Looking for some Jeep specific information. Thank you

[bearman512]

Aussie did indeed make a 44a locker in 2008, been making them since around 2002-2003. And nobody ever said IRO made a truss, we were referring to skid plates. The only shop that made a commercially available truss for the 44a is no longer in business, it was a great product but they started robbing Peter to pay Paul and went downhill fast. I'm not here to argue with anyone, but when you have been doing this extensively since 1999 you tend to know a lot about it.

Now that we are on a tit for tat and completely hijacked this conversation.
There was a shortage around 2006-2009 when Aussie could not meet the demands for the 44a locker I waited for almost a year and could not get one NEW shipped to my home in Clovis NM and beside that it was a lunchbox locker. I have used a couple of them and they love to break axles because of the contact with the axle splines is much less than a Detroit or ARB and neither of those where available.

A skid plate is to keep that weak aluminum housing from taking a hard blow or resting on the point of a rock causing a cracked or bent housing which will cause bearing failure. IR does not make a skid plate for the 44a, Mountain Valley Customs was the last company that made a full 44a truss with a skid plate but I hear they are no longer in business.

Sorry if I somehow dissed your beloved Monty or urinated in you cheerios.
This was to give DetroitDiesel ideas of what he can do not turn it into a urinating contest!

Good Luck in your search DetroitDiesel.

I'm out of here.

 

[WrenchMonkey]

...stock vehicle and throw lockers front and rear and it will go fewer places than a mildly lifted stocker... WHY you ask "ARTICULATION" on any trail if you can keep all 4 tires in solid contact with the ground there is no traction loss and the vehicle will continue to move. The second you lift a tire you stop moving as all the power is transferred to the tire in the air. A locker or LS limited slip in one or the other axle prevents this but if you have to add it to your to do list then a lift is by far easier and cheaper...

Here I'm going to disagree with you. Yes, articulation is a wonderful thing. But your "good as a locker" argument assumes traction. Just because your tire can reach the ground doesn't guarantee it'll bite. In the real world, especially expedition-type travel, you're a lot more likely to lose traction to a wet, muddy, slippery surface, than a lifted wheel.
.
And "by far easier and cheaper?" A $300 lunchbox locker will take a couple hours to install. By comparison, even a cheap lift (spring spacers and new shocks) is $250, and an all day job. A good lift kit, for a vehicle that'll see lots of road miles too, will entail coils, control arms, and trackbars. Get too tall and you're looking at steering and driveline issues.
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For cheap-n-easy traction, it's really hard to beat an auto-locker.

 

[bearman512]

Here I'm going to disagree with you. Yes, articulation is a wonderful thing. But your "good as a locker" argument assumes traction. Just because your tire can reach the ground doesn't guarantee it'll bite. In the real world, especially expedition-type travel, you're a lot more likely to lose traction to a wet, muddy, slippery surface, than a lifted wheel.
.
And "by far easier and cheaper?" A $300 lunchbox locker will take a couple hours to install. By comparison, even a cheap lift (spring spacers and new shocks) is $250, and an all day job. A good lift kit, for a vehicle that'll see lots of road miles too, will entail coils, control arms, and trackbars. Get too tall and you're looking at steering and driveline issues.
.
For cheap-n-easy traction, it's really hard to beat an auto-locker.

There we go tell me you disagree and then we can converse and state our disagreements.

WrenchMonkey from my aspect if you are on a dry surface say the sand stone in Moab as long as you are not in a precarious position all four will provide traction. Yes a locker will get you out of a situation with a tire lifted but if the vehicle is stock height it most likely would not get through a rough shale shelf road like Radicle Hill near Breckenridge as the large rollie pollie rocks would get it hung up where as a lifted articulated one will easily traverse with a little brake modulation.

I truly believe you should have both lift and at least one locker but in my experience I prefer limited slips in both ends, at least 4" of lift from a reputable company for a Expedition/Overland vehicle. Rough Country has a great fixed arm kit for a ZJ for just under $600 and a great XJ kit for $460.

I guess I have had bad luck with Lunchbox lockers and when I changed to Detroit lockers and limited slips I have not broke any axles.
Keep in mind I would break these because I was on trails here in NM that would eat axles for lunch. In an Overland vehicle a lunchbox locker would probably be just fine I was just stating if you needed to do a gear change then why not do it right. Here is what I said.

I also installed a HP 30 out of a 98 XJ and needed to do a gear change to 4.11 for both so you should understand my reasoning.

DetroitDiesel, honestly jeep-N-Montero nailed it. Also keep in mind what I said in my PM.

Sounds like you need to sit down with a pen and paper to see what your real needs are and buy accordingly. Unless you have built your own rig before and know how to fix things when they go wrong I wouldn't buy an older built rig from someone else no matter how reliable they claim it to be.

Just remember that once you start down the road of modifications it will never end.

 

[WrenchMonkey]

...from my aspect if you are on a dry surface say the sand stone in Moab as long as you are not in a precarious position all four will provide traction..

Maybe. In Moab. In Ohio (or Michigan for that matter) traction is a lot less reliable.

.I truly believe you should have both lift and at least one locker

On this we wholeheartedly agree, I was responding to your either-or.

In an Overland vehicle a lunchbox locker would probably be just fine

And I thought that's what we were discussing.

 

[Jake79]

Detroit, the issue with the 4.7 HO is the valve springs can break. I know a guy that this happened to at about 150 k, not too bad. Through a little Internet research I found a few threads on it, and the dealer he got the parts from seemed very familiar with the issue. This is the only personal experience I have. I don't think it is very common. Not what I would consider a deal breaker just something to consider.