Originally posted by rat patrol
View Post
Regardless of what type of locker you use, I have strong opinions about which locker that you put in if you only add one. I ran with only one locker for quite a while in the rear (an ARB, and I recommend that brand so far). Now that I have the Aussie up front, everytime that I'm in 4WD, I'm locked in the front. I seldom use the rear locker any more.
I can't speak for playing in sand, but for serious rock crawling or deeply rutted trails, the front locker is DEFINITELY the one to lock IMO! I ran the Dusy and only turned on the rear locker a few times. To get over a vertical obstacle, the front tires need to PULL the weight over. If the front diff is open and one tire loses traction (which happens often), you are now PUSHING the weight of the engine up and over the obstacle.
I have several examples of where I went over an obstacle with only the front locked and a just as capable, or even more so, Jeep that was only locked in the rear had lots of trouble. I've seen it on Shredder, Pumpkineater, and even Cleghorn.
If you wanna play on rocky trails and you only want one locker, Lock The Front. You will not regret it.
I imagine that if you are looking for speed or quick acceleration on loose turf, a rear locker might serve you better, but I don't usually think of Jeeps as high horsepower speedsters.
(...Stepping off my soapbox...) The Aussie was a gift. Of course I love it! But, when it dies or I suddenly find $800 that I misplaced somewhere, I plan to move to an ARB up front. I love the Aussie for it's strength on the trail, but I'd like to have a truly open diff for highway travel.
I don't use Mr. Green as a DD anymore, but when I did, I had a long 'break-in' period where the Aussie made a lot of noise at high speeds. I think that one side was not turning well. This seems to be rare since I am the only person that I have heard of having this issue.
No matter what, unlocked and in a tight turn, you will get a racheting effect. It's annoying, but I don't do U-turns often.
Comment