, or arnt good enough drivers to adapt and take advantage of the rear locker.
But to answer your question yes, a lunch box in the rear would be good. Takes a while to get used to it tho. The people that say no have either never drove one w/a locker, or arnt good enough drivers to adapt and take advantage of the rear locker.
02-19-2008, 03:54 PM
#13
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Dude, do it man. Unless all you do is on the road snow driving. If you off road, weld in the front (someone whos knows how to weld the pod right*) Lock the rear, Gears, tires, straight axle, flat bed, on board air haha.
But to answer your question yes, a lunch box in the rear would be good. Takes a while to get used to it tho. The people that say no have either never drove one w/a locker, or arnt good enough drivers to adapt and take advantage of the rear locker.
But to answer your question yes, a lunch box in the rear would be good. Takes a while to get used to it tho. The people that say no have either never drove one w/a locker, or arnt good enough drivers to adapt and take advantage of the rear locker.
To respond, again, since you didn't read it the first time, I HAVE driven one, and NOWHERE did I say myself, or anyone else, could NOT learn to drive with it. I said I HATED it. It was annoying. I knew it was there the whole time, and I said I did not recommend them. Then I told the OP to drive another truck with one, to see if he wants one, since you CAN learn to drive with it, obviously. He asked for opinions and information. I gave him first hand experience and advice to making his own choice. An opinion, based on experience, is valid.
Where did you find enough information in that to determine that I was a poor driver?
Last edited by AxleIke; 02-19-2008 at 03:57 PM.
02-19-2008, 03:57 PM
#14
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If you get one, avoid the EZ Locker. It is a Lock Right clone but is made of an inferior alloy. I had one fail in a front axle after no more than 20 minutes of 4wd time, while testing it after the initial install. I got my money back and bought a No Slip to replace it and never had any trouble with it.
The Aussie is better than the EZ Locker, and of the two that is the one I would buy.
However, the best choice in lunchbox lockers, especially in the rear of a daily driven vehicle, is the No Slip. I had one in a rear axle that replaced a worn Lock Right, and it's about 80% smoother and 99% quieter than the Lock Right. It also won't wear like a Lock Right and it's clones. The Lock Right lasted for 37,000 miles until it wore enough that it would ratchet while going straight. I had the No Slip for 80,000 trouble free miles, until I totalled the vehicle. When I took it out to sell it, I could see no abnormal wear. It is still being used by the guy that I sold it to.
The No Slip does cost about $150 more than a Lock Right, but as I found it is well worth the money.
The Aussie is better than the EZ Locker, and of the two that is the one I would buy.
However, the best choice in lunchbox lockers, especially in the rear of a daily driven vehicle, is the No Slip. I had one in a rear axle that replaced a worn Lock Right, and it's about 80% smoother and 99% quieter than the Lock Right. It also won't wear like a Lock Right and it's clones. The Lock Right lasted for 37,000 miles until it wore enough that it would ratchet while going straight. I had the No Slip for 80,000 trouble free miles, until I totalled the vehicle. When I took it out to sell it, I could see no abnormal wear. It is still being used by the guy that I sold it to.
The No Slip does cost about $150 more than a Lock Right, but as I found it is well worth the money.
02-19-2008, 04:02 PM
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lol where i live...we get snow pretty much all year...out of a year july and june have no snow...and its fine.. I dont really know why anyone complains, its just like drifting everywhere you go...keeps you awake...and fun as hell..2wd locked rear end in the snow for the win
02-19-2008, 04:08 PM
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Go for it. Nearly all the driving characteristics are easy to manage and the benefits are worth it. Naturally, you will be rewarded in greater safety if you drive with good tires (matched for the road or offroad conditions that you encounter).
02-19-2008, 06:12 PM
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I'm almost a southerner but I've driven a Lock Right rear in the snow a zillion times, and now I have (in the same truck) a spool in the rear. It's not a daily driver, but when it snows around here I drive it instead of my DD. No problems at all. Takes 5 minutes to "learn" how to drive with it in the snow. As mentioned somewhere above, though, an off camber angled street will cause the rear to slide downhill more than you want.
We got about 8" once last year (still waiting for anything this year). My '94 xtra cab daily driver was broken, so the wife and I jumped in the beater to head to the store. I've got a square front drive shaft (no good above 10 miles per hour) so I ran the truck in 2wd with the rear spooled. I'm alive to tell you about it today.
If you want a locker, buy one.
Also... I went to college in MT and drove there with a locker. Conditions similar to yours I'm sure.
We got about 8" once last year (still waiting for anything this year). My '94 xtra cab daily driver was broken, so the wife and I jumped in the beater to head to the store. I've got a square front drive shaft (no good above 10 miles per hour) so I ran the truck in 2wd with the rear spooled. I'm alive to tell you about it today.
If you want a locker, buy one.
Also... I went to college in MT and drove there with a locker. Conditions similar to yours I'm sure.
02-20-2008, 07:35 AM
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Thanks for the insult to my driving skill. It really adds to the good atmosphere here at Yotatech.
To respond, again, since you didn't read it the first time, I HAVE driven one, and NOWHERE did I say myself, or anyone else, could NOT learn to drive with it. I said I HATED it. It was annoying. I knew it was there the whole time, and I said I did not recommend them. Then I told the OP to drive another truck with one, to see if he wants one, since you CAN learn to drive with it, obviously. He asked for opinions and information. I gave him first hand experience and advice to making his own choice. An opinion, based on experience, is valid.
Where did you find enough information in that to determine that I was a poor driver?
To respond, again, since you didn't read it the first time, I HAVE driven one, and NOWHERE did I say myself, or anyone else, could NOT learn to drive with it. I said I HATED it. It was annoying. I knew it was there the whole time, and I said I did not recommend them. Then I told the OP to drive another truck with one, to see if he wants one, since you CAN learn to drive with it, obviously. He asked for opinions and information. I gave him first hand experience and advice to making his own choice. An opinion, based on experience, is valid.
Where did you find enough information in that to determine that I was a poor driver?
