What are lockers??
- Thread starter gooseboy
- Start date
SAR_Squid79
Explorer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_differential
There are 2 types of lockers.
Selectable. (ex.ARB Air Locker)
Non-selectable (aka lunchbox locker). (ex.Aussie Locker)
A selectable locker is switched on or off by the driver. A lunchbox locker is autonomous, and locks the axle on it's own when it detects one wheel spinning faster than the other. The most desirable locker to have is a selectable locker so that YOU can choose when you need to be locked and when you don't. In the wrong situation a lunchbox locker can get you into trouble.
...of course - if you don't know what you're doing, ANY locker can get you into trouble!
There are 2 types of lockers.
Selectable. (ex.ARB Air Locker)
Non-selectable (aka lunchbox locker). (ex.Aussie Locker)
A selectable locker is switched on or off by the driver. A lunchbox locker is autonomous, and locks the axle on it's own when it detects one wheel spinning faster than the other. The most desirable locker to have is a selectable locker so that YOU can choose when you need to be locked and when you don't. In the wrong situation a lunchbox locker can get you into trouble.
...of course - if you don't know what you're doing, ANY locker can get you into trouble!
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SAR_Squid79
Explorer
Also good for storing books, gym clothes, etc...
MaddBaggins
Explorer
Jamie pretty well covered it.
My personal opinion is to learn to wheel and learn you vehicles capabilities WITHOUT lockers. After you learn a bit and develop some driving skill, then if you feel the need (for your type of offroading) add lockers later.
Lockers are all about traction, but if used unwisely, can get you into more trouble. Lockers do not mean you'll never get stuck.
I drove my cruiser for a couple years before I ever added a rear locker. Now I have front and rear. Lunchbox style in the rear (Aussie locker brand) and a selectable in the front (ARB air locker).
My personal opinion is to learn to wheel and learn you vehicles capabilities WITHOUT lockers. After you learn a bit and develop some driving skill, then if you feel the need (for your type of offroading) add lockers later.
Lockers are all about traction, but if used unwisely, can get you into more trouble. Lockers do not mean you'll never get stuck.
I drove my cruiser for a couple years before I ever added a rear locker. Now I have front and rear. Lunchbox style in the rear (Aussie locker brand) and a selectable in the front (ARB air locker).
Desertdude
Expedition Leader
MaddBaggins
Explorer
I forgot about the LCOOL diffs for dummies. Perfect link for this Pasquale.
viatierra
Explorer
Shovel said:Sure, people with more machismo than brains will taunt you.. they'll get mad that you're not going 40mph up every obstacle, that you actually get out of your vehicle to survey your line... etc. It's not your fault that they're crummy drivers who think you need 40" boggers to navigate a graded 2-track. Nothing makes those guys more mad than seeing a group of shiny, stock mallmobiles with their windows up and A/C blowing, cruise by them while they're stopped along a "hardcore" trail with their dusty, hot Visabuilt moon buggies in the Arizona summer heat
Well said! One of the first skills people forget to learn is to turn their egos off and their brains on.
Shovel said:I agree... there's no better way to become an exceptionally good off-highway driver than to run "the hardcore trails" with a low horsepower, open differential, small tire, independent suspension rig.
Sure, people with more machismo than brains will taunt you.. they'll get mad that you're not going 40mph up every obstacle, that you actually get out of your vehicle to survey your line... etc. It's not your fault that they're crummy drivers who think you need 40" boggers to navigate a graded 2-track. Nothing makes those guys more mad than seeing a group of shiny, stock mallmobiles with their windows up and A/C blowing, cruise by them while they're stopped along a "hardcore" trail with their dusty, hot Visabuilt moon buggies in the Arizona summer heat
I would spend the first upgrade money on ARMOR and TIRES, then on GAS to get out there and hone your skills.... and then after that get to stuff like lockers.
I look at a locking differential not as a toy to get me into crazier positions, but instead as a safety device. I can pick safer lines when I don't need to keep all 4 tires "level" as with open differentials. I can travel the same routes with less application of throttle and less wheelspin, which is sure to reduce the possibility of breakage and subsequent walkin' home.
Well... that last part doesn't exactly apply to the particular locker I own... G80's do require a bit of throttle to lock in
What is a line?? And armor as in bumpers and wut else?
viatierra
Explorer
You are full of great questions! Keep 'em comming...
Good wheel placement is key to being a good driver off-road. It is called 4-wheeling after all! So deciding where you want each tire to be as you drive through an obstacle is something that takes practice. The route you drive through a difficult piece of terrain is called your "line".
"Armor" refers to the protection added to the vehicle to prevent damage to important & vulnerable parts of the vehicle. The typical examples are skid plates to protect mechanical stuff underneath like steering mechanisms, gas tank ect. There are differential guards too. Another form of armor is to protect the body of the vehecle from damage: Rock sliders & bumpers are made of heavy gauge steel and braced to allow the use of a jack at any point around the vehicle (or survive a whack from a rock on the trail).
Good wheel placement is key to being a good driver off-road. It is called 4-wheeling after all! So deciding where you want each tire to be as you drive through an obstacle is something that takes practice. The route you drive through a difficult piece of terrain is called your "line".
"Armor" refers to the protection added to the vehicle to prevent damage to important & vulnerable parts of the vehicle. The typical examples are skid plates to protect mechanical stuff underneath like steering mechanisms, gas tank ect. There are differential guards too. Another form of armor is to protect the body of the vehecle from damage: Rock sliders & bumpers are made of heavy gauge steel and braced to allow the use of a jack at any point around the vehicle (or survive a whack from a rock on the trail).
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
gooseboy said:
A great way to learn what things are and what they are used for is to check out peoples build threads which can be found in there sigs. A lot of people have them and your sure to find a similar rig to yours to get ideas off of. If you see something you don't understand then you can PM the person and ask questions. Most everyone here is willing to help each other out.:victory:
ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
"Lines"
I'm hoping this helps rather than confuses, let me know.
The way I pick a line is to think in terms of stair steps. I try to find an exact path for, say, the left front tire that has the shortest (lowest) sequence of "steps". It's much easier to climb six sequential 3" tall "steps" than one 18" tall step.
Once I have a good idea of where I think I want to drive with the left tire then I look at where that means that the right front tire has to go. Usually it's not so good. That's life. So then I look at where I need to modify the left tire's "line" so that the right tire also has an easy job. It's always a compromise.
If sharp turns are involved, and they usually are, then you also have to think about where the rear tires are going to track.
I remember when I first started driving off road that doing all of this seemed like an insurmountable task. That I'd never be able to do it. Some of my friends would tell you that I still haven't. The rougher the route, the more this becomes the same sort of mental challenge the rock climbing is.
Don't let this scare you, it is the journey, not the destination that matters. I see people use lines that would have never occurred to me and I find that very educational. Even if it's a line that my vehicle can't use on that obstacle, it's sometimes worth thinking about why they did it that way because I may be able to use that concept somewhere else.
I'm hoping this helps rather than confuses, let me know.
The way I pick a line is to think in terms of stair steps. I try to find an exact path for, say, the left front tire that has the shortest (lowest) sequence of "steps". It's much easier to climb six sequential 3" tall "steps" than one 18" tall step.
Once I have a good idea of where I think I want to drive with the left tire then I look at where that means that the right front tire has to go. Usually it's not so good. That's life.
So then I look at where I need to modify the left tire's "line" so that the right tire also has an easy job. It's always a compromise. If sharp turns are involved, and they usually are, then you also have to think about where the rear tires are going to track.
I remember when I first started driving off road that doing all of this seemed like an insurmountable task. That I'd never be able to do it. Some of my friends would tell you that I still haven't. The rougher the route, the more this becomes the same sort of mental challenge the rock climbing is.
Don't let this scare you, it is the journey, not the destination that matters. I see people use lines that would have never occurred to me and I find that very educational. Even if it's a line that my vehicle can't use on that obstacle, it's sometimes worth thinking about why they did it that way because I may be able to use that concept somewhere else.
What are all the tire measurements and what do they mean?
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WOO thats alotta questions! Thank you.
More questions.. What is a Slip Yoke Eliminator SYE? And what does it do
What are high steer knuckles and arms and what do they do?
Whats a Traction bar whats it do?
What is a tierod and what does it do?
Whats a draglink and what does it do?
4.88s, spooled rear, detroit front what does this mean?
And what is an SOA?
WOO thats alotta questions! Thank you.
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How to respond without sounding abrasive......?
Since you are starting literally at the beginning, may I suggest that you get together with a club, group, or whatever, and ride along for the first time or two. Very soon, most of your questions will be answered, and many times the answers are easier to demonstrate on the trail. Such as 'what is a line' and the more important but as yet unasked question, 'why is a line important?' It would be easy to demonstrate on a given obstacle why taking a "good" line is better than a "bad" line (often a matter of opinion and even more often a matter of how your rig is equipped). You would even get to see how your take on the approach to an obstacle would differ from the drivers, and you can discuss this while it is happening. I have done this sort of thing with folks many times. Sooner or later you will, of course, want to do all of this with your own vehicle, but if you are starting as close to the beginning as your questions would suggest, riding shotgun is a good way to get your feet wet without breaking your own gear, it can be a lot of fun (I still do it from time to time), and with the right mentor, your learning curve is steeper because if you drive your own vehicle without guidance you will probably be making mistakes you don't even see until the consequences jump up and bite you. So, join a group and catch a ride for a trail or two, and you will have a completely different starting point with regard to your own vehicle.
In no way do I mean to talk down to you. Your questions are valid and need answers, but all the web driving in the world does not substitute for a day on the trail.
Since you are starting literally at the beginning, may I suggest that you get together with a club, group, or whatever, and ride along for the first time or two. Very soon, most of your questions will be answered, and many times the answers are easier to demonstrate on the trail. Such as 'what is a line' and the more important but as yet unasked question, 'why is a line important?' It would be easy to demonstrate on a given obstacle why taking a "good" line is better than a "bad" line (often a matter of opinion and even more often a matter of how your rig is equipped). You would even get to see how your take on the approach to an obstacle would differ from the drivers, and you can discuss this while it is happening. I have done this sort of thing with folks many times. Sooner or later you will, of course, want to do all of this with your own vehicle, but if you are starting as close to the beginning as your questions would suggest, riding shotgun is a good way to get your feet wet without breaking your own gear, it can be a lot of fun (I still do it from time to time), and with the right mentor, your learning curve is steeper because if you drive your own vehicle without guidance you will probably be making mistakes you don't even see until the consequences jump up and bite you. So, join a group and catch a ride for a trail or two, and you will have a completely different starting point with regard to your own vehicle.
In no way do I mean to talk down to you. Your questions are valid and need answers, but all the web driving in the world does not substitute for a day on the trail.