Rubicon Locker: Fact or Myth

AndyG

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
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Someone told me you must run lockers when in 4 wheel hi or you will damage the gears.

I disagree one hundred percent and if that were true they would be set up to come on when you put it in four-wheel-drive.

Also its not in the owners manual-

I know the facts and I don’t need straightened ouy but it might help somebody if some of you guys with will chime about how these things are independent and there’s no danger to anything unless you engage them when the tires are spinning.

Andy
 
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Someone might be misunderstanding how the rear locker works, if it’s someone on here you’re arguing with. You should have the rear locked when off road, to prevent grenading the limited slip gears. But there isn’t any “rule” that says you should lock the axle when you’re in 4wd. My truck has lockers and I just drove 30 miles in 4x4 without them locked
 
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AndyG said:
Someone told me you must run lockers when in 4 wheel hi or you will damage the gears.

I disagree one hundred percent and if that were true they would be set up to come on when you put it in four-wheel-drive.

Also its not in the owners manual-

I know the facts and I don’t need straightened ouy but it might help somebody if some of you guys with will chime about how these things are independent and there’s no danger to anything unless you engage them when the tires are spinning.

Andy
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I think they are talking about the limited slip
 
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Mike_H said:
Someone might be misunderstanding how the rear locker works, if it’s someone on here you’re arguing with. You should have the rear locked when off road, to prevent grenading the limited slip gears. But there isn’t any “rule” that says you should lock the axle when you’re in 4wd. My truck has lockers and I just drove 30 miles in 4x4 without them locked
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What happens to the guys that don’t have a lockers and their limited slip off road?

It was conveyed to me as if the Rubicon brought out some kind of weakness...
 
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AndyG said:
What happens to the guys that don’t have a lockers and their limited slip off road?

It was conveyed to me as if the Rubicon brought out some kind of weakness...
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The Tracloc and Detroit Truetrac do fine offroad, at least as well as LSDs can do and they hold together. Something about the Rubicon's LSD makes it more prone to breakage when used on trails that cause tire spin. I just know when my TJ is offroad its rear locker is pretty much always locked and the front is usually locked too. I might unlock one or the other for momentary needs but they go back on once that moment is over.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
The Tracloc and Detroit Truetrac do fine offroad, at least as well as LSDs can do and they hold together. Something about the Rubicon's LSD makes it more prone to breakage when used on trails that cause tire spin. I just know when my TJ is offroad its rear locker is pretty much always locked and the front is usually locked too. I might unlock one or the other for momentary needs but they go back on once that moment is over.
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Thanks Jerry that sheds some light on it for me as well.

I don’t look at that as a weakness I just look at it as a way to get superior traction and bypass the possibility of damage
 
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Here is what I was told, the Rubicon rear unlocked is a limited slip, and the limited slip is the weak point of the Rubicon rear.

If you are in 4 hi and have wheel spin it can damage the limited slip. Same as on pavement in 2 hi hot rodding it and engaging and disengaging the limited slip.

If this is true or not I have no clue. Since it's cheap to do the locker mod and move the pumps to the engine bay like @Jerry Bransford has done. That's my plan.

Then I would have lockers in 4 high like I have had in my other Jeeps with lockers.

EDIT: Jerry was typing while I was.

Thanks Jerry!!!!!
 
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AndyG said:
Someone told me you must run lockers when in 4 wheel hi or you will damage the gears.

I disagree one hundred percent and if that were true they would be set up to come on when you put it in four-wheel-drive.

Also its not in the owners manual-

I know the facts and I don’t need straightened ouy but it might help somebody if some of you guys with will chime about how these things are independent and there’s no danger to anything unless you engage them when the tires are spinning.

Andy
Click to expand...

Hogwash
 
I've read about this on the forum and, as a matter of fact, we (@tr21triton, @Hog, @John Cooper ) were discussing this on the trail yesterday. So, I went to 4 low and locked the rear anytime I thought some wheel spin was coming up on the trail. Is this really necessary to prevent damage to the rear limited slip in a Rubicon?
 
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trojandawg said:
I've read about this on the forum and, as a matter of fact, we (@tr21triton, @Hog, @John Cooper ) were discussing this on the trail yesterday. So, I went to 4 low and locked the rear anytime I thought some wheel spin was coming up on the trail. Is this really necessary to prevent damage to the rear limited slip in a Rubicon?
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I was thinking after you brought it up. If that was the case why didn't they make it to where you could lock the rear in 4-hi also or make it lock automatically when any 4wd is engaged in a Rubicon ?
 
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trojandawg said:
I've read about this on the forum and, as a matter of fact, we (@tr21triton, @Hog, @John Cooper ) were discussing this on the trail yesterday. So, I went to 4 low and locked the rear anytime I thought some wheel spin was coming up on the trail. Is this really necessary to prevent damage to the rear limited slip in a Rubicon?
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Most would now agree that's a very good idea due to how commonly the rear LSD comes apart when it starts spinning then suddenly hooks up. Mine has been fine and I normally keep both lockers engaged once the trail gets tough enough to be in 4Lo.
 
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tr21triton said:
I was thinking after you brought it up. If that was the case why didn't they make it to where you could lock the rear in 4-hi also or make it lock automatically when any 4wd is engaged in a Rubicon ?
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I was wondering the same thing. Unless they didn't realize it was the weak link until way later? I have no idea if it's true, but I've seen it talked about on here several times so I locked mine Saturday just in case.

Also, 2 wheel drive versus 4 wheel drive would not matter I guess. The rear wheels could spin in either.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Most would now agree that's a very good idea due to how commonly the rear LSD comes apart when it starts spinning then suddenly hooks up. Mine has been fine and I normally keep both lockers engaged once the trail gets tough enough to be in 4Lo.
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Jerry dont you have yours set up so you can run locked in 4-hi also ?
 
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trojandawg said:
I saw the thread for this and was thinking about doing this also. 4 low is just not necessary often with the trails we do.
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I'm thinking the same, if your rock crawling I see the need to be in 4-lo, but running muddy or rutted trails it would suck having to constantly go from lo to hi and locking and unlocking each time.
 
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tr21triton said:
I'm thinking the same, if your rock crawling I see the need to be in 4-lo, but running muddy or rutted trails it would suck having to constantly go from lo to hi and locking and unlocking each time.
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Yeah it sounds like basically anytime the rear wheel could spin it should be locked to be the safest. Definitely need to be able to do that in 4 hi. Heck, it would be nice to be able to do it in 2wd also.
 
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