Lockers

[Pighead]

Adding a rear locker, even the "lunchbox" lockers is magic to your off-road capability. I'd wheeled my Pig for 15 years or so without one, put a Lockright in the rear before my first run In Moab in 2001 (installed in the campground, in the rain, at night). I was amazed at what I could do. I had to get used to the "twitching" on road getting on the gas and getting off...also, parking lots were a little more difficult. And the occasional loud bang. It lasted 5 or 6 years before the holes ovaled out and it failed. ALWAYS carry your old spider gears with you when you run one of those. I went to a Detroit locker after that (in the rear)...much nicer to drive on the road. Barely know it's there until you need it. Added an ARB in the front years later.
I would certainly recommend a Lunchbox locker of some type in the rear. A Detroit is better, but more expensive. BTW, some people call them Lunchbox 'cause they'll fit in a lunchbox and you can install them on your lunchbreak..

 

[Dynosoar]

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

Unless I just missed the sarcasm........ Rear 80 diffs do fit in 60 axle housings. For the rear you would need to upgrade to a full floater but then you have an awesome setup.

Dyno

 

[Pin_Head]

A "lunchbox" locker is your best bang (literally) for your buck for off road performance. Unlike OEM electric and ARB pneumatic lockers, they only lock both wheels together when one wheel loses traction, which is great off road. They never allow either wheel to go slower than the ring gear in forward drive but they always allow one wheel to go faster than the ring gear. Because one wheel is nearly always rotating at a different speed than the other, the slower wheel is driven by the ring gear, while the faster wheel is driven by its contact with the pavement and ratchets. The problem is that they switch drive sides when you turn L to R and R to L and when you go from coast to drive and drive to coast. Drive side switching can cause twitching, popping and banging, especially when going from coast to drive in turns. Even though it makes loud noises and twitches, it doesn't mean anything. It is normal operation. You can prevent this behavior by slowing down before turns and then accelerating steadily around turns.

 

[dylans]

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

I will be wheeling without for another couple months. So I'll get my time in unlocked. I do agree though its going to be a necessity for me.

 

[Elbert]

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..

I know everyone does not have the same idea of what offroad means nor do they take the hard paths or try the crazy stuff. No matter... If you don't have some type of locker your offroad capabilities are greatly reduced....very simple fact. If you don't want a locker no-one is suggesting you have to get one. The facts are .... a locker or lockers greatly improves the application of 4wd and aids in traction. In my view a locker of some type should be part of the equation either on the rear axle or both.

 

[dbleon]

@ elbert,

There are lots of different people that may come here to get info...including those that are new to a Landcruiser and may have not even taken their rig into the dirt yet. TThey might bee on here in the build stage looking for ideas on upgrades and then come across a post saying "lockers are mandatory" and think they can't get off road without them. I'm simply providing the alternative view point for anyone who thinks they "need" lockers to get into nature. Of ccourse they increase capability...that's a given. Having said that, the OP seems to have made his mind up that he"needs" them...although it would be nice to know where how and why he wants to wheel.

 

[muddytrux]

I had Lockrights in my turbo bj60 for 5 years and only noticed them on the street when the tire pressures differed by a couple pounds, other than that I think they were great. Always there when you needed them, great in the front you could actually steer the truck, always power to all 4 tires in the slop.
I now have cable lockers and seriously they are not the greatest for driving anywhere except off road , and with the front locked the truck wont steer worth s***. When you have a foot of snow on the roads the Lockrights were seamless and these things are constant attention.
I wont pull out the cable lockers but I sure as hell would not put them in either on anything but a strictly off road rig.

 

[dylans]

Where, anywhere. My main purpose for the truck is family trips. Camping, exploring. Like I said its also my DD around town. But I want to be able to go tougher places like chivo falls and take the rougher paths. I'd like to take my cruiser to its limits. I want to attend big 4x4 events and excel in them.

 

[NolanFJ60]

I now have cable lockers and seriously they are not the greatest for driving anywhere except off road , and with the front locked the truck wont steer worth s***.

True that! I have an ARB in the front and if my tires have decent traction, hard as I try, I cannot steer my truck. Cable lockers, e-lockers, and ARB's truly are "locked" like a spool. I have to disagree that these fully locked (selectable) lockers would be good only strictly off road for this very reason. The purpose of a selectable locker is so that you can drive on road without any adverse effects. For strictly offroad, auto lockers would be much better because you don't have to worry about them, and you can actually steer.

 

[Elbert]

generally speaking in low speed high traction area off-road you cannot steer very well with the front locker engaged. Many times you have to (with auto locker) disengage 4wd to be able to steer around something or maneuver. I have an Aussie locker in the front and this is a very common occurrence..not unique to ARB, or cable locker.. The exact reason I have a dual shifter for the transfer case.

I generally run in 2wd low on tails and use 4wd when necessary. I have mechanical lockers so they work in the rear all the time and in the front when 4wd on and front hubs engaged. I generally leave the hubs engaged the entire trip (while off-road) and control engagement of the front axle (4wd) with the transfer case dual shifter (like many others I presume).

If you have some speed you can steer with front locker engaged...but at crawl speed...my experience has been 4wd has to be turned off to steer. Maybe ram assist would solve that...

 

[waxwrapped]

Is there a significant difference between the various brands of mechanical lockers, or is it just a personal preference/price thing?

 

[elripster]

One nice plus to the ARB is you can upgrade the system to on board air for a quick air up at the end of a trail or reseat beads. I just did the extreme air setup from Valley Hybrids and it's awesome. It is expensive but having built a few trucks I have learned the hard way to try to do it right the first time whenever you can pull it off. Sometimes cash won't permit but often you just end up buying the same thing 2X in the end of it all.

If you do go air locker you can add the on-board air parts later on.

I won't wheel the truck on the hardest trails out there and thus I do pretty well without lockers but I have also learned the traction enables controlled speeds with less wheel slip which can prevent breakage in many situations. Thus a locker can be a good insurance policy from that standpoint.

Frank

 

[NolanFJ60]

Is there a significant difference between the various brands of mechanical lockers, or is it just a personal preference/price thing?

Yes, there is a difference. Detroit and Grizzly lockers replace the entire carrier. These supposedly have a smoother engagement/disengagement and they are the strongest type of mechanical locker. They are also more expensive.
Lockright, Spartan, and Aussie lockers are often referred to as "lunchbox" lockers as previously stated. They only replace the spider gears and are housed within the existing carrier. They are very easy to install and about half the price of a detroit or grizzly.
As far as grizzly vs detroit, or lockright vs spartan vs aussie, its really only a personal preference/price thing.

 

[90FJ]

With the exception of EZ-Lockers, which suck the balls of donkeys (thankfully no longer made).

 

[dylans]

Taking all of this into consideration, I'm gonna try Spartans front and rear. For a few hundred each and the ease of install, I can't really go wrong. If I hate them, I'll sell them off cheap and count a lesson learned. If I love them, I win! Thanks for all the input

 

[elripster]

Do you drive on snowy / icey roads?
Frank

 

[dylans]

I do not. Never have

 

[dbleon]

You don't go up mt.lemon? Or up to flag in the winter?

 

[dylans]

We go up Mt lemmon, but were spring summer fall outters. Anything in winter, is low elevation local stuff.

 

[elripster]

Auto lockers get interesting on snow/ice but sounds like it won't be an issue.

Frank