Lockers

[dylans]

Looking into front and rear lockers. I've got an 89 fj62, 35" tires (but I'm going to 33") and I think its a 4 in lift. Its an sr lift BTW. I know arb air lockers are supposedly the top lockers, but for 2k+, I'm looking into different options for now. I've heard great things about the spartan locker. My digging has turned up info that sounds awesome. But I haven't really found much on the road drivability. If I lock both front and rear axles can anyone, from expierence, tell me how my truck will handle, and how my drive style will need to change. I live in southern az, no snow, ever, occasional rain in late summer months. I've read, don't gas during a turn, what about left hand turns from a stop, id have to gas through the intersection. Basic stuff like that is what I need to know. Its my DD. And my family excursion ride. 60 miles a week minimum on pavement. But it can be much more of course. I go outdoors a lot, and plan on wheelin everything mother nature has, cake walk to crucible. Thanks guys! Sorry for the novel.

 

[NolanFJ60]

Spartan lockers (or any auto locker such as lockright, aussie, spartan, detroit, or grizzly) will change the way your vehicle behaves on the road. I have limited experience with auto lockers on-road but my experience was that I didn't like it. It will "unlock" when you go around corners if your foot is off the gas and you are coasting, otherwise, your tires will squeal like mad. Stop signs are tricky, and if you have to make a turn into traffic quickly, the locker will not unlock. A lot of people can live with this but I couldn't. It drove me crazy and I have since taken mine out of the rear and I'm saving up for another ARB. (I already have an ARB in the front) And, if you put a spartan in the front, you won't even know it is there until your hubs are locked. If you will have minimal on road driving time and lots of offroad time, then the spartans would be a great choice. The reason why ARB's are so good is because they are selectable. You're diff is completely open on-road, and then you can lock them with just a switch. The only other option you have for selectable lockers is the Toyota E-locker found in the 80 series. And as far as I know, installing e-lockers will require some fabrication. You can do a search on e-lockers. I know there are a lot of guys running them in their 60's, and they are probably cheaper than ARB's.

 

[Elbert]

ARB would probably be the best all around solution. Or ARB in the front and mechanical locker in the rear. Absent that pick you favorite mechanical locker. I have an aussie in teh front and a PowerTraxx in the rear. As you increase tire size the mechanical locker's bad manners are reduced. They will ratchet at low speed on hard turns... you will certainly know at all times you have a mechanical locker in the rear axle...once again depending on tire size the torque steer effect will be noticeable (under power the truck can feel like its pushing you to the right), you can feel the locker on most every gear shift with a manual transmission. If you run an automatic (which I don't have in my truck) I think a mechanical locker would be less noticeable.


What I have in my truck was what I could pay for at the time....I would rather have ARB's but that kind of $$ was better spent on other things at the time. If you DD your truck..you should ride/drive another truck before you make any decisions (one that is setup like what you are considering).

The locker on the trails is invaluable....so if you want/need that...then you will need a certain tolerance and understanding of the lockers manners. Once you install one (mechanical locker) it works 24/7 and in all conditions, depending on the power applied and the conditions of road / trail. You may develop a habit of turning into tight spots (Like parking spaces/driveway) with the clutch in / depressed.

With an auto transmission I think a locker is not near as bad in regard to "bad manners"..on the rear axle (pavement). You need to account for how the locker acts though if you engage 4wd on the pavement (snow / ice)..just be aware...not paranoid.
In my view you would not have 4wd engaged at speed...with front locker and remember that at low speed with locker engaged...steering can be really impacted depending on the surface you are on.

 

[dbleon]

Have you found yourself in situations needing a locker? I ask because these rigs are pretty darn capable... how long have you had your 60? Where have you wheeled it?

 

[dylans]

Have you found yourself in situations needing a locker? I ask because these rigs are pretty darn capable... how long have you had your 60? Where have you wheeled it?

I haven't wheeled too much yet, knuckles and axle seals were leaking badly. Now fixed. So I plan on getting out a lot more a few times a month or more. I've had mine since February, and have been taking care of its repairs and maintenance one at a time. I'm at a point where I think I can shift into upgrade mode. As for the capability, I have no doubt in these trucks, I bought it for the reputation capability and reliability. As for the lockers, I say better to have than not. I feel I will need them sometime or another. Arb is way out of my price range, that's why I'm considering this option. Thanks for the advice so far guys, I think I'll try to find someone around here locked front and rear and talk them into a test drive.

 

[90FJ]

Just do a rear locker to start, an auto locker will be fine in these long wheelbase rigs. You'll learn to keep your foot out of the pedal in turns. If you're finding yourself limited without a front locker (which I doubt) save up for an ARB in the front, auto lockers in front difs make 4WD on road driving tricky especially in snow. They're also hard on stock birfs.

 

[dylans]

ARB would probably be the best all around solution. Or ARB in the front and mechanical locker in the rear. Absent that pick you favorite mechanical locker. I have an aussie in teh front and a PowerTraxx in the rear. As you increase tire size the mechanical locker's bad manners are reduced. They will ratchet at low speed on hard turns... you will certainly know at all times you have a mechanical locker in the rear axle...once again depending on tire size the torque steer effect will be noticeable (under power the truck can feel like its pushing you to the right), you can feel the locker on most every gear shift with a manual transmission. If you run an automatic (which I don't have in my truck) I think a mechanical locker would be less noticeable.


What I have in my truck was what I could pay for at the time....I would rather have ARB's but that kind of $$ was better spent on other things at the time. If you DD your truck..you should ride/drive another truck before you make any decisions (one that is setup like what you are considering).

The locker on the trails is invaluable....so if you want/need that...then you will need a certain tolerance and understanding of the lockers manners. Once you install one (mechanical locker) it works 24/7 and in all conditions, depending on the power applied and the conditions of road / trail. You may develop a habit of turning into tight spots (Like parking spaces/driveway) with the clutch in / depressed.

With an auto transmission I think a locker is not near as bad in regard to "bad manners"..on the rear axle (pavement). You need to account for how the locker acts though if you engage 4wd on the pavement (snow / ice)..just be aware...not paranoid.
In my view you would not have 4wd engaged at speed...with front locker and remember that at low speed with locker engaged...steering can be really impacted depending on the surface you are on.

I do have an auto trans, stock 3fe also

 

[dbleon]

I haven't wheeled too much yet, knuckles and axle seals were leaking badly. Now fixed. So I plan on getting out a lot more a few times a month or more. I've had mine since February, and have been taking care of its repairs and maintenance one at a time. I'm at a point where I think I can shift into upgrade mode. As for the capability, I have no doubt in these trucks, I bought it for the reputation capability and reliability. As for the lockers, I say better to have than not. I feel I will need them sometime or another. Arb is way out of my price range, that's why I'm considering this option. Thanks for the advice so far guys, I think I'll try to find someone around here locked front and rear and talk them into a test drive.

maybe get out and run it for a while and see if you truly need them?

Also maybe consider a winch first? Just try ing to save you potential headaches.

 

[dylans]

maybe get out and run it for a while and see if you truly need them?

Also maybe consider a winch first? Just try ing to save you potential headaches.

I appreciate the input man, thank you

 

[klinetime574]

With the way my Lockright mechanical locker behaves in the rear axle on my FJ60...

I would never put one in a rig with an automatic transmission. It is harsh on the driveline when I forget to push the clutch in and coast through turns.

That said, just take the rig out and wheel it. Take a buddy, and a strap.

I did a crazy hill climb once with no lockers. Probably a 30+ degree incline that was muddy and rutted. 2nd gear 4WD low, no issues. That was on All-Terrains too.

 

[brian]

With the way my Lockright mechanical locker behaves in the rear axle on my FJ60...

I would never put one in a rig with an automatic transmission. It is harsh on the driveline when I forget to push the clutch in and coast through turns.

the auto tranny should soften it up actually. until the torque converter locks up, there is no solid connection to the engine as in a manaul tranny.

 

[robustbambi]

yeah i had an aussie in the rear of my 62 for a year or so. never bucked or anything like they do when paired with a manual tranny. All it did was click when going around corners and that was no problem at all. That being said, i probably wouldn't get one again. Id rather just save up and buy selectable the first time round.

 

[dbleon]

Wouldn't it be nice if the 80 thirds dropped right in?...

 

[Elbert]

With the way my Lockright mechanical locker behaves in the rear axle on my FJ60...

I would never put one in a rig with an automatic transmission. It is harsh on the driveline when I forget to push the clutch in and coast through turns.

That said, just take the rig out and wheel it. Take a buddy, and a strap.

I did a crazy hill climb once with no lockers. Probably a 30+ degree incline that was muddy and rutted. 2nd gear 4WD low, no issues. That was on All-Terrains too.

a manual transmission is far harder on the driveline than a automatic. The torque converter would mask much of the lockers bad manners.

 

[Elbert]

If you do any serious 4wheeling in a rocky area...a locker or lockers is critical unless you like getting stuck. The bad manners are not that big of a deal...but you have to understand how it behaves and be willing to tolerate it. Best to go ride/drive another truck similar to what you have but with lockers... remember manaul trans and smaller tires make the locker's manners worse...so compare apples to apples.

 

[Elbert]

yeah i had an aussie in the rear of my 62 for a year or so. never bucked or anything like they do when paired with a manual tranny. All it did was click when going around corners and that was no problem at all. That being said, i probably wouldn't get one again. Id rather just save up and buy selectable the first time round.

yes...thats what I wish I had done...."save up"...but I did it the dumb way...started out with Auburn LSD's and then to mechanical lockers.. It is a little hard to get over the $$ of two ARB's, the compressor, the setup and the install combined $$$

 

[Elbert]

a locker of some type is mandatory really... you just can't overcome that...offroad.

 

[klinetime574]

Well I think I've been corrected. It seemed logical in my head.

Go with these guys experiences.

I still vote for wheeling without it first haha

 

[dbleon]

a locker of some type is mandatory really... you just can't overcome that...offroad.

Not everyone has the same definition of "off-road"... mandatory, hmmm know lots of folks that do just fine without them... but then again the "rock crawler" thing is not for me. Not By choice at least. Camping, fishing, expedition, etc... not mandatory. That's Why the OP had been suggested to run the rig for a while and see where it's at. I've made some pretty hairy trails on stock size tires and open diffs...like the trail back to Chivo falls at Redington pass (OP) should know relative difficulty of this trail if he has wheeled in southern AZ..

 

[RockDoc]

Wouldn't it be nice if the 80 thirds dropped right in?...

Yes, wouldn't that be nice.

For the front all you need is a long spline inner axle to accommodate an elocker out of an 80 rear axle. For the rear you need to swap in a full float axle.