Our trip to the Michigan Assembly Plant 10/22/18

[85_Ranger4x4]

Personally I have yet to be going over 5 mph while wishing I had a locker.

Jeeps are limited to 30mph though.

 

[Uncle Gump]

My interpretation was always that it's enough to get the vehicle through any reasonable terrain while simultaneously preventing slamming a high speed wheel into a high traction object. Self preservation for warranty purposes.

And while your interpretation could very well be spot on... at the very time I'm praying for my spinning wheels to hit some high traction object to pull me through... It was already disengaged?

If so... I'll stand by my what I said earlier... pretty useless

Edit... Like I said... I'm not exactly sure how this works. If it's vehicle speed and not wheel speed... it's deserves it's place and not so useless.

 

[pjtoledo]

So what is the reasoning for the 5 mph limit on factory e-lockers?

that feature is directly attributed to the buyers who, when dining out, will order a salad with 5-1/2 croutons symmetrically arranged on the left side of the plate.


the rest of us suffer because of them.

plus, it gives the tuners an easy shot at upgrades. after all, you never sell an offroader something that's perfect. he will be much happier "improving" it

 

[91stranger]

So when you are stuck in the mud the e-lock disengages because your tire is spinning too fast? That would be useless unless it has something like GPS that can factor in actual vehicle speed instead of wheel speed. I think a locked rear end should stay locked until the user wants to disengage it. The computer doesn't know the difference when you are about to hit a mud hole and need all four wheels spinning at a high speed to get across it. I guess we will just have to strap 2x4's to our tires to get unstuck like most rednecks I know.

 

[fastpakr]

To clarify - I'm not sure the speed limit is specifically 5mph. It's definitely got an upper limit where it disengages, but the F150 info I found indicates 25 mph. We asked at the event on Monday but there wasn't an official Ford tech guy around to check with. The drivers were Ford employees from various jobs and the ones I checked with weren't sure on that answer.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

And while your interpretation could very well be spot on... at the very time I'm praying for my spinning wheels to hit some high traction object to pull me through... It was already disengaged?

If so... I'll stand by my what I said earlier... pretty useless

Edit... Like I said... I'm not exactly sure how this works. If it's vehicle speed and not wheel speed... it's deserves it's place and not so useless.

Your axle going snap crackle and pop is less useful than a disengaging locker.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Your axle going snap crackle and pop is less useful than a disengaging locker.

If they turn off the locking differential over 5 mph wheel speed to prevent axle breakage... they really need to fire the lead engineer and take the entire design back to the drawing board.

I just looked at some F150 stuff myself.... Lots of criteria that goes into play for engage and disengage limits. 25 mph threshold for the F150. I kinda think too that once it locks while you are say spinning wheels getting out of a snow drift... It doesn't let go in the process when it's loaded up despite mph. It will stay mechanically locked despite being electrically disengaged if it even does electrically disengages during that cycle.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Adsm is the one that came up with 5mph. Nothing I have or ever ones has had a locker.

 

[bobbywalter]

driving with a spool is not for the average driver.


by-passing it so you can control it is easy though.

 

[fastpakr]

Is it just a 12 volt solenoid that you can switch on to engage the locker?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I couldn't find anything on the new ranger system.

I did see where some systems at least are activated by a switch.

The locker itself used a magnetic clutch to lock pins into the side gear. I think that was an eaton e locker I looked at.

I didn't deep dive the subject just trying to get a little better informed with some general information.

 

[fastpakr]

Switches are at the front of the center console.

 

[bobbywalter]

for fords it pwm controlled so it engages for a time with 12 v and then falls back to 5 or so.

ghey. i would bypass for sure with a lock out to keep morons from using it.



glorious donuts are reserved for me only.

 

[Uncle Gump]

So, just looking at the switch array... There isn't just an ON/OFF switch but rather mode switches. I'll bet each mode has its own algorithm(s) to determine when it engages and when it disengages. While I'm sure there is a MPH threshold that overrides this system... 5 MPH seems low and 25 MPH seems more realistic. I still think that once this system is locked and under power/load it won't unlock until a software algorithm says it's safe to do so. Anything less seems detrimental to the locker/differential to me.

Without a pile of technical/software specifications in front of me that's all I got... and it is all a guess.

I do think that 90% of the buyers could benefit from this system... there is the 10% that might be better off looking to the aftermarket for an option that will better meet their needs.

 

[fastpakr]

Only one of those switches is for the locker. The rest are tow /haul mode, traction control, disable auto stop /start, and (I think) fog lights.