lockers
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Joined: Jan 2013
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From: River Falls Wi
It all comes down to what you want it for, and how much you wanna spend. Read this and go from there.....http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/...ad.php?t=22630
Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 32
Likes: 5
Here is the locker I put in my 2wd truck, this is my review on Amazon (Rooster).
Amazon.com: Spartan Locker for Ford 8.8", 31 spline, includes heavy-duty cross pin shaft: Automotive
I cannot emphasize enough what a difference tires makes on dry pavement. Those Michelin LTX M/S tires make a lot of chirps on pavement, the Cooper ATV/3 off-road tires did not. I much preferred the Cooper ATV/3's on pavement. But if you are running a locker you probably are not running street tires.
The ability to pitch the truck sideways - drifting - is as easy as a blip on the throttle. You would not want to loan your truck to an inexperienced driver. As long as you understand the limitations of the "lunchbox" locker you will be OK. But for sure the lockers that you can turn on and off are superior.
Amazon.com: Spartan Locker for Ford 8.8", 31 spline, includes heavy-duty cross pin shaft: Automotive
I put a Spartan locker in my '87 F150. It's a 2wd truck and I was having traction issues in wet grass if you know what I mean. This locker costs $300 and its pretty simple to install. You don't have to take the gears out of the pumpkin. The directions weren't clear on how to get the C-clips back in but I found a video on YouTube that explained it perfectly. Now that I've done one the next one will be a breeze.
With this type of locker the wheels are always locked in a straight line. When you turn and the outer wheel wants to go faster it is allowed to do so because the locker can unlock when driven by the wheel. It just will not unlock when driven by the gear. It's like a one-way thing. You here a noticeable CLICK - CLICK - CLICK when this happens. I think it sounds cool, doesn't bother me at all.
The unlock function of this design is 100% dependent on traction. When I turn sharp in my gravel driveway there's not enough traction to hold the tire. So the tire cannot transmit enough force to make the locker unlock and that wheel spins in the gravel. Of course this only happens when you are turning. If I goose the throttle it will pitch the truck sideways. If I am easy on the gas, that wheel just spins and it's no big deal. It's actually a lot of fun on dirt & gravel roads and I imagine it would be fun to play in the snow when acceptable! No snow where I live, so can't say for sure on that.
Once you understand the limitation of the locker it's perfectly safe. But you will want to be careful until you get it figured out. The truck will go sideways on you when you goose the throttle in a turn. This is because the outer wheel is turning faster than the inner wheel, so the outer wheel is unlocked. At this point the only wheel being driven is the inner wheel. If this wheel loses traction & spins it allows the ring gear to go faster. Once the ring gear catches up to the unlocked outside tire it will LOCK and now you are driving both tires again. Hopefully traction is regained, but if you were goosing the throttle probably not - and now both rear tires will break and the rear of the truck will go sideways. Not a problem as long as you don't play happy feet with the throttle.
For me with a 2wd truck this type of locker was perfect and a lot cheaper than an Off/On style of locker. Plus there is nothing to wear out, it should last the life of the differential.
Update 2/14/2014: Tire squeal on pavement depends heavily on what tires you are running. I had 30x9.50 Cooper ATV/3 off-road tires on the truck when I installed the locker. These tires slipped enough when turning on pavement that I didn't notice any tire squeal. I swapped these wheels and am now running 30x9.50 Michelin LTX M/S tires. These tires squeal much more on pavement, in turns when you give it a little throttle.
With this type of locker the wheels are always locked in a straight line. When you turn and the outer wheel wants to go faster it is allowed to do so because the locker can unlock when driven by the wheel. It just will not unlock when driven by the gear. It's like a one-way thing. You here a noticeable CLICK - CLICK - CLICK when this happens. I think it sounds cool, doesn't bother me at all.
The unlock function of this design is 100% dependent on traction. When I turn sharp in my gravel driveway there's not enough traction to hold the tire. So the tire cannot transmit enough force to make the locker unlock and that wheel spins in the gravel. Of course this only happens when you are turning. If I goose the throttle it will pitch the truck sideways. If I am easy on the gas, that wheel just spins and it's no big deal. It's actually a lot of fun on dirt & gravel roads and I imagine it would be fun to play in the snow when acceptable! No snow where I live, so can't say for sure on that.
Once you understand the limitation of the locker it's perfectly safe. But you will want to be careful until you get it figured out. The truck will go sideways on you when you goose the throttle in a turn. This is because the outer wheel is turning faster than the inner wheel, so the outer wheel is unlocked. At this point the only wheel being driven is the inner wheel. If this wheel loses traction & spins it allows the ring gear to go faster. Once the ring gear catches up to the unlocked outside tire it will LOCK and now you are driving both tires again. Hopefully traction is regained, but if you were goosing the throttle probably not - and now both rear tires will break and the rear of the truck will go sideways. Not a problem as long as you don't play happy feet with the throttle.
For me with a 2wd truck this type of locker was perfect and a lot cheaper than an Off/On style of locker. Plus there is nothing to wear out, it should last the life of the differential.
Update 2/14/2014: Tire squeal on pavement depends heavily on what tires you are running. I had 30x9.50 Cooper ATV/3 off-road tires on the truck when I installed the locker. These tires slipped enough when turning on pavement that I didn't notice any tire squeal. I swapped these wheels and am now running 30x9.50 Michelin LTX M/S tires. These tires squeal much more on pavement, in turns when you give it a little throttle.
The ability to pitch the truck sideways - drifting - is as easy as a blip on the throttle. You would not want to loan your truck to an inexperienced driver. As long as you understand the limitations of the "lunchbox" locker you will be OK. But for sure the lockers that you can turn on and off are superior.
Last edited by 87XL; Nov 18, 2014 at 08:03 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
I'm still waiting to install my Ox locker with the electronic actuator, Eaton also has an E locker. I'm sure ARB makes good lockers as well but the air system seems to have to many components attached to it. You could also go with a cable locker with Ox if you really want that reliable feel to it. LSD's also work well but are not so great if you want to crawl out of something or if the roads are super slick where an open diff/locker would be better.