Bingo. Not quiet as good as lockers but it'll do in a pinch
Honestly with crawl control I'd forgo lockers unless you're regearing, at which point if you already have the diffs open, why not?!?!
Lock Center Differential essentially a transfer case?
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Bingo. Not quiet as good as lockers but it'll do in a pinch
Honestly with crawl control I'd forgo lockers unless you're regearing, at which point if you already have the diffs open, why not?!?!
Here are 2 good threads from the forum FAQs:
FAQ Discussion: Crawl, Multi-Terrain, Optional Lockers or ATRAC when best to use each
Video on how Crawl Control Works
FAQ Discussion: Crawl, Multi-Terrain, Optional Lockers or ATRAC when best to use each
Video on how Crawl Control Works
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
I feel @M1911 pretty much nailed it on this thread.
The only thing I can add from purposely trying to see where CRAWL is at capability wise:
CRAWL is better at getting you unstuck in sand and snow than being triple locked. That said, CRAWL is not good to drive through sand and snow, but only to get unstuck.
CRAWL is still not very good as loose rock crawling UP (key word, up) trail. Trying to use braking force, while climbing is just not there yet. This is really where lockers shine.
The only thing I can add from purposely trying to see where CRAWL is at capability wise:
CRAWL is better at getting you unstuck in sand and snow than being triple locked. That said, CRAWL is not good to drive through sand and snow, but only to get unstuck.
CRAWL is still not very good as loose rock crawling UP (key word, up) trail. Trying to use braking force, while climbing is just not there yet. This is really where lockers shine.
I can build a diff at home. I have all of the tools. I used to pull wrenches in a medium duty truck shop. I also used to race. I also have a good local shop if I get in over my head.
I was impressed with CRAWL, actually. I've never run a triple-locked truck though, so it may suck comparatively. That said what I liked about CRAWL on rocks was how it kept the truck moving forward at a sane pace. I didn't have to worry about being too light on the throttle and not climbing a rock, or too heavy and hitting one too fast or risking breaking something. I would think a mix of CRAWL for speed control and full lockers for traction would be ideal, but I don't think you can actually run that combo.
I used crawl control once during the 2017 LCDC. We were on a shelf road going uphill and it was covered with large, loose rocks that shifted as the tires rode over them. Crawl control helped me keep moving a constant speed and did a better job than I was doing -- of course, I'm relatively inexperienced off-road, so perhaps that says more about me than crawl control.
I think Crawl Control allows/integrates other braking and directional systems to function simultaneously whereas lockers take you back to rudimentary basics. I think I personally might be better off with CC. Once traction is lost (and if it is not why are we discussing this) then I usually found myself to be a dumb lump along for the ride. Most people seem to think the game is going UP. I usually find the gamey part is going DOWN.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Oh, don’t get me wrong, CRAWL is amazing. I love how these trucks can take a ton of people and things to the most remote, hostile places, regardless of experience level, then bring us back safe.
But yes, when you have triple lockers, you realize that CRAWL will still never be lockers. But if someone hasn’t found the limit of CRAWL, then lockers would be a waste of money.
You can absolutely combine lockers and CRAWL like @1911 said. CRAWL handles different wheel spins, well if everything is spinning at the same speed, CRAWL is left to only handle overall speed, and not individual wheel speeds. But for me, I can modulate the throttle better than CRAWL, doesn’t make me better than others, it’s just how I wheel.
So for me now, I feel I could use CRAWL as a super good downhill assist. But then, I never do, because I don’t feel it really gives me any thing that I can’t do myself.
However, the topic at hand, I have used CRAWL in conjunction with my rear locker. I was climbing, but also had to turn, then there was a big rock, and I couldn’t choose another line because the embankments on both side were a couple inches away for the body. CRAWL didn’t have it to maintain forward drive. But fully locked did. Then I had to turn, which the front locker isn't going to let happen. That was were I have found that a crafty little capability. Rear locker, CRAWL on, pretty good for hard turning while climbing.
And turning while going over obstacles is the worse thing you can do, and I can count only a handful of times I’ve been forced to do it, but hey, it works.
That’s why a 200 is so capable, I can also unlock the center diff, unlock the rear diff, lock the front diff, and hook the truck around massive boulders. Soo many fun options...
I will admit to being torn on diffs. I have yet to use crawl control. I have been pretty good levels of off road. Not in the mud much yet. I have had a Scout in the past that had limited slip diffs under both ends. V-8 all manual. So I am familiar with primitive brute force and going anywhere I want to go. The 200 is a huge upgrade
The one time I tried using crawl control (2008) I didn't have a good experience. Even on the lowest speed, it was trying to go too fast. This was in a tight rocky technical section. Maybe it works better on mud, sand, snow where you can/should go a bit faster than super slow.
