limited steering/turning radius while in 4wheel low? (1 Viewer)

[legion]

Ummm... I think so, but to be clear (and forget about the L2 mod for this stock setup understaning):

-you drive around in H2 daily
-and you could lock the front hubs in H2 and get a benefit in certain conditions?

Under normal daily driving conditions H2 with hubs unlocked is what you want. If you drive around in H2 w/ the hubs locked your gas mileage will suffer and there is no benefit other than that if you do encounter bad conditions you could engage 4H without having to stop and get out of the vehicle. I leave the hubs locked in the winter for extended periods but not as a habit at any other time.

-you could drive in H4 without hubs locked and it is better than H2 in certain conditions?

No. In this case you're spinning the forward drivetrain and getting no benefit from it. Your rig will have a mighty thirst though.

-and/or you could drive in H4 with hubs locked in and it is even better

Only off road or in the worst of onroad conditions (like snow / ice). If you're on pavement w/ H4 engaged and locked you're putting premature wear on your 4wd & tires and you're likely to have a problem trying to disengave 4wd once you stop as the forward drivetrain will be bound up.

-you could drive in L4 without hubs locked and it is better than H2 with locked hubs?

Only in rare circumstances which I've just learned about after 30 years of four wheeling. You'd need to have a rear locker to take advantage of this too.

-and/or you could drive in H4 with hubs locked in and it is best for true 4x4 situations

Correct.

I am just trying to understand all the possible combinations as I thought all there was was H2 then down to H4 and hubs must be locked or it was pointless and then over to L4 and hubs must also be locked or it is pointless. I assumed if you ever get out of H2, front hubs had to be turned and locked or the H4 and L4 were not truly engaged?

Correct. If you want to be in 4H or 4L you must have your hubs locked or you're not in 4wd.

 

[wantatlc]

thanks Legion - that splains it as I needed it splained for me to be clear.

 

[legion]

thanks Legion - that splains it as I needed it splained for me to be clear.

Anytime, wantatlc. I like stuff explained to me as if I were a 5yo. That way there's a chance I might get it.

Btw, thanks to Mickldo and Pablo for the explanation re: 2/locked.

 

[honk]

correction Pablo , If you want all 4 tires to get power you must be in 4wd and have true lockers front and rear.

Don't let this important and true point be lost. Lockers of some type are the only way to get both wheels on an axle powered under all conditions.

wantatlc, I don't think anyone was deliberately trying to confuse you about the hub lock thing, and speaking only from my position I'll admit to assuming that you knew about their workings.

 

[wantatlc]

Don't let this important and true point be lost. Lockers of some type are the only way to get both wheels on an axle powered under all conditions.

wantatlc, I don't think anyone was deliberately trying to confuse you about the hub lock thing, and speaking only from my position I'll admit to assuming that you knew about their workings.

no worries at all.... I had some assumptions about how 'they' worked (the locking hubs + tcase selection that is ---- not what was taking place when you had the hubs locked up and was causing the steering to be limiting), but I was not 100% sure. my posts kind of elude to the fact that I was on track, but then a few posts made me think (with just a STOCK setup - no L2 mod and only the front locking hubs) that there were in fact more intermidate options for gearing than I thought (i.e., H4 with hubs turned AND H4 without hubs turned), but I see now my original undestanding I had in my head was on par.

the real loop was that L2 mod..... never heard of that. likely to not do it, but it is interesting none the less.

also, since where I live and what I drive really seems to have me either in H2 or L4 (we have no snow or ice and such and it seem H2 can hanlde a hell of a lot more terrain than I thought), I never got into that middle ground H4... so wondered if I was correct that I would need to twist the front hubs to get the fully engagued H4 as you do to get fully engauged L4.... or just shift the t-case and go.

I am clear now though and, despite the original question that started all this- I got that answered and learned like 2 other things in the process.... so it worked out well

 

[PabloCruise]

correction Pablo , If you want all 4 tires to get power you must be in 4wd and have true lockers front and rear.

Yes yes yes, but we are moving from practice to theory...

I thought that important designation was beyond the original question.

 

[goped]

Front and Rear lockers and manual steering

I am a noobie, just bought a fj40 with lift, 35 inch tires and front and rear lockers. The problem I am having is when I engage it in 4wd. I practically cannot turn. Yes I know its hard with manual steering, but really it's impossible. I feel like I could break something putting so much force on the steering. Is this normal? Could I break something?

 

[DSRTRDR]

what type of locker in the front ? if it is non-selectable, yes, you will hardly be able to turn

I wheeled with manual steering and 33s for more than 8 years, and even with the front locker disengaged, the front noticeably binds up when the rear locker is engaged - but not as much as when the front is also engaged, then it's practically point-straight-and-go - steering will only be possible after disengaging the front locker again and getting the steering to unbind

with 35s, I can only imagine this all being more pronounced

and yes, you can break something - without knowing how your rig is set up, it's difficult to predict what will go first

 

[Diskord]

I am a noobie, just bought a fj40 with lift, 35 inch tires and front and rear lockers. The problem I am having is when I engage it in 4wd. I practically cannot turn. Yes I know its hard with manual steering, but really it's impossible. I feel like I could break something putting so much force on the steering. Is this normal? Could I break something?

I've lockers front and rear, a powertrax in front and Spartan in the rear, 35's and Saginaw power steering. Up hill or on the gas all is well. However downhill, the lockers definitely make their presence known, not necessarily in a good way. Like any auto, of any configuration, you get accustomed to what it will do in a given situation and adjust accordingly.

 

[goped]

I have non selectable lockers front and rear. This really makes 4wd useless if I can't turn. Would changing out the front locker make steering normal or is it going to be hard with the rear locker. I'm thinking about getting rid of them since I don't do any hardcore wheeling yet. Where do I start? Is it a easy job?

 

[DSRTRDR]

getting rid of the non-selectable front locker would help a lot - many people run non-selectable lockers in the rear, but probably not so many with manual steering

 

[Mace]

Goped, if you do not have power steering yet, go that route. If you do, add hydro assist.

Extra assist will make steering off road much nicer. The problem is when the front tires have a significant amount of traction. The traction tends to bind things up. Which is why Disklord only has problems when going down hill.

My daily driver FJ60 has autolockers front and rear. My FJ40 has a spool in the rear and a auto in the front.

I want an Air locker for the rear of the 60 for street driving (minimize tire wear). But it's really not that big of a deal.

If you do not ever want to do harder trails, then dump the lockers and call it good. However, if you think you will, then it behooves you to keep what you currently have and learn it's habits.

 

[goped]

I live in central wa. Does anyone want to trade their front diff for my front lock differential? I dont like the way it handles. Let me know. Thanks

 

[goped]

I actually want to get rid of both. I want my 40 road worthy right now. So anyone who can remove and install these, I will drive to you.

 

[Bang Bang]

I have a Spartan in the front and Aussie in the rear, 4" lift and 35's and have no issues driving on the street or off road. It takes a little getting used to but if you even remotely think you may start wheeling it I would say you are making a mistake by removing one or both of the lockers. If anything, and funds are not an issue, swap the front for an ARB air locker so you can turn it on and off with the flick of a switch.