Front vs Rear locker test

[Austblue]

Interesting to see some test results on this.

http://winter2005.4wheelingoz.com/wi05% ... 20TEST.htm

http://winter2005.4wheelingoz.com/wi05%20LOCKER%20TEST.htm

[Blue]

I've always maintained a front locker and a tight LSD were the best combination for most situations one might encounter...

[Homer]

I've always maintained a front locker and a tight LSD were the best combination for most situations one might encounter...

Without looking at the links yet I will put my balls on the line and say I would bet that is the case.
In fact I posted some comments on here asking why they give rear diff locks as options when it's the front you want locked if you're serious. The limo and a touch of handbrake should do the job marvelously at the back end.

Ok drum roll......going to the links.....balls sucking up into my body in fear....

[Homer]

Ahhh...balls safe, returning to normal position...slight sweat now drying on forehead.

[jop]

I just got the latest 4wd custom action which has a write up on lockers - different brands, pro's and cons and finally front or rear.
They had two quotes:

Jack macnamara (who makes his own difflocks - identical to TJM's pro locker) - " We suggest the rear. In most situations most of the torque and vehicle weight is transferred to the back. A locker there will make most use of the traction"

Damien bonguard, ARB - "That's a tough one, but if i had to be general, put it where most of the weight is"

My personal opinion is - it depends on the terrain driven, i would prefer a rear locker in most of the terrain i drive - rocky, ruts.
Or both locked:twisted:

The mag also has a write up on Freestyle's mate from ample outdoors (prado)

[Blue]

My reasoning comes simply from the fact that no regular manufacturer puts an LSD up front - once the open diff up front lets go, on any really difficult terrain, the game is over... As Homer said, the rear LSD can be backed up by driving through the hand brake to create artificial load on the unweighted wheel...


I guess this is another topic, not unlike tyres, suspension, vehicle brand (even though we all know mitsu is the bomb, even the Lux drivers here )... There are pro's and cons to every argument and regardless of vehicle configuration, driver ability has a lot to do with it - case in point, I've mentioned walking up Andersons at Gembrook after rain while a mate in a twin locked and JT shod pootrol had to winch most of it...

[jop]

I guess this is another topic, not unlike tyres, suspension, vehicle brand (even though we all know mitsu is the bomb, even the Lux drivers here )... There are pro's and cons to every argument and regardless of vehicle configuration, driver ability has a lot to do with it - case in point, I've mentioned walking up Andersons at Gembrook after rain while a mate in a twin locked and JT shod pootrol had to winch most of it...

Yeah your right, you like the front - i like the ..... no wait, i mean. I like the front too

[Blue]

I guess this is another topic, not unlike tyres, suspension, vehicle brand (even though we all know mitsu is the bomb, even the Lux drivers here )... There are pro's and cons to every argument and regardless of vehicle configuration, driver ability has a lot to do with it - case in point, I've mentioned walking up Andersons at Gembrook after rain while a mate in a twin locked and JT shod pootrol had to winch most of it...

Yeah your right, you like the front - i like the ..... no wait, i mean. I like the front too

I'll take the rear if you want the front... *backs out of thread slowly...*

[jop]

cue banjo's......

[FreestyleCab]

The mag also has a write up on Freestyle's mate from ample outdoors (prado)

THREAD HIJACK:
That write up was almost fiction.... TJM 10mm thick bash plate - try 3mm.
Water bladder in the rear door - try the drivers rear quarter panel.

The only thing they got right was me stuffing up the winch breather part of the installation, they went to great lengths to point that one out
It was the first Warn9000xp I installed and I missed the fine print about digging out the silastic on one breather hole and filling up another.....

[jop]

I didn't think it looked like a rear door
And 10 mm - i was jealous for a while, of the bash plate that is

[Skog07]

There are so many pros and cons of doing both. The Mitsu and the lux being IFS and having vunerable CV joints. Id be inclined to lock the rear diff.
It is cheaper and stronger than locking the front.
But being a Hilux driver the rears are always lifting of the ground at the slightest sign of crossing a rut midway up a hill. And the factory LSD is lousy at best. The handbrake method doenst really work in a manual as well due to the abruptness of takeup of the clutch and wheel spin as well. Its easier to do this method with an auto though and will work reasonably as well.
Also the LSD will wear out after a period of time as well and its effectiveness would be less as the vehicle ages.
The money spent on locking the front could be better spent on a really good set of play tyres that would possibly get you further than a locker anyway.
This is a good debate.
Cheers
Skog

[Blue]

With regard to the LSD's wearing out - I'm both surprised and delighted with the LSD in my MK Triton... ~170,000km and a lot of abuse and it still churps the inside tyre as I make the right hand turn out of my street under normal power - not loading it up...

[Homer]

Only the front for me. Had never heard of locking the rear until recently - except in situations where they locked both.
Go the front son, as the article says - it is heaps better and will get you much further in virtually every case.
Just go gentle or you might become an axle changing expert.

[Skog07]

Blue.
The factory LSD in the Toyota is rubbish, they generally stop working after 40000ks. The LSD centre out of mine is in the right place now, in the box the ARB airlocker came in...
It was replaced with the air locker after 17000ks. An LSD will only really work when both wheels are on the ground. They can be coaxed with light pressure on the hand brake to get you over stuff if the a wheel is off the ground.
The main reason Patrol owners put some sort of locker on the front is they have fantastic rear articulation. Which means the rear wheels flex alot more than a leaf sprung vehicle keeping rear wheels on the ground better. And the LSD in the Patrol is a really tight and good unit. Also the front axle is a live axle which is much stronger which can generally cope with greater torque from the lockers than an IFS front end.
Mitusu run a factory rear locker as an option as well. Which is a fantastic feature on the Triton.
Unfortunately the hilux doesnt.......
Anyway any sort of traction upgrade will pay huge dividends when out 4wding in the bush.
Cheers
Skog

[NowForThe5th]

The big benefit of the Triton rear is that it has quite reasonable articulation even in standard form so it is more likely that both wheels will be on the ground and the LSD can do its' job. The front is a different story with IFS so it's quite easy to get a wheel airborne and this is where a front locker would save the day, even if one rear wheel was off the ground. There is (usually) more weight over the front so traction should be better and we all know that FWD is more efficient than RWD (albeit not as much fun).

For my money a front locker would be all that is necessary in almost every situation and if the going is tough enough to require it, then a little less right boot would probably be in order anyway so CV's don't shatter when coming back to ground.

Many of the 4WD shops only have experience with Toyotas and Nissans where the rear LSD is pretty ordinary or, in the case of the Patrol, very good but there is a live front axle. Different folks, different strokes.