i was thinking....this is probobly already been done or proven wrong but i am planning on getting a 85 4runner pretty soon. it will just be a trail rig so i was thinkingn about just welding the rear diff, and than since the front will have locking hubs i was thinking about welding the front to. than when i am off road i will have locked front and rears, than when i have a hard turn where i need 4x4, but i cant turn casue of the locked front i can unlock the wheel that is off the ground or whatever..... and one wheel will still be locked than it will be like normal 4x4...will this work just engaging one wheel with it welded? when i think about it i thnik it shoudl work...what do you guys think?? if you dont understand what im saying just let me knw.....

 

Just my instinct, but I think you're asking to start breaking stuff with the welded front.....

 

well....im not gunna be driving it around town...whats the difference between this and a locker...either way it turns them both the same, u can disengage the locker tho...

 

a locker will self disengage if you are turning and no pressure is supplied to it..... well not no pressure, but rather no power..... welded diffs will make turning in 4x4 very difficult....

there are pros and cons to both.....

pro: cheap, real 4x4, etc
con: finding someone to weld it the right way is hard, if the weld job sucks, and it breaks its going to damage the axle beyone repair (wcs), if you wheel hard, things will break easier, etc, tight turning will be almost impossible

 

i wouldn't weld the front. it'll make it very hard to turn and put a lot of stress on teh front diff while turning. i got a welded rear and it turns hard on hard surfaces. weld the rear, locker in the front, the best way to go unless you're going to compete in rock crawling or other competitions. but i would definately recommend welding the rear if it's just for off-roading.

 

not to mention, it may sound like a good deal to do that to you, but i know that i would rather have a lockright, with more peace of mind, and less jumping in and out when you need to make a hard turn.

wade

 

weld the rear, lock-right or equivalent in front, you will hate yourself if you weld the front, trust me, a friend of mine did, and after 1 wheeling trip he got another carrier and put a lock-right in it