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Locker - front or rear?


I wouldn't advise a mini-spool on a c-clip axle like the 8.8, since it can't be one solid piece because of the c clips I've heard some bad things with them breaking. Might as well go lunchbox locker over mini spool and be a lot more streetable.
 
Is having the front pull a little more that bad? Have you had experience with this, or does it just make sense based on the strength of the axles?
 
Is having the front pull a little more that bad? Have you had experience with this, or does it just make sense based on the strength of the axles?

no personal experience BUT i know many people who have wheeled the piss out of there TTB rigs that had both d35 and d28 give me lectures about how bad it is to lock the front and not lock the back. simply put, count the number of u-joints (AKA failure points) in the front and the rear. look at it this way, 2 open diffs really means 1wd up front and 1wd out back so a 50/50 split, imagine if you had a 66.66% front traction and a 33.33% rear traction, thats got broke parts written all over it. as for the mini spool on the 8.8, i have one going under my b2 soon and i have seen a buddy in a jeep BEAT THE PISS out of his without a problem. a mini spool on a 8.8 should not be a problem and i will offer a more personal evaluation as soon as i get mine under the b2. as for a lunch box locker or similar such ratcheting locker i have no experience with them but why the heck not just lock the thing if you are going to install a silly expensive devise that in the end does what ever the heck it wants? either spend the cash on a ARB or similar unit or put a spool of some sort in.

86
 
I've had my front locked w/ just a stock LS in the rear since last August. I've had 0 issues thus far. Aussie (which I have up front) says on their website that locking the front before the rear is not all that bad of an idea. To paraphrase their words, with the rear locked and the front unlocked, going up hill, when the front breaks traction, all the work goes to the rear. If you lock the front, then it'll continue to pulll with the rear helping out a little along the way.

Made sense to me when I was shoppin' for a locker and it's helped tremendously since I put it in.
 
I've had my front locked w/ just a stock LS in the rear since last August. I've had 0 issues thus far. Aussie (which I have up front) says on their website that locking the front before the rear is not all that bad of an idea. To paraphrase their words, with the rear locked and the front unlocked, going up hill, when the front breaks traction, all the work goes to the rear. If you lock the front, then it'll continue to pulll with the rear helping out a little along the way.

Made sense to me when I was shoppin' for a locker and it's helped tremendously since I put it in.

i am not arguing your point BUT you are comparing TTB and CV style IFS.

86
 
Yeah, I realize that. I have 0 experience with the TTB.

FWIW, that statement on the Aussie site wasn't referring to any particular vehicle or suspension type. It was just explaining the logic behind deciding which axle to lock first.
 
hmm

86ford - I get what you mean by distributing the power and it all makes sense, but as long as I don't push it too hard and give it too much throttle I figure it'll be ok. Also, when I was out previously, the front just wouldn't pull enough (prob those auto hubs though), and BOTH back tires were spinning, so I figured i had enough push, just needed more pull up front.

Honestly, I'm tearing down the front end and fixing/repairing everything that might need it or does, so I thought, why not throw a locker in there, ha. It'd be pretty cool if someone had experience with this running the TTB. Thanks for the info so far.
 
no personal experience BUT i know many people who have wheeled the piss out of there TTB rigs that had both d35 and d28 give me lectures about how bad it is to lock the front and not lock the back. simply put, count the number of u-joints (AKA failure points) in the front and the rear. look at it this way, 2 open diffs really means 1wd up front and 1wd out back so a 50/50 split, imagine if you had a 66.66% front traction and a 33.33% rear traction, thats got broke parts written all over it. as for the mini spool on the 8.8, i have one going under my b2 soon and i have seen a buddy in a jeep BEAT THE PISS out of his without a problem. a mini spool on a 8.8 should not be a problem and i will offer a more personal evaluation as soon as i get mine under the b2. as for a lunch box locker or similar such ratcheting locker i have no experience with them but why the heck not just lock the thing if you are going to install a silly expensive devise that in the end does what ever the heck it wants? either spend the cash on a ARB or similar unit or put a spool of some sort in.

86
A lunchbox locker doesn't do whatever it wants. It locks when I want it to and unlocks when I want it to all without eating the living shit out of my tires. I've seen pictures of fatiged 8.8 mini-spools and other storys of failure, but whatever :rolleyes: If you're going the spool route, weld it, it will be much stronger.
 
no personal experience BUT i know many people who have wheeled the piss out of there TTB rigs that had both d35 and d28 give me lectures about how bad it is to lock the front and not lock the back. simply put, count the number of u-joints (AKA failure points) in the front and the rear. look at it this way, 2 open diffs really means 1wd up front and 1wd out back so a 50/50 split, imagine if you had a 66.66% front traction and a 33.33% rear traction, thats got broke parts written all over it.

I wheeled over a year with the front locked and a trash lock in the back. I broke zero parts.

Just the lock the front and back and be done with it.
 
Having just the front locked on my BII seemed to increase it's tendency to do 3-wheel stands on off-camber hillclimbs (to the point it almost felt like it would go over). This was with an open-diff rear (somehow a gremlin snuck under the hood of my BII and swapped the plugs over on the ARB solenoids :icon_twisted: ).

I hadn't noticed such behavior on my longer wheelbase Ranger however (even trying it on purpose).

I would still probably say lock the rear first, then do the front.
 
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I wheel with a couple of guys that have K-5's one with a 350 and the other 305 both running 35's. Both have open rears, but since they put the lockers in the front I'am talking night and day. Just my 2cents
 
If i were you, i would stuff a richmond gear loc-rite, or powertrax in the rear. For the real wheeling advantage, yes the front end will be better (most of the weight is over the front end with a truck) but if you get a snowy day, and end up needing the 4x4, watch out on intersections! im not saying thats THE opinion to have, but thats MY opinion on it.
 
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i have a explorer d35 and 8.8 LS, im keeping the ls and locking the front, i will lock the rear some time down the road, i say lock the front if thats what you want to do, but you always have to keep inmind the efects and the different handleing the rig will have on snowy roads. do what you thinks best and can fit your budget.
 
Do you hill climb much?
Do you do mud much?
If you answered yes to either of those then I suggest rear. Hill climbing a rear locker will outdo a front locker no-questions-asked, think about where your COG is. (the same reason there will never be *real* FWD dragcars)

If you do mainly crawling and general trails with logs and stuff, then I recommend a front locker.

Just as all the other guys said, its just my 0.02
 
I would have to agree with locking the rear first. As mentioned with the hill climb (I personally do more trail riding than anything else) once the front end goes up, all of the weight (and traction potential) transfers to the rear. You will get a lot more benefit and use out of locking the rear first.


hick
 

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