Lockers, I need some,

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stinkyfj60 said:
It is supposed to increase the life of the tire, better cooling, and in many off road situations it is supposed to make for better traction. I have heard that you can get a little tearing from small rocks getting stuck and then falling out of the sipes, but not sure if that is true.

I am not sure how they do it of if you could do it yourself, but I would just have discount do it.

Here is a link with a little more info:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TireSiping.shtml
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Thanks, I am going to have it done or do it myself... That sit was very helpfull
 
batman said:
does this cause the tires to wear faster? If they cut small lines in the tire, why couldn't I do that myself? How does this affect the offroad ability of the tire?
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Both discount tire and Lesscwab say that if you plan to drive on shale a lot, not to sipe tires. Otherwise it's only good. For MT's they recommend siping the center lugs, and leaving the outer lugs alone. The sipe could allow a lug to tear when in the rocks.

The dedicated snow tires are special in two ways - special compound rubber, and lots and lots of siping.
 
in 69 the ford bronco was available with a limited slip in the D30 front.
 
That's great and all about the Dana 30, but limited slips were still available for the 9" from the factory. If you look at the rear axle glovebox codes, A3, A4, A5, A6, B8, and B9 all meant that you got a limited slip in your 9" from the factory.
 
Batman...do you kno what you are doing after all this chatter? I'm in the same boat so the posts have been helpful. Do share your decision and results that follow. Good luck locking!
 
DBS311 said:
That's great and all about the Dana 30, but limited slips were still available for the 9" from the factory. If you look at the rear axle glovebox codes, A3, A4, A5, A6, B8, and B9 all meant that you got a limited slip in your 9" from the factory.
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Cool, want a cookie??

My point stands.. The Bronco was available with a limited slip front.
 
I'm also seriously considering a locker in the rear and I AM getting a Toyota LSD to put in the front (I'll have it in in January). What locker is recommended for the rear since I only have a semi-floater rear. Is it worth having a switchable locker (the truck is our only vehicle at this time)? Here in Guatemala the issue is mud but back home in Canada it will be snow.
I never felt the need for lockers back in Canada. Maybe the roads I was on weren't extreme enough or whatever but here the mud can get you stuck before you know what happened (and open diffs don't help).
 
what's important to ya'? (very long)

At this point, the big question for yourself should be "what's important to me"?

I went through the same 'mental chess' when deciding on what to do on my FJ60. All the feedback in this thread is similar to what I've read in the past when researching lockers and pretty honest.

I DO have to add, - when my front is locked up, it does not like to turn...if it's a DD don't just do the front, do the rear only, then add front later or whatever. IIRC, the recommended wiring for my ARB's is to set it up not allow the front to lock unless the rear already is. I'll take their word for it. I couldn't imagine driving down a snowy pass in 4wd and having the front lock up or get squirrelly on me.

Here's what it came down to for me, in no particular order:

1. Mine is a DD, too, and will be for a while. Feedback on non-selectable lockers is that although not a big deal, sometimes there's a "bang" or rachtet sound when taking corners, etc. And you just adjust your driving habits a little bit. No biggie, but I didn't want that - just personal preference.

2. I live in CO, and drive on snowy roads - on road manners are important to me. Feedback on driving with lockers on snowy roads is that, yes, it can be a little trickier - and you just have to be aware of it. And the reality is, just respect the weather, road conditions and your vehicle, and you'll be fine. To me, the physics also makes sense on why the vehicle would have a greater tendancy to slide/slip on snowy roads when locked. And, so, even though I'm sure I wouldn't have any issues...I'm used to driving an open-diff in the snow - I mean, who likes change, anyway? Stick to what I know. ;-)

3. The more I thought about it, I thought it would be nice to have an on-board compressor to air-up tires, etc... (I should have done more research on that part). But still, it's important to me.

(Can you see where this is going?)

4. I have time on my side - it runs fine, and I just drive it and wheel it on the weekends. I can still have loads of fun with open diffs. I said to myself, "self. be patient."

All that meant the ARB's made the most sense for me and I did front and rear (see #4 above) - I know that goes against your original post ($$$$$) But I was right where you are..... So, I saved and saved $$, collected parts for what seemed like forever (like two years) always shopping sales, etc...and in the end, what started as just a rear ARB locker, turned into...well, alot more, but you can PM me if you want to discuss all that. Hence the two years of parts collecting, but as of a couple months ago it's all in... I'm very pleased with what I ended up with.

So, all that rambling is meant to convey - try to figure out what's most important to you for now, and in the longer run and think it through.

HTH (if you're not asleep from reading the post)
 
CardinalFJ60 said:
At this point, the big question for yourself should be "what's important to me"?
Click to expand...

Word.

Great post. No nodding off from me...
 
87CRUSR--- I think I am going with a cable type locker. Not sure what brand but I do not like the idea of an air compressor locking my diffs. To much room for problems with a compressed locker IMO. From what I have read the Cable lockers work just like your E-brake, on or off. I have never have a E-brake fail on me. But I have had plenty of leaks with an air compressor. So in the end I am going to have to save my money to get then.

Thats it for now....
 
CardinalFJ60 said:
At this point, the big question for yourself should be "what's important to me"?


So, all that rambling is meant to convey - try to figure out what's most important to you for now, and in the longer run and think it through.

HTH (if you're not asleep from reading the post)
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Nope, great post! And a bunch of help. Its hard to decide what to go with and I had the same problem, but I went with the Lockright for different reasons. I like the ARB and have always been impressed by the quality of their products but wasnt sure if it was the locker for me. Because of some factors:

1. I dont like to add to things that can go wrong. I am the guy what will forget to turn on the locker when I need it (dont laugh, I know people who have done this only to struggle over and obstacle then realize...oops). And it is rare, but knowing my luck an airline would fail in the worst situation. So an auto is best for me.

2. Cost. I am a bang for your buck kind of guy, my 60 is pretty capable and very low buck. I am running 33s with no spring lift yet, and I spent the money I would have done on that for gears and a locker so it only made sense to go with the Lockright.

3. Driving daily? My 60 is slowly becoming less and less of a daily driver so any odd behavior from modifications doesnt really bug me. That being said, it still had to be capable of being a daily driver to serve as a backup to the family rig and days that I cant carpool or have errands to run. Winter driving with a Lockright doesnt scare me, when I was 17 here in CO I had a 1968 GTO with 475lb ft of torque, posi, and a MEAN shift kit. When that thing would downshift on ice, the rear end would come around real fast. A couple of times of that happening and I learned to respect that... and made me a good winter driver. If you do an auto in the rear, practice in empty snowpacked parking lots to learn what your truck will do, actually everyone should do that, open or locked.

4. Postition. In the front an ARB is more desirable because of turning. But maybe you dont see yourself on technical trails that require a bunch of turning, or your willing try unlocking one hub just to ease a turn. I want a Lockright up front just cause of cost again. An Auburn is another solution for those who need something up front, but maybe not a locker.

Hope I helped too without making you play more mental chess. I just came to different conclusions on the same questions...
 
CardinalFJ60 said:
I DO have to add, - when my front is locked up, it does not like to turn...if it's a DD don't just do the front, do the rear only, then add front later or whatever. IIRC, the recommended wiring for my ARB's is to set it up not allow the front to lock unless the rear already is. I'll take their word for it. I couldn't imagine driving down a snowy pass in 4wd and having the front lock up or get squirrelly on me.
Click to expand...

Likewise, Toyota's cable locker actuator won't allow the front to be locked unless the backs are already.

I went through the exact same decision process My inclination towards selectable lockers and wanting a full float rear led me to the cable lockers which I love and which are way over-built in the finest Toyota fashion. But they are prohibitively expensive--I just happened to get my tax return check when my wife was away on business.

Bill
 
Compressor...

87CRUSR - I got a screamin' deal on a new ARB compressor and without really checking into how well they'd inflate tires, or other compressor options, I picked it up. Will it do the job? Oh yeah. but it takes forever and can really heat up - it's pretty dinky.

Also...batman makes a good comment with 'points of failure' - I had a small leak at one of the fittings on the just a couple weeks ago. It was a quick fix, but you're right - there's a slightly higher risk of something failing.


HTH
 
CardinalFJ60 said:
87CRUSR - I got a screamin' deal on a new ARB compressor and without really checking into how well they'd inflate tires, or other compressor options, I picked it up. Will it do the job? Oh yeah. but it takes forever and can really heat up - it's pretty dinky.

Also...batman makes a good comment with 'points of failure' - I had a small leak at one of the fittings on the just a couple weeks ago. It was a quick fix, but you're right - there's a slightly higher risk of something failing.


HTH
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It doesnt matter what you apply/add to your rig after market there is always the chance of failure. I just want to remove as much of the middle man as possible. If something goes wrong i will know right were the problem is. I will not need a bottle of soap water to tell me where my leak is. With Cable lockers it is that simple, either they work or they dont. So I guess I can lock up my rear for now with something a little less $$ and when I save for the cable lockers I will resale the autolocker. But all this is down the road....

Now when and if I do buy and auto locker for the rear what is involved with instaling it? do I need anything else beside what I will recieve with the autolocker?


TIA
Bruce
 
Detroit or lunchbox locker?
 
Batman

You're right that cable lockers are probably the most fail-proof system available, but I doubt ARB users generally would consider them finicky or unreliable. On the contrary, their reliability is proven day after day in hard use. Also keep in mind that your cable lockers will likely come off a RHD vehicle so the actuator mechanism will have to adapted and the body mount points sorted out (not to mention installing the different axles). ARBs will install much more simply and there's plenty of expertise around if you need help.


Bill
 
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