lock it up

i want to put some sort of limited slip, or locker on my 4x4 02 ranger. just wondering what some preferences, or info someone could give.

Front or rear? And What Axles? 8.8" rear?

Unless you only drive on dry pavement, or at high speeds regularly, I would get a locker. I think if you got a LS you will wish you had a locker. If you do drive mostly at high speeds you could get a selectable locker, if most of your driving is at lower speeds a auto locker might work for you.

I have had a lockrite auto locker in my truck that I drove 400 miles a week since last fall, and have liked it, Now when I hit a spot with poor traction the locker will keep me moving through stuff that would have stopped me with an open diff. I also can run at a slower speed with out having to rely on momentum as much as before. It is also much easier to get moving in slippery conditions.

I have had it on snow covered roads, muddy back farm roads with ruts a foot deep, and wet/dry paved roads. I have driven up my gravel driveway that was covered in slushy snow and ice that a fwd minivan with identical winter tires could not drive all the way up. In the past I always had trouble getting moving if I had poor traction conditions. Last winter the only time I had difficulty was starting up hill from a stop sign on polished ice in a sams parking lot, I was still able to get moving up the hill however.

The only things I have noticed is that at speeds over 65mph you do get some noticeable squirming when you get on or off the throttle, my steering has a little bit more play than I would like and could be making the locker more noticeable at 65 mph, also at some on ramps I can feel it pushing towards the outside of the turn. At speeds under 60mph I do get some slight squirming when getting on or off the throttle, however if someone else not familiar with my truck drove it they probably would not notice. I can only faintly hear it ratcheting when turning tightly on pavement with all windows open and the radio off, if I have the radio on I can not hear anything. It does not seem to be wearing the tires unusually. It was very easy to get used to, and after maybe a week of driving I hardy notice it anymore.

In the future any truck that I plan on owning for any length of time will get a locker(s).
the lockrite installed very easily in a couple hours, I got my lockrite from http://www.trsfabandoffroad.com/products/lockers.htm I think it was around $356 shipped + around $30 for new synthetic gear lube

you should be able to figure out what axles you have from this link in the tech library
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html

If you're gonna put something in there it may as well be a locker. Lockers actually do better on the highway and at faster speeds since you are generally turning less, therefore relying on the differentiating of the axle less. I have Lock-Rights front and rear and haven't really noticed anything usual. Occasionally you'll need to turn carefully with a front locker on the road, but I have only noticed it a few times.

Lock-Rights are very easy to install and pretty cheap. Your truck should have the 8.8 in the rear and D35 IFS up front.

Put me down for having a LSD and wanting a Locker. However since i only have about $60 in my LSD, i can't complain for what i got against the hit of $300 (or whatever) for a locker

A pretty tight L/S will get you pretty far, but a locker doesn't wear out or care how many tires are on the ground. In slippery conditions they can act the same, but a locker's behavior is more predictable.

Lockers like detroit locker in turns pushes when on the gas then pulls you back the other way off the gas. Can be scary on rain wet roads will step out the rear very fast if you don't watch it. I've had full lockers in the rear (detroit locker). They are great for drag racing, rock crawling, mudding but you plan to do alot of off-road fine then get it. But for on-highway, normal street driving, parking lot driving no.

I know what they do eat rear tires, harder on u-joints and driveline parts, sometimes won't unlock when turning, have it unlock, lock, unlock, lock very fast while the clutch is pushed in a turn this is worst in short wheel base vehicle. I know it was cool when I was younger but as I got older it wasn't something to really brag about anymore.

If you get one get a detroit locker they are by far stronger not a lunchbox locker(one that replaces the spider gears)

pdmustgt said:

...sometimes won't unlock when turning, have it unlock, lock, unlock, lock very fast while the clutch is pushed in a turn this is worst in short wheel base vehicle. I know it was cool when I was younger but as I got older it wasn't something to really brag about anymore.

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That's why I'm getting an ARB.

pdmustgt said:

Lockers like detroit locker in turns pushes when on the gas then pulls you back the other way off the gas. Can be scary on rain wet roads will step out the rear very fast if you don't watch it. I've had full lockers in the rear (detroit locker). They are great for drag racing, rock crawling, mudding but you plan to do alot of off-road fine then get it. But for on-highway, normal street driving, parking lot driving no.

I know what they do eat rear tires, harder on u-joints and driveline parts, sometimes won't unlock when turning, have it unlock, lock, unlock, lock very fast while the clutch is pushed in a turn this is worst in short wheel base vehicle. I know it was cool when I was younger but as I got older it wasn't something to really brag about anymore.

If you get one get a detroit locker they are by far stronger not a lunchbox locker(one that replaces the spider gears)

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It all depends on your driving personality. They are not hard on parts or eat tires or drive unpredictably if you drive smoothly and with control. I've been locked up for 7 years and after about the first 3 days I stopped noticing it. A Lockrite does not use any force to unlock, it uses speed differences between the tires. You can jack up the back end, have another person grab the opposite tire and turn them independently. You have to skid the inside tire to scrub it on a turn. A Detroit is the same way. And there isn't much difference between a Detroit and a Lock Right. On larger vehicles a Detroit IS a lunchbox locker. It is on my 14-bolt axle, and in medium and heavy duty trucks it is as well.

I drive with my hubs locked on the front in 2wd all the time and there is a Lock Right up there too. That one is more noticable than the rear because the speed differences are always occuring and occuring rapidly. The front requires a whole new learning experience. In fact, when I broke my rear driveshaft and had to drive home on just the front, that really sucked as it was throwing the power back and forth and I felt like I was only about 50% in control, even at 25mph. So don't plan your front wheel drive project around a locker. But for the rear, it's fine and desirable if you need traction.

I know all about how to unlock the axle when it's jacked up. I also know about detroit lockers in heavy duty truck. The dealership I work at took a rear out after the driver complained it clicked they thought it was broke. They took it apart didn't know what it was in tell I showed up for my shift told them what it was. Put it back together and showed them how to make it unlock for axle. The detroit locker that goes into the med and heavy duty IS NOT the same as lunch box locker like you have in the front. They have more room they use the same design Large dog teeth like the 9" ford has. Lunch box lockers have small teeth and in went they unlock they tend to slide the teeth across each other they don't work like the 8", 9" full locker or the drop in "no spin" that goes in the Med or Heavy duty truck.

I know you get uses to it but I'm sorry it's hard on tires no matter how smooth you drive it around turns. It's still harder on drivetrain parts like u-joints still eats rear tires. I had 31 spline detroit locker in my 70 mach1 with auto in the 11 years when I owned. My 76 cobra II it had a detroit locker it for 10 year or so with a 347 and 5 speed. I also had problems with the crush sleeve always seem to lose it's tension let the bearings go loose. Fix was solid spacer and shims never had this issue with the stock T-loc or the Auburn Pro. The Auburn Pro soooooo smooth and much nicer to drive now. So I now how they react what they do when you drive nice or hard and how they can jerk you around in turns. I'm no rookie when it comes too a detroit locker.

http://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/public/@pub/@eaton/@per/documents/content/ct_128312.pdf

I've never noticed any increased tire wear out back in nearly 2 years of being locked. Before I got new DDs I drove my rig 1000 miles a month, the locker was the least of it's streetability problems.

I'm not going to get into pissing match about what anyone wants to use it up to you not me.

I'm just giving out info on what I've owned and driven. All I'm going to say now full locker in the rear especially short wheel base vehicle can be wicked. You never really get 100% uses to it you have to watch it alot. I thought my 76 Mustang II was wicked with detroit locker. I drove early Bronco 68 or 69 with one and Bronco II weeeeee.

If you want one then get one be happy on your choice. In the end it's about all what you want to put up with.

Yeah, i have the 8.8 out back, and i'm not sure about up front but it is IFS. The truck is my daily driver, but i do run it through dirt roads, farmer fields, pretty much whatever. I just hate it when i flex out my truck, and only two of my wheels are spinning... the two that don't really have any contact on the dirt

I've been thinking I'd get a lockright for the front and an LSD in the rear. I've driven plenty of LSD's but never a locker, and I just can't put a locker in the back until I get an opportunity to drive or ride in one and experience it myself.

LittleHorse said:

I've been thinking I'd get a lockright for the front and an LSD in the rear. I've driven plenty of LSD's but never a locker, and I just can't put a locker in the back until I get an opportunity to drive or ride in one and experience it myself.

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I never drove a L/S or locker before I installed a lockrite in my truck. I started looking at l/s and lockers in fall of 2006 because I was getting tired of having to rock my open diff truck to get out of my parking spot at home after every time it rained/snowed. After reading on TRS and checking prices I decided that a L/S was not what I needed, and started looking into lockers. After reading many posts by other members and looking at prices I eventually decided the lockrite was what best fit my needs. I continued reading every post I could find with someone talking about the auto lockers, but I just was not sure I could live with it on road. Finally in the fall of 2008 I decided to order the lockrite, install it and hope that the other lockrite owners on TRS were right about it being drivable on road. I installed it per included instructions, the first test ride was late at night, on the way out I took it pretty easy and it felt funny, I turned around in a parking lot a couple times in both directions with windows down and radio off to see if I could hear it (could just barely) and on the way back home it started feeling much better, after the first week I hardy notice it or think about it much. It has been great, defiantly the best thing I have done to my truck and I plan on installing auto lockers in my ext cab when I get it fixed and and start running it as my summer daily driver truck. keeping the reg cab for winter.

Dad had never driven a L/S or locker before either, and after driving my ranger with the locker he is talking about getting a lockrite for his 1987 2wd s10.
The only thing I regret is waiting and not installing a locker two years sooner than I did.