Aussie Lockers for Desert Drives

[Richard83]

Hi there, I am an owner of a stock 2006 Jeep Wrangler Sport with 31.5 inch tires. As per the build sheet, I have a Dana 30/186MM Front Axle , Heavy Duty Dana 44 Rear Axle, 3.73 Rear Axle Ratio with a 4-Spd. Automatic 42RLE Transmission.

I reside in United Arab Emirates and predominantly use the Jeep for desert Dune bashing.

I am interested in adding automatic/lunchbox type lockers to the Jeep, however, none of the local mechanics have any knowledge of it. i dont have access to tools/garage, so it cant be a DIY

I was hoping to get your feedback on
a) Do automatic lockers (Spartan/Aussie) suit desert sand driving
b) Can I install the locker up front to begin with and then progress to the rear.
c) I am finding it hard to determine the appropriate models for each side, but based on reviews on this forum, am more inclined towards the aussie lockers.

I have read similar threads, but since my drive is specifically going to be in loose sand (weekend) and highway (daily driver), was hoping to get your specific views

Thnx

 

[Alex01]

A) auto lockers are always nice in my opinion because it gives you more control (I have no experience with sand driving so defer to others here with experience)
B) you can put a locker on either axle at anytime without needing to ever add one to the other. The important part is if your going to re-gear the axle you will need to do both at once. This then leads to the idea that re-gearing and adding lockers f/r at the same time will be cheaper then doing them separate.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

A lunchbox locker would be a great choice in the sand for your front axle but they're not a good choice for the rear axle. Lunchbox lockers are smaller & weaker so that's one of two reasons they're not a good choice for the rear which sees a lot more torque & stress than the front axle does. The second reason is that lunchbox lockers are notoriously poorly behaved when in the rear axle. The rear axle is the main driving axle and as such, the majority of torque passes through it which would keep a lunchbox locker firmly locked up enough to make turns more difficult.

For your rear axle I would go for a full carrier locker like a Detroit Locker which is an automatic like a lunchbox is. Its benefits over any lunchbox locker are that it's a lot stronger, far better behaved/turns easier when in the rear axle, and is nearly bulletproof. For your hot & sandy conditions it'd be a very good and problem-free choice.

 

[Chris]

Agreed with everything Jerry said!

Also, we've got some other members on here from Dubai as well, including @Flivver250.

 

[Richard83]

Agreed with everything Jerry said!

Also, we've got some other members on here from Dubai as well, including @Flivver250.

Thank you for the reference.

 

[albert leon]

I ran an Aussie locker on my Dana 30 for several years. I ended up replacing it with an E-Locker. The nice thing about the Aussie is that it truly is DIY. I know you said you didn't have access to workspace, but that means it should be a lot cheaper to install because you're not having to have a specialty rear-end shop set up gears. On the Aussie, you simply pull out the carrier, pull out the spider gears, and drop the locker inside the existing carrier and bolt it back up.

Now the reason I replaced the Aussie is not because it failed, but rather it was noisy. Even when you are in 2-wheel drive, you will hear the mechanism ratcheting on tight turns. There were some noises when wheeling too, but the noises when not wheeling were what bothered me most. I ended up going with selectable front and rear.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

...Now the reason I replaced the Aussie is not because it failed, but rather it was noisy. Even when you are in 2-wheel drive, you will hear the mechanism ratcheting on tight turns. There were some noises when wheeling too, but the noises when not wheeling were what bothered me most. I ended up going with selectable front and rear.

Which is why I consistently mention that lunchbox lockers like the Aussie and Lockrite ratchet/click through turns on the street when in 2wd but the No-Slip lunchbox locker made by Powertrax does not. You could have saved some significant $$$ by just replacing that Aussie with the No-Slip which would have been an easy direct swap.

 

[Richard83]

Thank you for the feedback.

I consulted with one of the more famous off road customisation shops here.They advised that a regear to 4.11 would be better for my desert driving needs than a locker.

Now, I have read many of the regearing threads but again feel that they are geared more for rock climbing.

My main concern with the Jeep is sluggishness especially when climbing larger dunes leading to abort or early descent ; which I reckoned could be offset through better traction from a locker but the regearing argument seems to be compelling as well.

Do you think that a regear from a current 3.73 to 4.11 or even 4.56 would give me more torque to power through the climb or should I be relying on the traction improvement of a locker to do this.

I am still a novice and reading up and may have mixed up some concepts but would be great to get a considered opinion.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

There's no easy single answer. A locker eliminates the problem you've seen when one tire is spinning uselessly while the other tire is unable to keep you moving. A locker keeps both tires spinning no matter what. Regearing give you more power to climb obstacles like sand dunes but sometimes regearing to a ratio gives you higher engine rpms for more power at the expense of lower wheel speed which can harm progress through sand. I'm thinking you probably use 4Hi to climb sand dunes right? If you need more power regearing to 4.11 would help. If you are getting stuck with just one tire on each axle spinning but you're not moving, a locker would fix that situation.

 

[albert leon]

Which is why I consistently mention that lunchbox lockers like the Aussie and Lockrite ratchet/click through turns on the street when in 2wd but the No-Slip lunchbox locker made by Powertrax does not. You could have saved some significant $$$ by just replacing that Aussie with the No-Slip which would have been an easy direct swap.

Thanks Jerry, I actually considered the Powertrax as a replacement to the Aussie, but I was ready to regear and I knew I wanted a selectable in the rear, so went with the matching up front since I was already into it for the labor.

Really always appreciate your insight, experience, & advice.

 

[Richard83]

There's no easy single answer. A locker eliminates the problem you've seen when one tire is spinning uselessly while the other tire is unable to keep you moving. A locker keeps both tires spinning no matter what. Regearing give you more power to climb obstacles like sand dunes but sometimes regearing to a ratio gives you higher engine rpms for more power at the expense of lower wheel speed which can harm progress through sand. I'm thinking you probably use 4Hi to climb sand dunes right? If you need more power regearing to 4.11 would help. If you are getting stuck with just one tire on each axle spinning but you're not moving, a locker would fix that situation.

Thank you.

Yes, the climbing is done in 4Hi at gear 1 or 2 depending on the gradient/sand type etc.

Being in 4Lo for some of the climbs helps but then the rpms red line as speed builds up above the recommended crawl speeds used for 4Lo.

 

[Richard83]

There's no easy single answer. A locker eliminates the problem you've seen when one tire is spinning uselessly while the other tire is unable to keep you moving. A locker keeps both tires spinning no matter what. Regearing give you more power to climb obstacles like sand dunes but sometimes regearing to a ratio gives you higher engine rpms for more power at the expense of lower wheel speed which can harm progress through sand. I'm thinking you probably use 4Hi to climb sand dunes right? If you need more power regearing to 4.11 would help. If you are getting stuck with just one tire on each axle spinning but you're not moving, a locker would fix that situation.

Hi Jerry,

I was following up on your recommendation for 4.11 by reading other threads. I see that both 4.11 and 4.88 have been recommended by you for the 42RLE which is also my Auto Transmission.

Are these recommendations based on the poster's tire sizes (4.11 for 31in and 4.88 for 33-35in) alone or are other considerations like highway/offroad usage type (rock/mud/sand) also considered.

My TJ is a daily driver for 5 days a week (stop go city traffic) and weekend (1 day) dune basher. Highway drives are limited but around 75 mph when they do. So highway driving is not a major consideration for me.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I rarely recommend 4.11 for those with the 42RLE except for close to factory size tires. Whenever I make a ratio recommendation, it's always with correct highway rpms in mind. With correct highway rpms you'll also get good rpms offroad. If you are going with larger tires I recommend 4.88 or 5.13 for 33" tires. For 35" tires nothing less than 5.13 but 5.38 is better when the transmission is a 42RLE.

 

[Richard83]

I rarely recommend 4.11 for those with the 42RLE except for close to factory size tires. Whenever I make a ratio recommendation, it's always with correct highway rpms in mind. With correct highway rpms you'll also get good rpms offroad. If you are going with larger tires I recommend 4.88 or 5.13 for 33" tires. For 35" tires nothing less than 5.13 but 5.38 is better when the transmission is a 42RLE.

Thank you for the clarification .