OP
Rear Locker Discussion
- Thread starter sunnysideup_lj
- Start date
I have one in the TJ-6 and a spare and you can't have my spare cuz then I won't have a spare.
They are never instant. If they were instant, we wouldn't have to deal with so many that need fixing because they have been crash locked.
You would do yourself a large favor by learning how the ARB lockers engage and disengage. Let me know if that appeals to you and I will guide you down the path of enlightenment. It is ridiculously simple to learn.
OP
I have a new 33 spline ARB lined up to buy for Dana 44 and my gear ratio. Would that be the preferred locker?
Should I worry shafts are harder to find?
Yes. And that isn't related to breaking the Rubicon locker in one and the LSD in another.
No worry on the shafts if you buy a set of spares and yes, I would run the 33 spline over anything else in a TJ rear Dana 44. You won't break them and they have enough torsional give to mitigate some of the upstream shock load.
Ah ok, so would it be best to lock when stopped or would simply taking your foot of the gas for a moment be sufficient to avoid that?
You want some slowish differential action to get the locking plates to line up and engage. That is why you see mention of an S turn when locking and unlocking a locker.
To illustrate, you can put the axle in jack stands with the tires off the ground. Engage the locker and turn a wheel by hand and see how much of a turn it requires before the lock actually occurs. Lock and unlock several times and post attention to what happens.
If you are on the trail, why are you unlocking it? But no, it has nothing to do with the throttle, it has to do with differential side to side action to rotate the locking clutches until they line up the teeth and mesh together. It is the application of power at any level while they are not meshed fully that does the damage.
These are a few kinds of locker designs. Look for the locking plates. These need to engage each other.
I have run an ARB and now using a Detroit with 33 spline shafts. The only issue I had with my ARB had nothing to with the ARB. I bent my housing and hosed the ARB and driver side splines. I do really like my Detroit though. It's nice not having to wonder if it's engaged or not. Road driving is a very short learning curve. I've heard they can be interesting on ice, but I don't drive my TJ in the winter so it doesn't matter to me. The Detroit is another alternative to consider. Having used both, I would go Detroit again even though I am setup to run air lockers.
They do, I've wheeled Arizona, but that was in the Panamint Mountains just outside Death Valley. That particular trail is called Isham Trail, it's pretty challenging in a few areas.
Jack up one side of the axle with the locker until you can turn the tire. Hit the locker switch and turn the tire until the clutches engage fully and do that several times after unlocking each time and turning the tire to make sure it is unlocked. You will notice that it takes from zero to several inches of tread movement to get it locked.
With it locked and assuming a mud tire, take one finger and pull against a lug with some force but no more than one finger's worth. While you are holding that, have someone hit the locker switch to turn the locker off. The tire won't move because it only takes a very small mount of side load on the clutch teeth to stop the clutch from moving. It has to be that way in order for the locker to engage. The actuator has to be able to overcome the force of the spring(s) that push the two halves apart. That means they have to be able to be compressed by the actuator force so they are relatively light.
That is how I thought it worked. Once engaged the load is on the clutch assembly with very little or no load on the actuator the clutch is taking all the force. I have not had one apart yet to really dissect it.
The actuator part has very little to do with it. The only load on the actuator is from moving the clutch to engage but that doesn't change whether it is locked or unlocked.