Locker

[squirrelman91]

Hi I have a 06 ranger xlt 2wd. I'm about to put some 31" bfg all terrains tires on it. I don't do any hard core mudding or any thing like that but I was thinking about putting a diff locker in it but I don't know if it would a waste of money or not. Any in put would be awesome

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[97RangerXLT]

just my opinion, but...

On a 2wd and if you don't go offroad with it very often, a locker would be a waste of money. I would look into a limited slip rear axle from the junkyard. that would probably give you all the traction you need for what you are doing with it.

A locker might even be a pain in the rear driving on pavement. it could cause problems on wet pavement and going into a curve.

AJ

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Not sure if it would be much different in a Ranger....

I run a locker in the rear of my F-150. Since I use the truck for plow duty in the winter, I wanted both back tires digging plus my front. And I wanted to make sure I had an easier time getting in and out of jobsites the rest of the year without having to lock in the hubs. I opted for a cheap LockRight at the time that I did it, it works but it makes noise and the tires will chirp and scrub at times. If I ever replace it, I'll probably cough up the extra money for a Detroit or E-locker. It takes a little getting used to because it does change how the truck handles in different conditions, but I'm happy with being able to spin both tires when I need to.

IMHO, I'd say go for it. I drove a Ranger around for years with an open rear axle and although with good tires it didn't do bad, I swapped a limited slip in because in the winter I often had trouble getting up out of the valley I live in. Before I got the axle it had been gone over and extra clutch disks added to make it work more like a locker. Only ran it a few months before a patch of black ice (and a bit of driver stupidity) put me into a tree though, so I can't really speak for how well a L/S works. My choptop has a L/S rear with extra clutch disks but that really doesn't count since it's a whole different animal, lol.

 

[MastuhWaffles]

1WD works for offroad, at least for me, I'm putting in a locker later though. I would recommend just doing a manual one.

 

[BLOODBANE]

Look into the lunchbox lockers (Lock-Right). If your set on a locker they have better street manners than a Detroit. i run them in my Explorer and the front of my Ranger. they will lock up when you give it the gas and unlock when you dont (cornering). If your hard on equipment go a full Detroit (full, tough, indestructible locker) or find a ARB (selectable, but lots of money for them). The Lock-Rights (lunchbox) are a lot cheaper and easier to put in as well (pull the spider gears out, put the locker in, in their place).

 

[Mac]

I went with the "No-Slip" that is the street version of the "Lock-Rite". Easy to install and never know I have it. Down side is it's more expensive.
Dave