Front Aussie Locker only?

[Living in the Past]

Oh well, I guess Aussie Locker it is.

Did aussie start making lockers for the earlier coarse spline axles? I know Lockright did or still does makes lockers for the early coarse spline Land Cruiser axles.

 

[General Automag]

I have found many posts about Aussie or other ratcheting lockers. But most are talking of either just rear, or front and rear. However youtube searches are mostly front only installs on Jeeps. I am interested in a front only setup, as I am not crazy about the design for a rear diff, as you basically are only getting power to the inside wheel in any turn on pavement. It is not a daily driver, and any hard packed snow or ice conditions will be tackled with my WRX.

Guess my question, are many of you running them in the front only? I understand potential birf issues, but im running a stock 1f engine, not a huge concern i dont think. A bigger question, anyone running front lockers without power steering, and how bad is it really?

I too puzzled over the "locker" question about a year ago. 'Ended up installing an Auburn Limited-Slip differential in the rear. We have a mostly stock '71 FJ40 with the 1F engine, no power steering and no power brakes.

What I read on Auburn lockers in the rear was 50/50; some like it and have no problems and others have clunking/racheting sounds and rubber catching on pavement during turns. I also read about poor performance on ice with an Auburn locker.

With no power steering, I am not considering an Auburn locker in the front.

The real question is how does the LSD perform. For us, our setup with the Auburn LSD in the rear works great with the stock "open" diff in the front, so really we have a 3-wheel drive now. When things do break on the front axle, I am seriously considering installing a LSD in the front. I haven't been in a situation yet where an Aussie locker would have performed better than the limited-slip diff that's in it now. Plus, it drives SO good on the pavement!

Think about what you want to do with your rig. Do you want a rock crawler beast or do you want a very capable vehicle you can use as a daily driver if you had to. Our FJ40 will go almost anywhere we want to take it.

Also, consider spending your money on a good winch and bumper, which, in my opinion, is a better investment than tearing apart the front axle.

 

[General Automag]

PS The fine folks at ACC Toyota in Atlanta talked me into this setup (ACC Toyota Truck & Land Cruiser). They are indeed Land Cruiser experts and have set up a lot of very capable and functional rigs.

 

[Pin_Head]

a auto type locker drives the outside wheel and lets the inside rachet back, and with a slight mod in your driving technic you wont even care about having it in the rear. I would put it in the rear axle.

It is not that simple: In the drive or accelerate direction, the outside wheel in a turn is rotating faster than the ring gear and ratchets. In the coast or decelerate direction, the inside wheel is rotating slower than the ring gear and ratchets.

When you go from coast to drive, the drive switches from the inside wheel to the outside, sometimes dramatically, causing popping banging and twitching. Most people don't get this and mistakenly think that the axle is "locking" when the goose it around turns. The auto locker operation can be mostly transparent if you stop going from coast to accelerate in the middle of the turn. If you don't adjust your driving style, you probably won't like autolockers for street driving.

 

[eyebmx]

Did aussie start making lockers for the earlier coarse spline axles? I know Lockright did or still does makes lockers for the early coarse spline Land Cruiser axles.

Your right. I had found a post in archived pirate4x4 about the aussies, when I first read it, I thought was saying pre 69 to order a specific model number. But I was reading it wrong, they do not make a coarse spline locker. Thank you for making me look again