Platinum Member Valhalla Posted May 10, 2021 Platinum Member Share Posted May 10, 2021 Hello, just joined and good to be here. I have a 1997 TJ 4 litre manual with a Dana 44 rear axle and a Dana 30 front. Was thinking about fitting a Detroit style locker on rear and a cable diff lock on front. Have used the Jeep for fun on road and intend on using her for a bit of green laning and some off roading on purpose built courses. I didn’t want to put Detroit style locker on front as I have heard can be very noisy on road when turning corners etc and as the front axle is weaker than the rear I thought a cable diff lock would be better to save too much stress on axle. Can anyone recommend a fitter (East London/Essex) and what are your thoughts? Please note this car is for fun, we are not massive serious off-readers! Thanks all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted May 10, 2021 Platinum Member Share Posted May 10, 2021 All of the ratchet style lockers will click when steering. It doesn't matter if they are in the front or rear axle. They will click whenever one wheel is forced to do more rotations than the other. A Detroit locker is a great addition for an off roader, but less so for a vehicle that may me used on wet, snow or ice covered roads. They tend to push a vehicle out of a turn when locked, they just want to go in a straight line. Off road on mud you have a 100% lock and often ruts that the front wheels are in that mask this behaviour. Traction is brilliant, steering not so, which is why it's handy to have a selectable in the rear when you need to pivot in a tight spot (forests or rocks). An Ox-locker is a great choice for a selectable up front. Even when cable operated they can be driven by a chassis mounted pneumatic cylinder if you don't want extra levers in the cab. I have ARB's in both axles on one of my Jeeps and if I was going to build it again I would go Ox with external pneumatics. It's a shame that Ox lockers are so expensive. TrueTracs are probably the best choice for a vehicle that will be used predominantly on paved roads. They are silent, don't need any special lube additives or maintenance, and are very reliable. They work well on the street in all weathers and off road. My older XJ has them in both axles for the last 20 years. I am bewildered why they were never original equipment on all Jeeps. What tyre size are you going to run and what axle gear ratio are you going for? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted May 10, 2021 Platinum Member Share Posted May 10, 2021 If you are considering an Eaton E-locker, find out how they work before deciding to buy. They have a particular behaviour trait that rules them out for my own use case. Drivers of 2wd or 4wd work day pickup trucks may never notice the trait which is probably the intended market for the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Valhalla Posted May 16, 2021 Author Platinum Member Share Posted May 16, 2021 On 10/05/2021 at 16:41, V said: If you are considering an Eaton E-locker, find out how they work before deciding to buy. They have a particular behaviour trait that rules them out for my own use case. Drivers of 2wd or 4wd work day pickup trucks may never notice the trait which is probably the intended market for the product. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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