LOCKRIGHT LOCKERS

[Nizsafari]

i have been really thinking of getting one lokka for the front, have lsd rear, but was wondering what they are like say, going down a steep, slippery, bendy track, do they still allow good steering control??

My front ARB dosent like to let me turn if I'm on a hard surface with traction but I think the auto lockers release and let you turn better than a fully locked diff?

I have an autolokka in the front of my Safari, sometimes going downhill the steering becomes "Heavy", I find if i give the go pedal a light "Tap" it frees up the steering.. Hard to imagine hittin the gas going downhill on a rutted grease track but it does work...and its only a light "TAP" not a pedal to the floor job

[Steve_t647]

Lockright in the front going downhill you have to remember the front inside wheel will be the driven one and the outside can spin faster and do what it wants.

[MNC]

i have been really thinking of getting one lokka for the front, have lsd rear, but was wondering what they are like say, going down a steep, slippery, bendy track, do they still allow good steering control??

I've only tried this once since I got the new truck with lokka in the front (and no power steering - to be added). Went down a step hill and couldnt turn the wheels at all . Straight was the only way until U got to the bottom and released the pressure off the lokka unit (which will stay engaged until the pressure is released).

[MNC]

tried it out today am real impressed with front locker right up til i spat a cv but hey still impressed and still open rear diff .....

That is one of the reasons people prefer to put the lokka in the rear.

If you are going to run a lokka in the front then you should also upgrade the CVs to stronger units such as Longfields otherwise will just keep busting CVs. Im saving for mine (not really saving but thinking about them all the time )

[Sadam_Husain]

i have been really thinking of getting one lokka for the front, have lsd rear, but was wondering what they are like say, going down a steep, slippery, bendy track, do they still allow good steering control??

I've only tried this once since I got the new truck with lokka in the front (and no power steering - to be added). Went down a step hill and couldnt turn the wheels at all . Straight was the only way until U got to the bottom and released the pressure off the lokka unit (which will stay engaged until the pressure is released).

I've never driven with a front auto locker but they reckon you've got to blip the throttle to get them to release when your trying to turn going downhill, probably easier said than done when you've got both feet pushing as hard as you can on the brake pedal

Going downhill through steep rutted stuff I often engauge my rear locker and the difference in control and brakeing traction is quite significant

[Nizsafari]

tried it out today am real impressed with front locker right up til i spat a cv but hey still impressed and still open rear diff .....

That is one of the reasons people prefer to put the lokka in the rear.

If you are going to run a lokka in the front then you should also upgrade the CVs to stronger units such as Longfields otherwise will just keep busting CVs. Im saving for mine (not really saving but thinking about them all the time )

With my Safari thats not exactly true.. Ive only Killed 1 cv and 1 hub in the 3 years i've had the lokka in.. in that time its been to Pureora 4 times (at a week per trip), and countless other nail biting trips.. oh yea i'm also using the $60 cv's off TradeMe...

[pagar]

i have been really thinking of getting one lokka for the front, have lsd rear, but was wondering what they are like say, going down a steep, slippery, bendy track, do they still allow good steering control??

I've only tried this once since I got the new truck with lokka in the front (and no power steering - to be added). Went down a step hill and couldnt turn the wheels at all . Straight was the only way until U got to the bottom and released the pressure off the lokka unit (which will stay engaged until the pressure is released).

I've never driven with a front auto locker but they reckon you've got to blip the throttle to get them to release when your trying to turn going downhill, probably easier said than done when you've got both feet pushing as hard as you can on the brake pedal

Going downhill through steep rutted stuff I often engauge my rear locker and the difference in control and brakeing traction is quite significant

If you practice safe 4wd technique and drive over your brakes you should not have the steering problem as you will be driving the wheels from the axle which is what the diffs need, also you will not be locking up and sliding, I have a LSD in the rear and putting an arb in the front, I would go front for sure, my LSD is really tight (almost locked completly (new condition)) and I find when I am going down really steep slippery stuff it is really hard to keep the rear inline cause the diff causes one wheel to loose traction when cornering in the wet sloppy stuff and she tends to slide out. so when I can afford another ARB I will be returning the rear to an open / selectable locker. my 10 cents worth (i know inflation is a bitch would rather only be putting in 2 cents but not made anymore...

[cruza]

Had a lockright in the front of my 70 series for 5yrs (just sold truck) . They are a great fit and forget traction aid. Only blew a cv once, Which i put down to wear and tear as they were original from new. Breaking stuff has a lot to do with how you drive..... Ran 33's ,yes downhill with no throttle turning circle is a bit wider, bliping the throttle does work , esp and the soft stuff on switch backs, and in L/first, not a major issue. On generally 4wding turning etc it makes no real difference. set up and proper locker clearances makes a big difference on how the locker feels, clearance range is quite big, but they work best at optimin setting, I had to use a surface grinder on my diff slip plates to get this. with a tight lsd in the rear ,I ended up selling my 2 arb difflocks unused. All locking aids have small downpoints.

[mudgripz]

Had a fully tightened lsd in rear, and then added an auto locker to the front of my last truck. Was astonished at the performance gain - esp with climbing that the front lokka (from 4wd systems adelaide) added. Canterbury clubmates with them had told me gain was double in some situations esp hill climbs. I can confirm this.

Re the downsides with front lockers - most of us busted a cv or two learning to use the front locker properly but it's fairly black and white: try not to bounce truck esp on hard surfaces, and never power on too much when front wheels are at max or near max articulation up or down, or at full or near full lock left or right. In these circumstances just ease the power on then increase it when cv angles are flatter. Very simple but saves alot of trouble. Extra traction from the locker means you need much less power/momentum.

I note 4wd Systems in Adelaide who manufacture Lokkas say in their product literature that addition of front locker gives greater advantage than rear locker - they list a few reasons. Not sure if this holds for all trucks/weight setups etc.

Personally as I set up new truck I am looking at a rear lokka - gives heaps of extra grip and has no major downsides - like pressure on cvs. Will then fit an on/off air locker in the front - so its only used when absolutely necessary.

[cornfarmer]

How do the front lockers handle on terrain like going up Napoleon hill, where you've got power on but need to turn to stay out of the ruts?

[cruza]

How do the front lockers handle on terrain like going up Napoleon hill, where you've got power on but need to turn to stay out of the ruts?

never had a problem, more worried about those spikes between the tunnels in the creek beds!!. You don't get all that wheel spin when you break traction, that in it self is hard on cv's. You still have steering under power. Its laughable seeing , wheel spinning and screaming engines , and you just idle quietly up and ova with alot control and less chance of breakage. My truck was reg used worst places and switch back dozer tracks on southland stations on hunting trips, Even the time I shit a cv, Pulled the axle and cv and drive out in 3wd with chains on the back. best $600 you can spend.

[mudgripz]

+1 to cruza's comment.

With front locker you have alot more control at times because you can now crawl up and over all sorts of obstacles where you previously needed momentum, and unless someone has chewed the hell out of napoleon hill, you'd do it easy. Try the very rutted clay climb on the Slab hut creek track as it heads towards the Big river track - now that's a bit more challenging!!

Front locker on my truck was a bit harder to steer, would bite to the left at times so you had to hang onto the wheel, and was slower to turn - but as others have noted above, these quirks totally outweighed by the BIG performance increases. Go for it.!

[Steve_t647]

Climbing things like Napolean hill (steep hill slippery when wet and almost drivable all open in perfect conditions) with a front locker is a little different to only a rear locker or all locked I will explain the differences.

All locked (doesn't matter the type of locker) if you end up spinning all the wheels you can pivot around the one with the most grip loosing the front end or the back but you react quick counter steer or get out of the gas and find more grip.

A front locker (doesn't matter the type of locker) as far as cornering with power on the wheels will be traveling at the same speed this will make the terrain have to allow one tyre spin to corner with a front locker your turning circle is wider than an LSD but you know the wheel with grip is the wheel getting power.

with a rear locker you will be pushed straight or if the front has more grip can pivot based on gravity and slope angle (or around the big rock that jumped in front of one front wheel), if the front has some grip you will be able to point the vehicle where you want but with some oversteer effects with only a rear locker you will be pushed straight or if the front has more grip can pivot based on gravity and slope angle (or around the big rock that jumped in front of one front wheel).

Climbing a loose slippery surface with a front locker only (doesn't matter type) should be safer as it will keep the nose pointing in the right direction if there is grip.

What would I choose, with the selectables and locked offroaders i have driven I have front LSD (looser than a girl i knew ) and rear Lokka and learned how to drive it and react to it (didn't learn enough about the girl tho ) the thing is to learn the vehicle and be confident in your decision making, I have seen someone in a ARB equiped offroader get it all wrong and fall off a hill where the next vehicle (with only an LSD rear and body lift) drove with confidence and didn't panic or have everything to turn on then right foot expecting it to go there when it started going wrong (I think the family panic'd and this made the driver panic).

Drive within your limits and if you are unsure have the family jump into other 4wd's (or walk the section) and have someone jump into the seat byside you or talk you through with a radio, there is no shame in admiting you would like some help learning what the 4wd is capable of (where its corners are) and how to react, it is better for everyone to get through and have a great day than spend 5 hours recovering people gear and the 4wd (no one was badly hurt) but to get out the 4wd needed a bit of effort.

bit of a Grave dig but the poor Landrover only just fell off the hill now

[flyingbrick]

So usually with a front air locker you guys would switch it off fairly often during a run to tighten turn radius and stuff?

[Steve_t647]

Air lockers are turned on when needed or this is best practice in mud the front can stay on but with a locker and your wheels turned with good traction you can have a lot of load on the birfield or cv on the inside of the turn. Some say a front locker will get you further into trouble but well it is just fun.

[Sadam_Husain]

So usually with a front air locker you guys would switch it off fairly often during a run to tighten turn radius and stuff?

Yep there are a pain in the arse to drive with the front one in so you only put them in when you need it and take it straight back out again, there's next to no steering and its farking hard on the CV's

[hosehustler]

There is another option and that is the powertrax "no slip" locker, similar in looks (from first glance) to the lockright design, but they are totally different design.....still made by Richmond though.

I have one in my rear diff and after some harsh road testing can honestly say it's road manners are superb campared with the old style lock right (I had one in the rear of my old surf for 5yrs) it use to ratchet in the car park, people would come over and tell me my wheels were loose, or somethings broken, etc, but with the no slip locker there is no ratcheting, no clunking, or popping as it has a much smoother engagement system, and driving I would describe as you don't know it's there, so there ya go i'm real happy with it
There is one drawback as always......it was twice the price of the standard richmond lockright, so as im a cheapskate I put a std lockright in the front .

here's a link with more info about the no slip locker
http://summitoffroad.com/noslip.html

[STUKLUX]

I have a lock-right now, and it's goin in the back,and might try one of those cheap air lockers in the front later on.
cheers for everyones help.

[gary_in_nz]

I have a lock-right now, and it's goin in the back,and might try one of those cheap air lockers in the front later on.
cheers for everyones help.

is it going in your hilux in your avatar?? let me know how it goes, got an ln106 and looking at putting one in as the factory lsd is crap.

[STUKLUX]

I have a lock-right now, and it's goin in the back,and might try one of those cheap air lockers in the front later on.
cheers for everyones help.

is it going in your hilux in your avatar?? let me know how it goes, got an ln106 and looking at putting one in as the factory lsd is crap.

Yep goin in that one,I know what you mean about the standard diff!

[Faust]

I have both in my Hilux and all I can say is WHAT A PLEASURE! I now want to do the same with my Series 80....

[Swaney]

I just put lockrights in the front and rear of my ln65.. finished putting them in and bolting everything back up last night about 10.30 - took it for a quick quick drive around the block... had the axels unlocked and it in 4x4 mode and steering was worse than a tank on tarmac - if the axels were locked i hate to think how hard it would of been... arround a corner i thought it was going to throw me in too a lamp post.. u gotta be extra careful with that right foot now!

back in 2x4 mode and it drives nicely.. u get the odd buck from the rear and u cant be as heavy or quick on the gas during quick gear changes - but lets be honest you dont buy lockers for driving the car on the road.

Will be taking it off road tomorrow for the first time with lockers! i cant wait to see how she goes!

[gary_in_nz]

I just put lockrights in the front and rear of my ln65.. finished putting them in and bolting everything back up last night about 10.30 - took it for a quick quick drive around the block... had the axels unlocked and it in 4x4 mode and steering was worse than a tank on tarmac - if the axels were locked i hate to think how hard it would of been... arround a corner i thought it was going to throw me in too a lamp post.. u gotta be extra careful with that right foot now!

back in 2x4 mode and it drives nicely.. u get the odd buck from the rear and u cant be as heavy or quick on the gas during quick gear changes - but lets be honest you dont buy lockers for driving the car on the road.

Will be taking it off road tomorrow for the first time with lockers! i cant wait to see how she goes!

how did you find your lockers off road?? does your truck like to do drifties on the seal now hahahaha???

[wjw]

I've got a lockright in the rear and its my daily driver, do between 20 and 40,000 KM's per year... you just need to be careful turing right at traffic lights in the wet...

[Swaney]

IT KICKED ASS OFF ROAD!!!!! Saturday went down to the Ashley had a play out there... found a few nice deep holes... didnt get stuck... came back via wiamak stopped in the mud pit there and got stuck about 2M in on the first run ... the mud was just to sloppy and the diff got bottomed out.. all 4 wheels spinning but not going anywhere.. then a nice nissan came in to save me and also got stuck!... need some dude drove past in a patrol and pulled us out (wasnt stupid enough to drive in the big mud bog)... i now need to win lotto to upgrade the tyres ...

Sunday went out to McLeans Island and did some tracks up around there - very cool tracks at the moment and the mud wasnt as sloppy... didnt get stuck and got threw some awesome bogs

Would I put lockers in again if I was to do it all over.... HELL YEAH! best thing ive done to my truck!
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Edit :

I havent really noticed much difference in driving or it slipping around corners when in 4x2 but then i guess i am use to a mr2 4agze which is mad hairy in the wet.

Occassionaly the dif lets out a big *clunk* noise.. the first time it did it i thought i had snapped something... and the knock knock knock when turning tight corners reminds me of stuffed cv's

[wjw]

Occassionaly the dif lets out a big *clunk* noise.. the first time it did it i thought i had snapped something... and the knock knock knock when turning tight corners reminds me of stuffed cv's

Those noises do get quieter...

[DieselBoy]

I just put lockrights in the front and rear of my ln65.. finished putting them in and bolting everything back up last night about 10.30 - took it for a quick quick drive around the block... had the axels unlocked and it in 4x4 mode and steering was worse than a tank on tarmac - if the axels were locked i hate to think how hard it would of been... arround a corner i thought it was going to throw me in too a lamp post.. u gotta be extra careful with that right foot now!

back in 2x4 mode and it drives nicely.. u get the odd buck from the rear and u cant be as heavy or quick on the gas during quick gear changes - but lets be honest you dont buy lockers for driving the car on the road.

You did what???

Your post says you went for a drive, on tarmac, in 4x4, with the hubs out/unlocked??

Is that correct and what you meant to say (benefit of the doubt here)

You say that, on tarmac, in 4x4, with the hub's unlocked, it was like a tank to drive??

Is that correct??

You then go on to say that in 2X4 it was ok apart from some clicks and clunks (which is normal for a lockright).

My point is that if you had your hub's unlocked, as you said they were, the front locker wouldn't have been doing anything, so there would have been no handeling/steering difference between having your truck in 4x4 or 2x4, as the front axle wasn't connected to the wheels, as the hubs were unlocked.

If there definately was a difference in handeling, your free wheeling hubs aren't working fella!!!!!!!

[Bulletproof]

ARB are still making LOCKERS

I have never had handling problems with mine "Safe as a Church" and " Quiet as a Mouse"

Cheers Richard

[T-Boon]

I`m about to put an auto locker in the rear of mine, will update when I do, have to admit the LSD wasnt that bad...

[flyingbrick]

I havent really noticed much difference in driving or it slipping around corners when in 4x2 but then i guess i am use to a mr2 4agze which is mad hairy in the wet.

Mr2's are no more hairy in the wet than any other car. You either can't drive- drive too fast for the conditions ( immature, cant drive)- or just need to stop talking shit.