hey guys, it seems im going to have 300$ to 400$ left over from my build so im thinking of doing a locker, preferably an aussie, but heres my question. which should i do? a rear locker is nice but if i happen to get stuck with it then 4wd prob isnt gonna do much good, besides, running a basic locker in the rear on a dd just doesnt sound fun (although it can be done) i know a few people just lock the front, for when u do get stuck, its there, plus during everyday driving you can unlock the hubs and not worry about it, so lets discuss, front locked? or rear locked?

 

Always lock the rear first IMO

 

I love my rear locker, yes for dd it does pose different issues rather than selectable. But not bad Im used to it now. I had an auto locker in my previous s-10 zr2 and I could tell that it makes a HUGE difference, I rarely had to use 4 wheel drive with it. If the quirks are keeping you away save your loot for an ARB or e locker.

 

Lock the rear. If your going to stay in 2wd and use 4wd as your "just in case" you have to be smart with it. Relating to mud and sand...don't dig your rear tires in while in 2wd with the diff locked and then expect 4wd to get you out. Its probally not going to happen. As soon as you feel things starting to go badly. Thats the time to put it in 4wd, not when your stuck in your own ruts. Do it just when your tires start spinning. You`ll get stuck a few times before you get it all figured out.

Or if you want to go anywhere, get a winch. Weld a winch to the front of a ferarri and you can take the ferrari anywhere I can take my truck...you`ll just have to drag it.

 

Spool the rear and spartan locker front.

$397

boom.

http://www.trail-gear.com/locking-differentials

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Spartan-...#ht_760wt_1037

 

spool on a dd eww have fun buying tires what terrain are u plannin wheelin in? .. id lock the rear

 

Lock the rear. Unless you're just in the mud pits, most situations where you need a locker you'll have all your vehicle weight on the rear tires anyway.

I ran a Spartan in the rear of my DD all winter, and had to drive like a maniac to know it was there. The fears of automatic lockers on the road are vastly overblown, or they've gotten much better over the years.

 

Rear. I ran an Aussie in the rear of my 86 and have one (the same one actually) in my 89 and can only tell it's there once in a while on the street.

 

well i just didnt like the idea of a rear locker, for the place im at, theres alot of turns and hills here in pensacola and it defeats the purpose, i plan on running everything terrian wise so im just not sure

 

How about a grizzly in the rear? I recently went from welded rear to a grizzly locker and damn! The grizzly feels like an open diff. It is so smooth.
But if you are going to lock the front I would also look into hydro assist. Unless you have gorilla arms.

 

I like locking the rear first for a few reasons.

1- Here in cali 4wheeling usually entials climbing some sort of hill which lifts the weight off the front and transfers it to the rear leaving little traction for anything up front.

2- Its easier to place your front tires on two rocks with the steering so they're both planted on the ground more freequently than the rear.

3- The rear axle is always the stronger axle with factory set ups and you can wheel stress free knowing that.

and i don't know who told you its easier to turn with the front locked but they're smokin or haven't wheeled with lockers. It's way easier to turn with an open front diff and a locked rear verses the opposite... and your budget doesn't include the cost of a selectable locker to open it back up.

 

This. If you wheel where there's lots of tight turns, you absolutely do not want a locker in the front. Just the limited slip I run gives me understeer in 4wd, a locker would make it that much worse. Trust the people you are asking for advice - if you're going to buy an automatic locker, you want it in back.

 

I have a selectable locker in the rear and plan on a limited slip on the front.

 

Reviving this instead of starting a new thread.

Isn't this the very reason why you would want a front locker over a rear locker? Your rear wheels will be well planted and weighed down, and have more traction in the rear. Less fear that it slips. Whereas you'd have less traction up front, and you're most likely to lift one of the front wheels off the ground (we're talking IFS), and when that one wheel loses traction, then you lose ALL traction in the front and it's like you're in 2wd.

Well.. no? In the rear you have a solid axle, and as we said it's typically more weighted down (also because that's where the cargo is) so you're way more planted on the rear. It's easier to lift and lose traction on the front than on the rear of an IFS vehicle, no?

Exactly why the rear needs less help than the IFS in the front. The front is more likely to need help.

But you can totally disengage a front locker (w/ manual hubs), whereas you're stuck with the rear locker whether you want it or not.

Torqmasters offers good reasoning for this.. https://www.torqmasters.com/faq-page#n11
Yeah they wanna sell you a locker, but what do they care where you put it. I'm thinking makes more sense to put it up front if you only get one first.

 

Personal experience. 2 identical Jeeps running Pritchett in Moab. On the last hill one busted some gears in his rear diff, had to disco the rear drive shaft and drive out with only the front axle engaged. On the way out were many miles of med trails and hills, some med obstacles. The Jeep in Front WD/locked needed to be pulled up several of the hills/obstacles while the other with only the rear locker engaged walked right up everything. The front wheel drive locked Jeep just didn't have enough weight on the front axle when climbing to keep traction.