Why a front locker?

On the 4wd 24/7 Rubicon episode, the guy with the Tacoma on huge tires pulled his front diff mount out of the frame. Worth the watch!

 

Lol. Honestly, we don't need a front Locker. With great tires this truck is amazing. I got the front Locker because they tore the axle, so it was a good time to throw a locker in there too. I'm not going to abuse it, I cannot afford to abuse it. We have a weak front end

 

You’re probably safe, that guy had something like 38 inch tires lol

 

The shop was putting Dana 80s and 44 inch Super Swampers on this truck. You need strength for going absolutely crazy lol

 

Not the same level as the pressures generated while putting driveline torque on them. It is installation angle and gear pattern specific to each vehicle.

From the people that make gears:
https://www.yukongear.com/blogs/the...ide-ensuring-peak-performance-and-longevity_1
https://www.usastandardgear.com/blogs/new-gear-break-in

 

Waiting for my boy at Valvoline to change the diff oil. One more breakin gear oil change at 2000 miles a good idea?

 

How do you get home if a rock slices your driveshaft open like a pipe cutter on the trail?

Quoting the guy in my off-road club that broke his:

He removed the driveshaft and drove 300 kms home in FWD, getting normal gas mileage.

 

I tried to follow your advice, but ended up with no more than 100 miles of 4Hi for the breakin

 

And I broke some rules too. Not driving straight on dry highway is not a good idea.

 

I mentioned this once before, but it seems appropriate here. We were riding in my brother-in-law's Class A motor home when, with no warning, the driveshaft broke. We were on I-10 just west of Tucson, late at night. Among the debris on the shoulder, I found an aluminum vacuum cleaner tube and a wire clothes hanger. We rigged up the vacuum cleaner tube as drive shaft, attaching it with the hanger using a pair of pliers, then drove the 100 miles to his home in Phoenix at highway speed. I expected it to break at any moment the whole way back. Our wives were oblivious to how precarious the situation was. They're used to us fixing things, but it wasn't anywhere near fixed.

 

Promised them $50 cash tip, just to make them use their brain for once lol. Hope I don't have to yell at them.

 

75 mph

 

80 mph on an incline, a little over 2500 RPMs.

 

Blame that 4Runner's lame tires. Watch me with a rear locker and KO2s at 15 psi. Walked right up. I am sure it could have done it with just A-Trac too.
https://youtu.be/qlbxNb5LjO0?feature=shared

 

Thanks for posting those speed pics. I also notice as the speed increased your mpg went down quite a bit LOL. I am guessing it didn't take long either for it to drop like that. 3000rpm's seems quite high to run for a long period of time.

 

After watching many videos of ATRAC in action, I can’t help but wonder if lockers are really necessary. I’m not knocking lockers at all, but with modern electronic traction aids such as ATRAC and MTS, seems unnecessary.

 

Front locker is not needed. But when there is a regear surgery going on on the diff, you might as well just throw a locker in there

 

Highway wasn't flat

 

I would consider that as realistic as it gets then! Most highways people to take to get to offroading spots are through the mountains, so I appreciate that real life, non-"calculcated on paper" rpm to speed example.

 

That was around 2800 rpms. On flat highway it shouldn't be more 2500 rpms. The cool thing about 4.88 is that going from 65 to 80 is not a lot of work, you hardly feel it

 

And not abuse it. This should be the sequence of steeps when you get stuck, A-Trac -> Rear Locker -> Front locker. Front locker as a last resort

 

There are 3 safety procedures for my Eaton locker. 1) Engages in 4WD only 2) Gets power when headlights are on 3) The switch needs some work and won't turn on accidently.

 

I turn on A-Trac after I switch to 4Lo. Never got stuck

 

I am not sure why it would. It just applies brakes. My JK's BLD turned on automatically in 4Lo, never had any issues. BLD is slow and needs a lot of spinning, A-Trac is pretty quick.

 

Watch A-Trac Vs. Front Locker. A-Trac is doing fine, so why bother with the front locker for the most part. A-Trac is instant too, locker requires one revolution(Not the ARB air locker).

https://youtu.be/y-txV1NTMP8?feature=shared

 

It can and it has happened.

 

Forget about Sub 2000 RPMs with 4.88, it's not gonna to happen. But, but, the truck can get from 60 to 70 at a moment's notice without any work

 

Bit of a thread revival here…

My current truck is an SR5 on 33s. I’ve been wanting to upgrade to 4.88s, lockers, and 35s for a while now. Besides the additional price, I’ve been debating between a front locker vs a front torsen LSD, or just leaving the front open. Reliability being the main concern.

Realistically, ATRAC alone has gotten me through every rock crawling scenario I’ve encountered. Yeah it’s a little clunky, but it just works. The only time I’ve ever wanted a locker is when I’ve been buried in the snow.

just spent all yesterday recovering my friends rig who snapped up his front end, and after that whole ordeal, having a reliable front end setup seems way more appealing to me now.

have you ever felt the need to use your front locker because everything else was letting you down?

 

Years ago there was an early Runner Trail that took some wheeling trip. The Runner overheated the traction control system many times through the trip but it did make it through. When it overheats it will drop any wheel control and throw a light until it cools down. I believe the owner installed a front locker and never had the issue again.

 

If reliability is your main concern, then leave it alone. You’ve already stated that ATRAC did its job.