To lock or not

The one thing I miss in YJ with ARB's F&R is that with my Rubicon every time I turn off the engine the lockers turn off. Then I forget they are off until I start to get some wheel spin, this I think hey dip shit your lockers are off. So then it's a push of the button and on I go, but I miss just flipping the ARB switch and they are on till I fix the switch again.

For those of you that have split your Rubi switches do they go off or stay on when to stop and turn the engine off ?

Mine had the switch bypass for a long time before I moved to independent switches. I am nearly sure the lockers have always stayed on when the ignition was off.
 
Unlocking the rear, contrary to what might seem more intuitive, aids more with tight turns than unlocking the front does. John Currie did a nice video illustrating it. Leaving the rear locked through a tight turn tends to push the Jeep forward when you're trying to accomplish a tight turn.

A simple thought exercise is to think about where the locked wheels are trying to direct the vehicle during a turn. If the front is locked and the steering is turned all the way to one side, where does the Jeep try to go?

If you think the answer is forward, then try to explain what is overriding the direction of the steering.
 
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I don't really think about my lockers too much. Rear goes on when the trail gets tough enough to need it. Front goes on if the obstacle in front of me is hard enough to need it. If the trail turns into a dirt road for a while, like you find in Moab sometimes, the lockers come off.

It is better to have the lockers on an obstacle and not need them. Typically I find that I turn my rear on for any real obstacle. The front goes on when the "main event" obstacles hit which you'll know when you see them.

This is with my ARB's at least. I would have my rear locker on more if I had to worry about the LSD.
 
I really enjoyed the power trax no slip auto locker up front. If i do decide to add a e locker in the back, it sounds like it will be less of a hassle knowing i can lock the, rear from the start and have the front do its magic when need be without having to mess with additional switches.
 
For those of you that have split your Rubi switches do they go off or stay on when to stop and turn the engine off ?

You can wire it a few ways, but mine stay on and can engage in any TC position. The downside is that if there’s ever a leak and I forget overnight there’s a chance I drain my battery as they cycle.
 
My experience is only rear locked turns better than both locked. I have stock a switch and wiring so no front only experience, but it makes sense. With both locked there is a point when the arcs that the front tires are traveling different lengths at the same speed. At that point it pushes bad.

Most of the time the rear is locked for the reason that the diff usually fails when unlocked. I seen a few post where people posted having broke them pulling out into traffic with an enthusiastic right foot.
 
You can wire it a few ways, but mine stay on and can engage in any TC position. The downside is that if there’s ever a leak and I forget overnight there’s a chance I drain my battery as they cycle.
The little Rubicon compressors don't draw much power, I can't see them draining a fully charged battery overnight unless perhaps both are running continually. Cycling on-off without a major air leak somewhere shouldn't happen enough for that to be an issue.
 
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I thought I would throw this question out there, when do you lock up ?

Do you lock up as soon as you hit the trails or only when needed and then turn off or just leave on? when do you use the front and not the rears ?

I am not sure if this is true or not but have been told that since I have a Rubicon it's better the keep the rear locked up as it's stronger locked than unlocked. For those that know more me is this true ?

Personally I lock up the rear when I hit the trail, shift into low range, and go, I use the fronts only when I need the extra traction and then turn off the front as soon as not needed. Rarely do I use the fronts only but maybe I am missing something.
I lock up when I hit the trail and just leave it on. If I didn't, I would tend to rut out places on trails and then the guy behind me is dealing with my stupid ruts, holes, and whatever else I screwed up because I was too much of a bonehead to think I could get through without one or the other locker on.

I use the fronts only when I am in snow because if the rear is locked in snow while the front is locked, it will tend to push the Jeep forward and make turning difficult or unpredictable.
 
Since I have not split the switches, yet does locking the front only help with tight turns ?
I think Jerry misunderstood your question.

Whether the front only helps, maybe if you're trying to pull yourself around something, basically a front dig.

Most will say front locker doesn't hurt turning radius, only rear does. However, when I had a front locker only jeep, steering was worse with it on. Made sense to me, since you're trying to make two tires travel different distances at the same speed.
 
I have a Rubi that's still with the stock switch mainly because I keep getting distracted and haven't changed it yet. I pretty much lock the rear with hopes that the LSD lasts longer. The few times I've shut the Jeep off in 4 lo with one or both lockers on I get a couple little dings/chirps and the light either stays on or maybe flashes. When I start it up everything is still the same.
 
With my Rubicon I lock the rear whenever I air down and then kick it into 4WD, usually at the trailhead.

The front I don’t lock until I get to the obstacles in question, as it makes turning too difficult.
Opposite actually. The rear, when locked increases your turning radius. If you unlock the rear you will re-gain a tighter turning radius.
 
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I think Jerry misunderstood your question.

Whether the front only helps, maybe if you're trying to pull yourself around something, basically a front dig.

Most will say front locker doesn't hurt turning radius, only rear does. However, when I had a front locker only jeep, steering was worse with it on. Made sense to me, since you're trying to make two tires travel different distances at the same speed.

I will agree that the front feels difficult to turn at the steering wheel. But this does not have much effect on the actual turning radius. It cannot be argued that a locked front somehow reduces the turning more than a locked rear.
 
The main reason I lock before I know I need it (on familiar trails) is I want to know they are working before I go down something , then can't get back up, then come home late, then get my wife mad, then she sells my Jeep while I'm at work and then I leave work and go try to find it , go bankrupt and end up homeless , eating catfood and drinking NyQuil.
 
The main reason I lock before I know I need it (on familiar trails) is I want to know they are working before I go down something , then can't get back up, then come home late, then get my wife mad, then she sells my Jeep while I'm at work and then I leave work and go try to find it , go bankrupt and end up homeless , eating catfood and drinking NyQuil.

That escalated quickly 🤣
 
My Jeep isn’t locked at the moment, but my Lexus is. That truck I only lock at the moment I need it, then unlock as soon as I don’t need it any more. I don’t see any reason to leave it locked, and sometimes locked diffs can make things harder.
 
I know what you meant but for others, locking the rear increases the turn radius... makes it bigger. :)
Amen, you need an airport to turn around. One thing we TJ owners are spoiled by, and that's fantastic maneuverability. Never,ever have trouble parking in one. And man you can wiggle through some woods, rocks, etc. That's a big part of a Jeeps' capability to me.