Author Topic: locker front or rear (Read 4608 times)

Jase · « **on:** Dec 10, 2004, 08:51:11 AM »

Maybe a dumb question but installing one non selectable locker in toy axles is it better in the front or rear? I would assume it would affect the steering in the front but what other considerations are there. It is a everyother day driver and I have to deal with the usual winter roads. This has been a budget build so for the meantime ARB etc. are not a option.

cgbemis · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 09:39:30 AM »

It wont effect your steering if you are in 2wd with the hubs unlocked. If you have it in the rear, then it will be there all the time. What type of unselectable locker is it? Lunchbox, or Detroit, or

Jase · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 10:08:08 AM »

Aussie is the one I'm looking at.

BigMike · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 10:39:19 AM »

This is really a good question. I started out with a rear locker, and it was exactly like TURBO described to me once.
He came up with a scale ranking that went like this..

Out of 10 points,
Open-Open is 0
Locked rear is 3
Both Locked is 10

Of course that's not to say that just with the front locked alone its going to out perform only locking a rear, but when I was locked in the rear and open in the front, I was still getting stuck and have to do alot of different lines to get through something that now (im locked front and rear) I can go through it in reverse while doing a chinese fire drill with cartwheels.

If I were to compare the two, I would say that if you are doing alot of flat ground wheeling, maybe put the locker up front.
If you are doing alot of hill climbing or the sort, then put the locker in the rear?

just a guess

BLACKDOG · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 11:06:21 AM »

Quote from: BigMike on Dec 10, 2004, 10:39:19 AM

Of course that's not to say that just with the front locked alone its going to out perform only locking a rear, but when I was locked in the rear and open in the front, I was still getting stuck and have to do alot of different lines to get through something that now (im locked front and rear) I can go through it in reverse while doing a chinese fire drill with cartwheels.

raybie · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 12:58:57 PM »

here's my

if you only have one locker, put it in the rear. rearson... the rear won't break as easy. if you were to put it in the front you have the wonders of berfields to deal with. with only the front locked you'll putting a more stress on the front end than if you were locked front and rear. and if you are on a budget you probabley don't want to drop a bunch on longfields or bellfields.

second is daily driving.

my rig is a dd and i have a locker wrong in the rear. I hate driving around town with it. pops, hops, jolts,...

if i could afford a selectable i'd have it in aready.

3rd, steering. i have an fj80 highpinion front electric. love it on the trail, can't steer on the road with it engaged.

that's it.... o' plus i'd rather drop the third out of a rear end over a front axle any day. $Beer Chug\'n$

WHITE_TRASH · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 01:02:20 PM »

If your gonna get an aussie put it in the front and weld the rear. The rear isnt all that bad to drive on and Ive always had good results with a welded rear. A lunchbox in the front will still allow you to turn, at least more than a spooled front end at least.

Bob Garrett · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 01:23:46 PM »

Quote from: BigMike on Dec 10, 2004, 10:39:19 AM

If I were to compare the two, I would say that if you are doing alot of flat ground wheeling, maybe put the locker up front.
If you are doing alot of hill climbing or the sort, then put the locker in the rear? just a guess

I think that given the weight bias of an unloaded mini-truck, that the front locker would offer you the most increase in traction in most situations. The downside is its affect on steering and potential for birfield destruction. A twin stick setup will help, but without a rear locker, you will have limited traction with the front disengaged.

Bob

kyle_22r · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 05:00:32 PM »

i've thought about putting a lunchbox locker in the front. my reasoning is that with more weight on it, it'd be more manageable. some fullsize trucks came with detroits in the past and since they have much more weight on the rear end that we do, it'll actually lock and unlock, whereas with a toyota it's more likely to just stay locked the whole time.

ARBs would be the way to go...but we aren't all made of money(i know i sure ain't!)

Jase · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 05:16:08 PM »

Thanks, thats the kind of info I was looking for.

cgbemis · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 07:00:21 PM »

Don't put lunch box lockers in the rear of daily driven vehicles. I've never seen one last longer than a couple of years.

FATB0Y · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 10, 2004, 07:01:32 PM »

Quote from: BigMike on Dec 10, 2004, 10:39:19 AM

If I were to compare the two, I would say that if you are doing alot of flat ground wheeling, maybe put the locker up front.
If you are doing alot of hill climbing or the sort, then put the locker in the rear?

Same here

kyle_22r · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 06:27:20 AM »

well for hill climbing i think the front locker would almost be a better choice. which wheels do you think are more likely to come off the ground during a hill climb? my money is on the front, as the weight is being transferred to the rear. the rear wheels will have the weight on them therefore giving traction with an open diff

just my

i could be wrong

Jase · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 07:41:56 AM »

Hmmmm, there is a lot of climbing involved and the last two post bring up good points. I guess it might be nice having it in the front because daily driving it wouldn't be used, but how would it be on snowy roads (city roads) if the hubs were locked? It sure would be nice installing it in the rear compaired to the front. The front however needs a new wheel stud and is coming apart soon.

kyle_22r · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 06:05:22 PM »

you know, i just thought about having one in the front on an icy road. i think it might actually be better than having one in the rear, provided that you can steer

less chances of your rear end suddenly getting traction and passing you on the road

yoderboy · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 07:33:51 PM »

mines locked in the front and it is scary as hell on icy roads but just in 2wd its pretty fun

yoderboy · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 07:41:51 PM »

an open front diff is better on the ice . if you give it any bit of gas the frront end will go sideways like the rear will if locked .much better control with an open diff on ice.

militarymudder · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 07:56:41 PM »

Quote from: cgbemis on Dec 10, 2004, 07:00:21 PM

Don't put lunch box lockers in the rear of daily driven vehicles. I've never seen one last longer than a couple of years.

Quote from: yoderboy on Dec 11, 2004, 07:33:51 PM

mines locked in the front and it is scary as hell on icy roads but just in 2wd its pretty fun

i will agree to both of these quotes...

militarymudder · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 07:59:13 PM »

mines locked up front and rear.... when its icy, i would rather go slow as all hell and drive a bike than i would wonder which way im going next!...
and as far as not lasting long... well lets just say my buddie put one on the rear of his dd about 16 months ago, and now its welded....

WHITE_TRASH · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 08:43:39 PM »

My winter is gonna be REALLY interesting. I drive 100 miles a day to work and back and the freeway is always insanely covered with snow and ice between here and there. Ill be driving my 90 to work once the snow hits, its welded in the rear and by then my lockrite will be here for the front. Yee Haw!

Hyena · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 11, 2004, 08:55:07 PM »

I love having my detriot in the rear. I can leave it in 2wd and bomb around in the snow. I love it going uphill and flooring it. The back end comes around and you are going sideways up a hill. It is awsome. Ofcourse i don't go very fast so i can still stay in control. when i put the detriot in the rear it was like night and day. My truck wheeled so much better. If i would do it agian i would have welded the rear and saved my money for an arb or e locker.

MidgetMike · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 12, 2004, 05:40:42 PM »

It all depends on what you do and what you have

Dual transfers and a lot of DD and little or no snow or ice then lock the front
so your truck still drives good, I prefer my front locked for climbing way better traction for weight transfer and better traction on descents as both front wheels will resist gravity input with out braking with weight transfer

Dual transfers and a lot of DD and Snow and ice lock rear
It sucks driving in snow on the raod with a front locker very little control but fun

Stock tcase lock rear if its a small locker like aussie or ez locker weld the rear and lock the front

Un selectable lockers up front are a pregnant dog to drive with in snow and ice if that deosn't matter then do what you think will work best

jeepthing · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 14, 2004, 08:29:19 AM »

if i was you i would put the locker in the rear.if you drive on snow or ice when you hit dry pavement the stearing will jurk in your handsand its hard to stear.plus when trail riding most of the time all your wieght is on the rear any way.and next of all i would buy a winch to go on the front first before i would get a front locker.the winch will get you were you need to go and a front locker will not always help you.after you get some money saved up i would get a arb in the front because you can turn it off when needed to be open like on ice and snow.

cgbemis · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 15, 2004, 04:42:17 PM »

Quote from: jeepthing on Dec 14, 2004, 08:29:19 AM

if i was you i would put the locker in the rear.if you drive on snow or ice when you hit dry pavement the stearing will jurk in your handsand its hard to stear.plus when trail riding most of the time all your wieght is on the rear any way.and next of all i would buy a winch to go on the front first before i would get a front locker.the winch will get you were you need to go and a front locker will not always help you.after you get some money saved up i would get a arb in the front because you can turn it off when needed to be open like on ice and snow.

He said he doesn't have alot of money. That's why he bought an Ausie locker (nothing wrong with that by the way). Where do you think he's going to get money for a winch, ARB, and bumper to hold said winch? When on pavement, a locked front end isn't that bad. Definently liveable. Also, where do you get the idea that all the weight will be at the back? He's got this big heavy engine thing up front. Unless he's climbing a vert or damn near, putting a locker in the rear would make no sense. Especially a loc-rite style locker.

yoderboy · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 15, 2004, 07:53:40 PM »

wanna save some money weld both diffs alot better and alot cheaper and stronger than any kind of loc-rite

Willy Mammoth · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 25, 2004, 08:59:59 PM »

I would lock the rear first. This is your first drive axle and may help keep you from getting bogged down to start with. Also locking the front is hard to stear and will make it easer to break berfields. Lockers are going to be scarry on ice or rain. They will jerk to one side or the other until they go into full lock and after turns. This could cause you to slide out of control on slick roads. You will need to get used to easing into the power in these conditions, but I would rather have the rear locked first. You could always swap 3rd members around and weld the rear if you wanted later. This too is scarry on slick roads. Bottom line is ARB's are your best choice for all conditions, but they are pricey. Lincon lockers are the cheapest way to go and are just as safe as a locker on slick roads, but tire wear is a concern.

FATB0Y · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 26, 2004, 11:39:39 PM »

If it is you DD DON'T weld it you'll B sorry

wishin4atoy · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 27, 2004, 11:26:42 AM »

whatever you do dont weld the front. i would weld the rear its not that bad on the road and i would put the locker in front

KustomKhaos · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 08, 2005, 09:29:51 PM »

I ran a welded rear for a while in my DD, SUCKS. I now have factory TRD E-lockers F&R in my rig. I picked up both for $400. I did all the wiring with relays and love it. Look around they are out there for pretty cheap. There is some mods you have to do to the housings but well worth it.

Barfot · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 15, 2005, 02:22:43 PM »

My suggestion, if the budget is first pri, is a locker in the rear and a detroit truetrac LSD up front.

We do have some ice and snow in the wintertime and a LSD up front is much more easy setup than a lunch box locker. Actually I had a Aussie locker in the rear as well, but changed to a Detroit Truetrac even in the rear. In the forest I could hardly tell any difference between the Truetrac or the Aussie in the rear axle.

The benefit of the Hilux is that it have quite much weight up front, so mostly the front wheels will remain on the ground and give traction even if you "only" have a LSD.

Jase [OP]

Jase [OP]

Jase [OP]

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