Lockers - why you want them and how/when to use them (1 Viewer)

[TexasJack]

I am not an agent for ARB. I work for a technology company that has nothing to do with off-roading. I am posting this up because I have seen several threads recently where newbies obviously didn't understand what lockers did and why they are helpful. I am posting this in the 80 tech section because all of these guys owned 80's series and this is a tech issue. These videos are what I used to learn about lockers a while back. Hopefully they will helpful to others:

ARB Air Lockers

Air Locker vs LSD vs Traction Control Part 1

Air Locker vs LSD vs Traction Control Part 2
Air Locker vs LSD vs Traction Control Part 2
Lockers vs Extreme Suspension
Lockers vs Extreme Suspension
diff lockers, how and when to use
diff lockers, how and when to use
When to select 4x4, when to lock the centre diff
When to select 4x4, when to lock the centre diff
Front Diff Locker vs Rear Diff Locker
Front Diff Locker vs Rear Diff Locker

 

[danthman114]

There are some here that think they aren't needed and say the ol' " if they know how to drive they aren't needed". I call bs. If they never use them they don't do any real 4wding. The first time I had mine out I had to use the rear to make it up the trail...

 

[Douglas S]

I love them. Absolutely zero downside to selectable lockers except for cost.

 

[bmwjnky]

Having been on the same trail in my old 80 that didn't have lockers and my current one that does the the difference is night and day. Yes, I was able to run the trail in my unlocked 80 but it was so much easier in my locked one. No wheel spin in the loose rock sections and the spots where I had to use momentum and gun to get through in my last 80 I could just pick my line and smoothly drive through with the lockers on in my current one. I know it's not a common situation but I would like to find a way to lock only the front. There have been a couple times where I would have only needed the front locked to help me get through a spot.

 

[TexasJack]

There are some here that think they aren't needed and say the ol' " if they know how to drive they aren't needed". I call bs. If they never use them they don't do any real 4wding. The first time I had mine out I had to use the rear to make it up the trail...

I wheeled my 80 without lockers from 1997 until 2010. I got damned good at getting up difficult trails unlocked. With that said, I got damned tired of digging myself out of mud holes. Try 3 hours of digging and lugging rocks and lockers and a winch start to make all the sense in the world!

 

[greentruck]

There are some here that think they aren't needed and say the ol' " if they know how to drive they aren't needed". I call bs. If they never use them they don't do any real 4wding. The first time I had mine out I had to use the rear to make it up the trail...

I remember getting stuck every time I went out when I was young. That's a sport in itself, getting stuck and unstuck. The less time and effort you spend getting stuck, the less you'll need to get unstuck.

You may need them for the trails you plan to take. But if around 85% to 90% of LandCruisers do not have lockers, are all of the rest of us simply going to the mall? Funny, in 40+ years of 'wheeling, I spend very little time going to the mall...

I'd also wager that well over 90% of the trails in any state are passable without even thinking of lockers...except maybe Alaska.

If you want them, get them. If you got them, run them. If not, mostly it'll not matter.

 

[Rifleman]

Since I'm now 60 years old, digging out of the mud, and sand just doesn't have the same appeal as it did when i was 20. That's one of the big reasons i wanted my truck to come equipped with Mr T's magic dial!

 

[red mud fj]

I have rolled around in the mud, stack rocks also and how about those hi-lift jacks I have distroyed. When I got my first Warn winch on my Fj40 back in the early 1980s I was so happy. Lockers would of been a dream come true!
Fast forward today my ARB fully lock 91 Fj80 is a dream come true.

 

[thatcabledude]

You could make the argument they are environmentally friendly too.

Less wheel spin and throttle usage=less erosion/c02 emissions.

Also less noise pollution from higher engine revs and cursing.

 

[TexasJack]

Since I'm now 60 years old, digging out of the mud, and sand just doesn't have the same appeal as it did when i was 20. That's one of the big reasons i wanted my truck to come equipped with Mr T's magic dial!

I'll be 60 in a month. I am still physically able to dig out I just don't want to pay the price of achiness for doing it. Especially when I can avoid it in the first place!

 

[TexasJack]

I remember getting stuck every time I went out when I was young. That's a sport in itself, getting stuck and unstuck. The less time and effort you spend getting stuck, the less you'll need to get unstuck.

You may need them for the trails you plan to take. But if around 85% to 90% of LandCruisers do not have lockers, are all of the rest of us simply going to the mall? Funny, in 40+ years of 'wheeling, I spend very little time going to the mall...

I'd also wager that well over 90% of the trails in any state are passable without even thinking of lockers...except maybe Alaska.

If you want them, get them. If you got them, run them. If not, mostly it'll not matter.

I did all the trails around Silverton, Ouray and Telluride a couple of years ago and never did need my lockers. I used them a couple of times only because it was raining, the rocks were slick and it was very steep. I only used them as a precaution so I agree with your wager. The times when lockers matter is when it has been raining for 2 weeks before the start of deer season and you are hunting on a black dirt ranch. The mud-holes are vast, deep and there are plenty of them. Without lockers and a winch you'd be leaving your truck out there until things dried out some. I have buried my truck to the wheel wells plenty of times and getting out meant hours of work. I used a come-along for many years and that can be incredibly dangerous. If it snaps, you are going to get hurt badly. Once I joined Lone Star Landcruisers & Mud and learned out to build out my rig I stopped having those issues. I did add ARB lockers, a big Warn winch, mud tires, etc. to my rig and it was expensive.....but really worth it!

 

[nigelsiam]

I 2nd the notion about being easier on the trails and all the environmental aspects of ripping up the roads by spinning needlessly. Those will eventually become washed out and making it harder for the next person. Lockers are amazing for going up AND coming down.

 

[baldilocks]

There is a reason why aftermarket lockers are a huge success and he market can support so many designs and manufacturers. This shouldn't even be a topic of discussion. It's the difference between "sort of 4x4" and true 4wheel drive.

 

[hamishpotter]

I have been on the fence about buying lockers for my 80. Christo Slee gave me some good advice - lockers will get you into deeper trouble, a winch will get you out. I completely agree they offer better traction overall. For my dd use though, only wheeling occasionally, I went with a winch. I have noticed the need for lockers in two spots on the trail. Both times I got through fine without. I've spent some of the money saved on my gf, which helps me get out and wheel more .

When my budget allows I will regear and lock my axles.

 

[TexasJack]

No single change you make to your vehicle will increase its wheeling capabilties like installing lockers. I have pretty much done all of the prudent things to an 80 you can do to make it more trail worthy and lockers are by far the biggest difference maker!

 

[greentruck]

I have been on the fence about buying lockers for my 80. Christo Slee gave me some good advice - lockers will get you into deeper trouble, a winch will get you out.
SNIP

Yeah, short and sweet from someone who is widely recognized as knowing his stuff.

That also sums up my point, maybe more clearly than I made it. If your style/taste/local trails runs toward "looking for trouble" lockers will get you there and most likely get you back again. That's all I'm saying.

True, lockers will make you more trail worthy -- but that's probably why most people bought a LandCruiser in the first place. Even without lockers, the 80 series is one of the most trail worthy vehicles ever produced, certainly the most trail worthy vehicle I've ever owned. Adding lockers will take you a bit farther, but it's more about going a little further than other LandCruisers. There is no basic insufficiency in an unlocked 80, so before you spend the big bucks adding them (since the vast majority of LandCruisers leave the factory without them even though it's the kind of truck intended to go into harm's way) consider how much use you'll actually get out of them according to your needs. And as Christo reminds, they are not a panacea; they can get you into the sort of trouble you'll still need a winch to get out of.

 

[Tools R Us]

No single change you make to your vehicle will increase its wheeling capabilties like installing lockers. I have pretty much done all of the prudent things to an 80 you can do to make it more trail worthy and lockers are by far the biggest difference maker!

This, agree, 100%.

 

[TexasJack]

While that hasn't happened to me yet, I can certainly see the logic to it. I probably wouldn't consider some of the hills and mud bogs I drive through if I didn't also have the winch. I am also experienced at getting my truck out without a winch if there is nothing to connect the winch to. Before I had lockers, I did get stuck out in the middle of a large open field. Nothing to do there but get out your jack & shovel and look for rocks to put under your wheels....back to old school. I carry a board to put under my jack for really muddy patches.

I am actually a bigger fan of my bottle jack than I am of my high lift although I carry a high lift at all times. I was born in 56 so I grew up with the equivalent of high lift jacks.....they are dangerous as hell! I just bought a device that grips onto the axle to make the bottle jack more utile so it won't slip off.

I have considered getting one of those connectors for my winch that digs into the dirt very deeply and will pull you out when you don't have anything else to connect to but I'd like to get some input from Mud members on how well they work before I spend the money. Of course, it won't help much in real rocky terrain and Texas has a lot of that!

 

[cruiserdan]

The Expeditions 7 trucks carry Pull Pals and Max Trax. They got used.

 

[TexasJack]

The Expeditions 7 trucks carry Pull Pals and Max Trax. They got used.

View attachment 1297365 View attachment 1297364

Dan, I am a fan of the pull pal and am definitely considering a purchase. Where did you get yours? Also, have you ever had any concerns with it coming loose and ending up in the front seat of the truck?

I have heard from other long-time mudders that the Max Trax winds up being thrown out behind the vehicle half the time with no traction aid provided. Can you provide some detail on your experience with them?

By the way, I know I am high-jacking my own thread but I meant it to be a thread about how to avoid getting stuck in the middle of no where while you are alone. Expanding it to include how to get unstuck is a natural progression.

It is a good discussion for newbies and old hands alike. I learn something new everyday and there are some incredibly knowledgeable people on this forum.