not trying to thread-jack, but... do they make ox lockers for our diffs? i sure would like to have one in a toyota

 

IMHO, "automatic locker" is the biggest misnomer out there. They are locked all the time - there is nothing "automatic" about it.

ARB lockers have like 2 more parts than your stock carrier and from looking at the explosion diagrams, probably less parts than a lunchbox locker.

No, they don't make OX lockers for our diffs, probably because we don't have diff covers to hold the actuating device (I was told by Detroit that's the reason for not having an Electrac for Toyota)

 

Yeah I love the term "automatic".... they are on, on, or on..... Sure sometimes if you let off the gas you can turn, but only sometimes... Not something I would ever put in the front of a rig that EVER see 4wd on the street (assuming snow/ice) or even just FS roads....

 

Heres my 2 cents on the detroit truetrac.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...n+4%3A56+gears

 

Locked all the time? Nothing automatic about it?

Not true.

In a turn the coupler connected to the outside wheel will either ratchet (Lock Right and it's clones), or separate (No Slip, Detroit locker), allowing differentiation. This happens on the throttle or off the throttle, unless you are giving it enough throttle to force the inside wheel to spin as fast as the outside wheel.

You are making it sound like an automatic locker acts like a spool (won't differentiate) all the time. At no time will a locker act like a spool, except for 2 exceptions:

One exception is a low traction situation (such as ice) where there is not enough torque generated to allow differentiation.

The other exception is due to the 5 degree reverse angle cut of the teeth of a Detroit Locker, which can make it hard for those teeth to separate. And this exception is most likely to happen in a situation like I stated above.

Even then, those exceptions are somewhat rare.

I never, ever, had a problem getting any of my lunchbox lockers to differentiate.

As far as the number of parts for auto lockers versus the ARB, don't forget the air compressor, and everything else that's needed (switch, hoses, etc.) to make it lock. That does add to the parts count, doesn't it?

 

Sometimes?

Like I stated above in my last post: Not true. I know better. I never had any problem getting my lunchbox lockers to differentiate.

As a matter of fact, since I did the factory rear locker mod on my Tacoma, I've had times (while testing it) that it wouldn't unlock right away after turning off the switch. I had to drive a little bit, back up a little bit, or swerve side to side to get the locking mechanism to unbind enough to unlock.

And that's a "selectable" locker...

As far as the last sentance I quoted, I wouldn't engage 4wd in a part time 4wd on the street anyway. Other than certain winter conditions (like one place I encountered while I was towing my ATV on a trailer on the way back from Kentucky in my Jeep last January, where I pulled off the road to check on a truck that had spun off the road), I wouldn't do that anyway.

I have had 4wd engaged on forest service roads before (sandy ones, and even some clay ones) many times. No problems at all, except for the Detroit EZ Locker that failed after less than 20 minutes of testing after installation. It would have failed anyway. The No Slip that I replaced it with did just fine.

So did the Lock Right in the front of my '78 Bronco, it worked just fine.

As a matter of fact, I never even had a problem with directional control while in mud, sand, or any other situation I can remember being in due to having front and/or rear automatic lockers. I was always able to point the vehicle in the intended direction.

Yes, I know the advantages that selectable lockers have over automatic lockers. But automatic lockers get a bad rap that they usually don't deserve. And as you and tc show, there's some big misconceptions about them, which tends to lead to the bad rap.

 

New elockers are touchy, but after several engaugments they go in and out easier... shouldnt ever be used where you wouldnt use 4wd thou....

You sound more like a salesman than a user.... your the only one who talks about them like that.. I have been around them enough to know they are not automatic, they chirp tires, wear out components and hinder steering... Even ones in the rear hinder steering, the same a selectable does.

Lunchbox lockers are designed to act like a spool 99% of the time, its what they do..... Someone has been feeding you misinformation on that.

 

Wow, William, you sure have a lot of questions for someone who knows EVERYTHING.

Oh, and BTW, the "locker mod" you're so proud of is called the "grey wire mod" and it's been around since about 1 day after the Tacoma came out. (see Pirate or TTORA or here or ... )

 

Apparently the info on TrueTrac advantages and disadvantages from guys that have have owned and wheeled TrueTracs and ARBs and have taken the time to share that knowledge with you has not changed anything. Obviously your mind is already made up...just get a TrueTrac and let this thread die.

 

I agree.

We have long since past the facts and are now into who's experience penis is bigger.

You have your info. You can make the choice that is best for you, and that is good. Thread over.

 

I think I made it clear I'm getting an ARB. You may not realize this, but it should be obvious that I'm not talking about a Truetrac anymore.

And I was the one that started the thread, I decide when it dies. I won't let it die when there's misinformation being posted about automatic lockers, just like others here wouldn't let it die when I was apparently misinformed on the Truetrac...

 

Never said I knew everything. I was asking about options for the front of my Tacoma.

And it wasn't a simple grey wire mod. It was adding a relay to the 4wd ECM harness. And for '05+, it's not called the grey wire mod. In fact, the sticky on this subject for '05+ says: "Similar to the 2004 Grey Wire Mod".

I don't care how long it's been around for the Tacoma, I've only had one 2 weeks, and only found out exactly how to do it a few days ago (even though I had already heard there was a way to do it).

So your post is pointless.

 

Nope, I've owned and installed several lockers.

I'm not "the only one". I know others that agree, and have read where others agree with me. Those that say otherwise don't fully understand.

Automatic lockers chirp tires and hinder steering because while in a turn, they drive the vehicle on the inside wheel only while the coupler halves connected to the outside wheel ratchet or separate (under throttle), or the inside wheel decelerates the vehicle while in a turn (with the throttle lifted) .

This both fights steering and chirps tires.

That's not hard to understand, is it?

A lunchbox locker might act like a spool 1% of the time (due to what I stated above, which are exceptions and not the rule), and not 99% of the time. This is totally wrong. I know for a fact that my lockers didn't act like a spool (or like the locker in my Tacoma when it's locked, which makes it like a spool).

No one has fed me misinformation on this. I know from experience, much of it due to experimenting while observing the results on a variety of surfaces, and from installing my own lunchbox lockers.

 

I'll join the fun with my experiences
I put a Tru-trac in the front of my 2nd gen because I'd heard a LS unit had better highway manners in the winter than a locker. Wrong!! As soon as you locked the hubs, the steering required both hands & the truck headed straight unless you convinced it to turn. Anything faster than 4-lo crawling was difficult to drive.

Good luck!

 

So far the descriptions of auto lockers have been pretty accurate.

Chriping tires, ratcheting noises, tire wear. Never seen a truck with a detroit, lockright or aussie that didn't do all three. They work great, but lets be serious, they have a few drawbacks.

 

especially up front on an IFS rig..

 

No doubt, there are drawbacks. The Lock Right that I first had in the rear of my Navajo was quite nerve racking at times. I drove it to Washington State in '99 with the Lock Right, and it wasn't easy in the curvy and rough mountain roads of the northwest.

The No Slip that I installed after the Lock Right wore out was much smoother, with my estimate being that it was about 80% smoother and 99% quieter than the Lock Right, and the No Slip is also more durable and less prone to failure.

With the No Slip, there are no ratcheting noises because the coupler halves attached to the outside wheel don't ratchet when it differentiates. Instead, they separate. This (along with the extra springs that help dampen backlash) is why it is smoother.

The Lock Right and it's clones do ratchet, and tend to make alot of noise.

The trip I took to Washington State in '04 with the rear No Slip (I also had a No Slip in front at that time) was much more enjoyable.

Having had both in the same axle of the same vehicle is a good test. If I were looking for a lunchbox locker (I don't think one is made for the front of my Tacoma), the No Slip is the only one I would buy.

The chirping tires and tire wear, and the handling quirks come from the way a locker differentiates (being aggravated by the extra backlash that an auto locker needs to operate properly), not from locking up like a spool and staying that way most of the time, as some people think.

Like I said before, in this case I plan on getting an ARB. It looks like it's the only option at this point, and being selectable has some advantages. And so far I can't find any listings for my Tacoma for any other brand of locker.

 

Excellent choice. I believe you will be very happy with your decision.

Happy trails!

 

I have never seen someone so convinced of a wrong opinion with their minds made up advocating the alternative.

ARB's can't be that great, they are expensive, everyone loves them and they are the strongest diff on the market.

Lots of great marketing hype here.

 

Wrong opinion about what??? Detroit Truetrac? Well guess what, there was a link supplied by 86 yota earlier in this thread that maybe you didn't read:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...n+4%3A56+gears

There's 2 people out of 2 in that thread that own Truetracs that actually have experienced them that like them. Tell them they are wrong, not me. I don't want to hear it.

I've read other threads in other 4wd forums where people posted about liking their Truetracs. I specifically remember one guy saying he rock crawled with his, using the brakes when needed. He said it could be challenging at times (we all know the Truetrac isn't a locker, duh).

I don't expect everyone to like limited slips. Personally, for hardcore off road, I prefer lockers. That's why I've owned 5 lockers versus 2 limited slips. But limited slips do have a place, like it or not. The link above shows it.

Mind made up about what???

If you are implying that I had made up my mind about getting a front Truetrac (or anything else other than an ARB) before I finally decided to get an ARB, well this isn't true. You seem to want to take what I say and change the intended meaning.

Speaking of a wrong opinion (as you accused me of having)...

You said in your first post that a limited slip has "ALL the drawbacks of a locker". That's certainly not literally true. I've driven 2 vehicles with rear limited slips, and one with 2 different rear lockers installed (Lock Right and then a No Slip). The Limited slip is completely invisible while driving, while the lockers (especially the Lock Right) were not, and could be aggravating at times.

Last January I drove to Kentucky and back towing my ATV on a trailer with my Dana Trac Loc limited slip equipped Wrangler Unlimited. On the way back, from Knoxville to Atlanta (about 300 miles), it was steady sleet or snow. I NEVER experienced any "drawbacks". I never slipped sideways at all, and there was no locker quirkiness to cause unwanted movement (And yes, I do understand how the non-spinning tire of a open differential can anchor a vehicle to keep it from sliding).

My Navajo with a rear locker and towing and on ice/sleet/snow certainly would have made the trip more scary.

So the Trac Lok in the rear of my Wrangler certainly didn't have "ALL" the drawbacks of a locker. And yet it never failed to keep power delivered to both rear wheels when needed. In fact, I was surprised that it perfomed as well off road in Kentucky as it did. Not like a locker, but it still did good.

Like you said in your first post, "Do some more homework".