Locker recommendation?

Recommendations needed
Wanting to put a locker in my 05 dana 30. Aussie or truetrac ?
Don't wheel hard. Beach and mud, no rocks. I'm about to regear and have to get a new carrier anyway.
As above, a Truetrac is not a locker, it is a limited slip differential.

Lockers and limited slip differentials are wildly and completely different in what they do. Lockers are for offroad use, limited slip differentials are for paved streets or flat offroad terrain. LSDs are useless once you get on uneven terrain where a tire on a LSD equipped axle gets lifted even slightly off the trail surface. Yes, even when you step on the brake to assist it "hook up" as some are so quick to point out. I had f/r Truetracs in my previous TJ for about two years and grew so frustrated with them not helping on the offroad trail types I frequent that I replaced both with true lockers.

For nothing but beach or mud, a Truetrac would be fine. For snow/ice like you can get in parts of Maryland, a Truetrac would be superb and a better choice than an automatic locker like an Aussie. But if you think you might want to start doing actual offroad trails with more difficulty, you'd regret not having gone with a true locker like an Aussie, Lockrite, or No-Slip up front.
 
As above, a Truetrac is not a locker, it is a limited slip differential.

Lockers and limited slip differentials are wildly and completely different in what they do. Lockers are for offroad use, limited slip differentials are for paved streets or flat offroad terrain. LSDs are useless once you get on uneven terrain where a tire on a LSD equipped axle gets lifted even slightly off the trail surface. Yes, even when you step on the brake to assist it "hook up" as some are so quick to point out. I had f/r Truetracs in my previous TJ for about two years and grew so frustrated with them not helping on the offroad trail types I frequent that I replaced both with true lockers.

For nothing but beach or mud, a Truetrac would be fine. For snow/ice like you can get in parts of Maryland, a Truetrac would be superb and a better choice than an automatic locker like an Aussie. But if you think you might want to start doing actual offroad trails with more difficulty, you'd regret not having gone with a true locker like an Aussie, Lockrite, or No-Slip up front.

Since seeing this I have been looking at adding an Aussie up front but about the time I was going to buy I came across cautions that you cannot flat tow a TJ with an Aussie. The threads are somewhat confusing so thought I might ask you if you have any insights. Thanks.
 
Since seeing this I have been looking at adding an Aussie up front but about the time I was going to buy I came across cautions that you cannot flat tow a TJ with an Aussie. The threads are somewhat confusing so thought I might ask you if you have any insights. Thanks.

That doesn't make any sense at all. Where did you come across those cautions?
 
Since seeing this I have been looking at adding an Aussie up front but about the time I was going to buy I came across cautions that you cannot flat tow a TJ with an Aussie. The threads are somewhat confusing so thought I might ask you if you have any insights. Thanks.
Nonsense. I do it with mine, all the way to Idaho and back. The transfer case is in neutral so with no power going to the differential it unlocks and locks easily. Curious to know where you heard/read that.
 
Nonsense. I do it with mine, all the way to Idaho and back. The transfer case is in neutral so with no power going to the differential it unlocks and locks easily. Curious to know where you heard/read that.
Here or Jeep Forum. Couple of places. Seems several folks had steering lock up in opposite direction of a turn and the general response was disconnect the drive shaft or some esoteric shaving of a notched plate in the transfer case. Sorry to be so vague and I will go back and look. They were discussing Aussie lockers specifically.
 
Here or Jeep Forum. Couple of places. Seems several folks had steering lock up in opposite direction of a turn and the general response was disconnect the drive shaft or some esoteric shaving of a notched plate in the transfer case. Sorry to be so vague and I will go back and look. They were discussing Aussie lockers specifically.

I guess the question I would ask is ... if the TC is in neutral what difference would disconnecting the front driveshaft make?
 
OK, so I read the entire post and all I got out of it was the YJ and TJ transfer cases may disconnect the driveshafts differently. I did not see where a TJ owner was having any kind of problems.

But most important, if @Rob5589 says he flat tows his lunchbox locked Jeep several hundred miles without a problem that's good enough for me.

Remember that the internet is full of "experts", your job is determine who the real ones are.
 
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I guess the question I would ask is ... if the TC is in neutral what difference would disconnecting the front driveshaft make?
Got me? That's why I ask. Logic seems to say none and I admit not following the reasoning but my search of towing TJ with an Aussie locker turned up some of the problem responses:

The transfer case, np231 in the neutral position connects both the front and rear driveshafts so that they are turning at the same speed. The transmission is the only thing that is left disengaged. With the aussie lock installed and the front driveshaft connected to the rear, when your entering into a left hand corner, the left front wheel will not want to slow down and will essentially get pushed through the left turn straight. At a certain point it then will turn to the right, ie wrong way, and cause all kinds of bad things to happen. Don't ask, been there done that already.

On right hand turns, the left front wheel is basically brought along since the right front wheel is able to slow for the turn, the left just comes along with it. But basically, your right front wheel is free from all the rest of the drive train because of the split axle. With out the spider gears in the front axle the left front wheel it tied directly to the rest of the drive train and even though the locker is working properly, when the right half of the axle is not engaged there is nothing putting pressure on the locker to have it unlock.

One way you can test this is to simply hook up your Jeep in 2wd and put the tranny in neutral. Pull it around the block or whereever for a short distance. It will tow just fine. 2nd check is to start the Jeep. Put it in 4wd, to engage the front axle, turn the Jeep off, so that the axle is still engaged. Then put the trany in gear and the transfer case in neutral, and tow it around the block ect. Both of these methods will make it turn to the left just as it would without the locker, although the second method will tend to scrubb the tires a bit more than the first since it will be relying on the locker to release instead of the split axle.

I hope this makes sense to you. It took me some serious head scratching to get this figured out.

When I tow for long distances, I simply remove the front drive shaft and everything is good.
 
Got me? That's why I ask. Logic seems to say none and I admit not following the reasoning but my search of towing TJ with an Aussie locker turned up some of the problem responses:

The transfer case, np231 in the neutral position connects both the front and rear driveshafts so that they are turning at the same speed. The transmission is the only thing that is left disengaged. With the aussie lock installed and the front driveshaft connected to the rear, when your entering into a left hand corner, the left front wheel will not want to slow down and will essentially get pushed through the left turn straight. At a certain point it then will turn to the right, ie wrong way, and cause all kinds of bad things to happen. Don't ask, been there done that already.

On right hand turns, the left front wheel is basically brought along since the right front wheel is able to slow for the turn, the left just comes along with it. But basically, your right front wheel is free from all the rest of the drive train because of the split axle. With out the spider gears in the front axle the left front wheel it tied directly to the rest of the drive train and even though the locker is working properly, when the right half of the axle is not engaged there is nothing putting pressure on the locker to have it unlock.

One way you can test this is to simply hook up your Jeep in 2wd and put the tranny in neutral. Pull it around the block or whereever for a short distance. It will tow just fine. 2nd check is to start the Jeep. Put it in 4wd, to engage the front axle, turn the Jeep off, so that the axle is still engaged. Then put the trany in gear and the transfer case in neutral, and tow it around the block ect. Both of these methods will make it turn to the left just as it would without the locker, although the second method will tend to scrubb the tires a bit more than the first since it will be relying on the locker to release instead of the split axle.

I hope this makes sense to you. It took me some serious head scratching to get this figured out.

When I tow for long distances, I simply remove the front drive shaft and everything is good.

But they are referring to a YJ's transfer case not a TJ's.
 
OK, so I read the entire post and all I got out of it was the YJ and TJ transfer cases may disconnect the driveshafts differently. I do not see a TJ owner have any kind of problem.

But most important, if @Rob5589 says he flat tows his lunchbox locked Jeep several hundred miles without a problem that's good enough for me.

Remember that the internet is full of "experts", your job is determine who the real ones are.

Thanks. I was about to install one and saw that and wanted to get clarification. My limited experience with doing things to my TJ is everything is simple but nothing is easy. I come here to sort out the issues. The TJ vs YJ was confusing since I thought we were dealing with the same T case. Thanks. I will go ahead. Thanks both you-CodaMan- and @Rob5589
 
I read it as well. Like @CodaMan, there is likely some difference between the YJ and TJ cases. That and if that guys wheels weren't coming back to center I would guess some alignment issues. He would have the same issue if he was simply coasting down the road. I flat tow mine every year to go hunting, no issue. If I listen I can hear the Aussie click when turning same as when I am driving it.
 
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