AK4Dave

Not ever having lockers in any of the Jeeps I've owned, when you guys are doing places like Moab, or the Rubicon, or just crawin over "bigger" things anywhere, do most, if not all, have lockers? I mean does anybody even attempt any of this suff without having them? Oh I'm sure some do pretty good without depending on tires and lift, but where do you draw the line as far as capability...???

Just curious...

Thanks....

goldtr8

As my skills as a driver have increased I use the lockers less and less, however the 4:1 transfer case in my Rubi also has a lot to do with how I drive.

When in Moab in spring I was using the lockers a lot the first couple of days then almost never at the end of the week. At the end of the week I was also doing what I consider harder trails.

The more you wheel the more you know when you do and don't need them.

BBirish

the JK's brake lock differential or whatever its called in the rear works awesome for me, never been to moab but ive climbed some stuff i thought i would have needed lockers for

Red

I try to do as much as possible with open diffs. There is definately a time for lockers, but it is hard to describe exactly when you need them in specific terms. As long as you can get traction you can climb over even the biggest obstacles. Its when wheels are off the ground where lockers come in handy, so as long as the wheels are gripping the ground and pushing you forward, you probably don't need to use the lockers.

toymaster

What line?? When enough is enough? That is when your wallet says quit.

Or you mean how much more capable is a 4wd with lockers? It is all about traction, we only have 4 little patches touching the ground, the more of them getting a "bite" the better. If you have one wheel in the air and it is spinning while the one touching is not getting power then WTF.

Even if you are not doing stuff where you have to say "hey ya'll watch this" first, having all 4 tires under power and at same speed....in a word awesome....even if you are just doing a river crossing with a muddy virgin bank on the other side.

Going from open diffs to both front and rear lockers is like going from having relations with your next door neighbor to having relations with a supermodel. It will cost you more but damn what a ride.

opdsgt

The only time a locker comes into play is when you don't have equal traction from one side of the axle to another (which pragmatically speaking is quite often, not just those occasions when you have one wheel off the ground).

There is a fellow from Portland named Doug Shipman, he drives a late 60s Land Rover dubbed the "Lockless Monster" because he has two open diffs, but he goes wherever he wants because he's got good suspension articulation and he picks good lines.

I just returned from Moab (link). I purposely chose the most difficult lines I could and took only one bypass in five days (around Rock Chucker on Metal Masher). I never took the strap and only had to winch once (on Widowmaker, also on Metal Masher). In addition, I drove right up Potato Salad Hill, site of innumerable rolls and crashes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I never turned my rear locker off and surely couldn't have done everything I did without it engaged, but even a stock JK 'X' with open diffs and aired down tires will surprise people with its capability.

racer83l

ehh, who needs them.... approach, departure, and breakover angles are most important...

As BB said, the JK has BLD and boy oh boy does it work... no more are the days (I see TJ's do this a lot) when they are flexed out, one or more wheels are in the air, and they have no torque going to the ground..

UnlmtdJKRubi

I only use the lockers in the extreme rock situations. Engage it to get over an obstacle and disengage as soon as I clear the obstacle.

Moab sandstone offers some great traction, have used the lockers on U/L Helldorado, and "rocker knocker" in Pritchett Canyon but otherwise low psi and low range gearing have provided enough traction for me.

opdsgt

You got over Rocker Knocker? That's impressive. Did you complete PC start to finish? How many times did you winch or take the strap?

Yoda

If you wheel in trails of category 1 to 6 You don't need e-lockers
Category 7+ you need at least rear TRAC-LOC, and probably, you won't able to follow the full-locked Jeeps

E-lockers is for extreme wheeling only

I have it, and I use it about once per year