On sunday afternoon myself and a few mates set out on a mission to install a locker to my troopy.
After reading countless threads on auto vs manual lockers, their pros and cons and so on and so forth I decided to go with an auto locker.
I chose the front end as the diff to lock up first untill funds allow me to lock the rear aswell.
After a bit of searching I stumbled across locktup4x4 who were able to supply me with a powertrax lockrite (richmond gears) for $500 with no postage cost.
So I was set, just had to make time to install it.
Installation took us around 6 hours, but that was taking our time. It could fairly easily be done in half that time.
Once it was installed it was test time. the first thing I noticed was the skipping of the tyres when turning at full lock, I pressed the brake pedal down a bit when this happened and it unlocked and turned fine with no noise at all!
The next thing I noticed was the return to centre effect which also gives slightly heavier steering, but bugger all. Its no issue as far as I am concerned, doesnt bother me in the slightest. It does feel a tad strange when driving a straight smooth track with it in high 4 but yet again nothing to worry about, ill just pop it in to 2wd and leave the hubs locked in this situation. I also tested this and the car drives as it normally would without the locker, cannot tell the locker is there at all!
Next thing on the list was a loose rocky hill. I chose the hardest path I could to see what happened and took it as slow as I could without stalling and it was amazing to see what traction I had gained! I did come to a stop halfway up the hill due to the back end breaking into single spinner (lsd) when articulated over a large rock, all I had to do was roll back about foot and give it a few more herbs and up it went. Before the locker I would have had to have had maintained speed from the start!
Since sunday I have tried it out in a bit of mud, not much yet though. But it was slippery and I didnt have any understeer problems at all.
I had one of the front wheels in the air today and was able to ever so slowly crawl my way through the ditch I was in and I have easily conquered places I use to loose traction in.
So at this stage I can say the auto locker appears to be a great bit of gear. Not anything like half the bad things I read about them online.
I will continue to report back on my experience with the auto locker, add pics and video links so potential locker buyers can read back over this and hopefully find it helpfull in whaterever direction they choose to go, weather its auto or manual!
Cheers Rick!
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Auto locker review.
Moderators: toaddog, TWISTY, V8Patrol, Moderators
Auto locker review.
Jabber gone. Now have 98 nissan terrano and a 94 4.2ldiesel rv troopy on 33s slowly getting the fancy bits. How the hell do I change my user name?
Good stuff, another advantage of the auto locker is that it does it's job when you need it too, as in if you forget to lock a manual unit, don't lock it in time or misjudge the conditions and choose not to lock it, it is easier to break CVs etc.
This I think is something a lot of people fail to realise about auto lockers when they complain of the changes an auto locker makes to drivability.
Cheers
This I think is something a lot of people fail to realise about auto lockers when they complain of the changes an auto locker makes to drivability.
Cheers
Re: Auto locker review.
when installed into the front of a part time vehicle thet don't display most of the bad characteristics compared to being installed in the rear. plus being in the front and only being used offroad they don't wear shims out as quick leading to poor engagement.88pajero wrote: So at this stage I can say the auto locker appears to be a great bit of gear. Not anything like half the bad things I read about them online.
lwb 1.6efi,4sp auto,f&r airlockers,dual t/cases.custom coils.builder of ROAD LEGAL custom suzukis...and other stuff.
CAD modelling-TECH drawings-DXF preparation.
http://www.auszookers.com/index.php
CAD modelling-TECH drawings-DXF preparation.
http://www.auszookers.com/index.php
Top work mate, I have been looking into lokkers for the front of my Paj. These work on similar principal to detroit locker yes?
Do U think that there would be any chance of the lokka engaging at high-ish speeds when travalling in HI-4? and thus affecting your control of the car???
Good work on reviewing this and letting us know!
Do U think that there would be any chance of the lokka engaging at high-ish speeds when travalling in HI-4? and thus affecting your control of the car???
Good work on reviewing this and letting us know!
...
I was thoroughly impressed with the auto locker in the front of my pootrol and I gave it some grief on 35" MTRS.
I will always think that the most elegant diff lock option is something you can switch on/off as you desire and it is difficult to argue against that, but $$$$$$$ can be a pretty good starting point.
I found the only downside to my auto locker was that I had to alter my driving style a little bit, boo hoo
I will always think that the most elegant diff lock option is something you can switch on/off as you desire and it is difficult to argue against that, but $$$$$$$ can be a pretty good starting point.
I found the only downside to my auto locker was that I had to alter my driving style a little bit, boo hoo
[quote="MSCHIF"]SPUA its like shaving a barbie dolls head, amusing but pointless.[/quote]
auto locker
I hated the auto locker in the front of mine. Kept popping CV's though I was running a 351 and 35's. I am about to put another in though. But only in the rear.
Remember some days your the pigeon and other days your the statue
I used to run lockrites front and rear of my zook, it had no power steer and in all honesty was a pig to drive like that.
after fitting power steer id say the lockrite front was good and I was never left without traction.
I do feel that they are best served in the back however and an air locker in the front.
but as a reliable budget option they are had to beat.
after fitting power steer id say the lockrite front was good and I was never left without traction.
I do feel that they are best served in the back however and an air locker in the front.
but as a reliable budget option they are had to beat.
85 high roof 1.3, 6.5 tc, air lockers,ruf and 34 swampers. yep its an ugly pos.
Time for an update on how the locker is going.
So far still no probs at all!
I decided to test a few things, I started with going around a corner on gravel at about 50kp/h in low range and yes, i did have the front try to under steer, so I backed up the track and tried the same corner, same speed but in 4 high and because I was basically coasting I did not notice the locker was there.
The main thing I have noticed is that when going around a corner and do a gear change it will unlock when the clutch is engaged and lock again when power is reapplied, this causes the steering wheel to jerk a little so driving with your humbs inside the steering wheel would be a bad idea, but we should all know that anyway!
I went for a play along side the avon river this weekend and I did find that in loose deep pebbly type terrain that my turning circle was a bit bigger than usual so I just slowed down and again used the brakes when turning tight and sure enough, the locker unlocked giving me my turning circle back again.
The bit that suprised me the most was sand, the locker pretty much well locked and unlocked that well tht I wouldnt have known it was there untill I went into some rutts where I previously had issues but now cruise straight up
I think the key issue with auto lockers is make sure they are set up right and ajust your driving to suit.
From my experience I would suggest air lockers to those who have a heavy foot and no patience because if your hitting loose terrain with momentum you will have steering issues with the auto locker. But if you enjoy maintaining traction and enjoy crawling over challenging terrain slowly to make the best of low range moments an auto locker is cheap and very effictive, and the $ saved can go towards the next mod, weather it be locking the other end, a winch to assist where a locker cant etc
Here is a pic from the avon.
Auto locker + sand = no worries
So far still no probs at all!
I decided to test a few things, I started with going around a corner on gravel at about 50kp/h in low range and yes, i did have the front try to under steer, so I backed up the track and tried the same corner, same speed but in 4 high and because I was basically coasting I did not notice the locker was there.
The main thing I have noticed is that when going around a corner and do a gear change it will unlock when the clutch is engaged and lock again when power is reapplied, this causes the steering wheel to jerk a little so driving with your humbs inside the steering wheel would be a bad idea, but we should all know that anyway!
I went for a play along side the avon river this weekend and I did find that in loose deep pebbly type terrain that my turning circle was a bit bigger than usual so I just slowed down and again used the brakes when turning tight and sure enough, the locker unlocked giving me my turning circle back again.
The bit that suprised me the most was sand, the locker pretty much well locked and unlocked that well tht I wouldnt have known it was there untill I went into some rutts where I previously had issues but now cruise straight up
I think the key issue with auto lockers is make sure they are set up right and ajust your driving to suit.
From my experience I would suggest air lockers to those who have a heavy foot and no patience because if your hitting loose terrain with momentum you will have steering issues with the auto locker. But if you enjoy maintaining traction and enjoy crawling over challenging terrain slowly to make the best of low range moments an auto locker is cheap and very effictive, and the $ saved can go towards the next mod, weather it be locking the other end, a winch to assist where a locker cant etc
Here is a pic from the avon.
Auto locker + sand = no worries
Jabber gone. Now have 98 nissan terrano and a 94 4.2ldiesel rv troopy on 33s slowly getting the fancy bits. How the hell do I change my user name?
Its really good to see posts/threads like this with genuine and detailed first hand info. I think it's much better then seeing "auto lockers a crap, save and buy an airlocker". It really helps people make decisions about what they really need. There should be more of it!
Braden Tagg of XRO Racing is scum and not to be dealt with. See here http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=223295
bj73 build up thread http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic168809.php
bj73 build up thread http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic168809.php
great to see some first hand experiance being shared with the auto lockers. i also have a lockrite fitted to the front of my bundy and love it. yes the steering wont respond the same if you keep on the gas, but if you back off a bit it does release. its also good not having to worry if you air locker is on or off you just drive. i highly reccomend them to anyone, don't belive the b.s of 'my mate had one and....'
i also have a air locker in a patrol and for the money i'll take the auto. must say the compressor is handy, but with the cash you save on the auto locker you can by a compressor or 2.
i also have a air locker in a patrol and for the money i'll take the auto. must say the compressor is handy, but with the cash you save on the auto locker you can by a compressor or 2.
Sounds like the locker is working for you. I'm looking to put one in the rear of my 60 soon. I did want to mention about the locking /unlocking comments though. To the best of my knowledge these units never unlock. I think the term "Auto Locker" is misleading as that implies that something automatically happens. By design these units always spin the wheels at the same speed AND allow for one or the other to turn faster. Just opposite of an open dif. That is why it feels funny going around a turn. In an open dif the outside wheel gets the power and the inside wheel is free. In an "auto locked" dif the inside wheel is getting the power and the out side wheel is still getting power but has to free spin faster to keep up with the inside wheel. If one wheel is in the air the other still gets power as both always get at least the speed of the drive shaft. It is easy for me to understand it by thinking of a freewheel hub in a bicycle. You can pedal and give the rear wheel power but when going down hill and your speed increases past the speed you are pedaling the wheel spins faster and if you keep pedaling at the same speed you are just spinning the hub. But the hub never unlocks or locks. There my 2 cents added lol
88pajero wrote:Time for an update on how the locker is going.
So far still no probs at all!
I
, the locker unlocked giving me my turning circle back again.
The bit that suprised me the most was sand, the locker pretty much well locked and unlocked that well tht I wouldnt have known it was there untill I went into some rutts where I previously had issues but now cruise straight up
Auto locker + sand = no worries
Is there a big difference between the no slips and regular lockrights? There is a $300 price difference between the two, so I'm wondering if it is worth it or not. My HiLux is a daily driver so on road manners are important, but I'm prepared to change my driving style. Sorry for the thread hijack haha.
They do unlock, or ratchet as it is. The inside wheel stays locked and the outside wheel unlocks. There is dog teeth that are on "clutches" that get forced apart from each other when turning, thus unlocking the wheel that has to turn further. If torque is applied it does stay locked up though, but under gentle throttle, coasting or using the brakes whilst slowly excellerating a slow tight turn the dog teeth unlock allowing the vehicle to turn with ease.vk2icj wrote:Sounds like the locker is working for you. I'm looking to put one in the rear of my 60 soon. I did want to mention about the locking /unlocking comments though. To the best of my knowledge these units never unlock. I think the term "Auto Locker" is misleading as that implies that something automatically happens. By design these units always spin the wheels at the same speed AND allow for one or the other to turn faster. Just opposite of an open dif. That is why it feels funny going around a turn. In an open dif the outside wheel gets the power and the inside wheel is free. In an "auto locked" dif the inside wheel is getting the power and the out side wheel is still getting power but has to free spin faster to keep up with the inside wheel. If one wheel is in the air the other still gets power as both always get at least the speed of the drive shaft. It is easy for me to understand it by thinking of a freewheel hub in a bicycle. You can pedal and give the rear wheel power but when going down hill and your speed increases past the speed you are pedaling the wheel spins faster and if you keep pedaling at the same speed you are just spinning the hub. But the hub never unlocks or locks. There my 2 cents added lol
88pajero wrote:Time for an update on how the locker is going.
So far still no probs at all!
I
, the locker unlocked giving me my turning circle back again.
The bit that suprised me the most was sand, the locker pretty much well locked and unlocked that well tht I wouldnt have known it was there untill I went into some rutts where I previously had issues but now cruise straight up
Auto locker + sand = no worries
Jabber gone. Now have 98 nissan terrano and a 94 4.2ldiesel rv troopy on 33s slowly getting the fancy bits. How the hell do I change my user name?
Yes, there is a huge difference in the way they lock and unlock. The No Slips are like a really tight LSD in the way they operate. Very Very smooth.Evski wrote:Is there a big difference between the no slips and regular lockrights? There is a $300 price difference between the two, so I'm wondering if it is worth it or not. My HiLux is a daily driver so on road manners are important, but I'm prepared to change my driving style. Sorry for the thread hijack haha.
93 1HZ Troopy Double Locked, Lifted and Gassed with NO Benefits by D-GAS
D-GAS= Dont - Give A Shit
D-GAS= Dont - Give A Shit
Yes, definately. I got mine 4 years ago for a touch over $1100.00 delivered from the US when our dollar was 71c US at the time, that was $687.00 cheaper than I could get them from my local 4by shop. Also they were on my door step in 9 days, instead of waiting 6 weeks from the local bloke. Mine came from www.rocky-road.com
93 1HZ Troopy Double Locked, Lifted and Gassed with NO Benefits by D-GAS
D-GAS= Dont - Give A Shit
D-GAS= Dont - Give A Shit
I had a play in wet clay today.
I was having a good old drive around the wet high country and then I remembered a steep clay track I had previously traveled on. So I thought I better go and try the locker out on it.
Once I was on it and started to climb I did end up having a little slide to the side of the track and had to ease my way back into a runoff.
But the locker doesnt seem to be the cause.
Firsly I underestimated how slippery the surface was and I was stupidly running 40 psi because I was too lazy to air down untill I was stuck
Secondly my tyres had clogged up and became slicks.
Thirdly Due to underestimating the surface I chose the slipperyest looking path in search of a challenge which was a little off camber (only a little though) which leant to the side of the track I ended up on.
So what happened was.... I started to climb and realised soon after that the surface was real bloody slippery so as I lost traction I built up the revs in hope to find something to grab grip on but there was nothing for the tyres to hook up on. Because of this momentum nearly came to a hault so in a last second dash for traction I started to sway the steering wheel and give it a gutfull. By this stage it was too late and because I was already slightly off camber the cruiser ended up sliding to the side of the track. I then chose to ease my way back to a run off so I could let my tyre pressure down. When going back the clogged up tyres were as good as skates and I ended up resting the left hand side of the cruiser in some boggy shyte! The back end slid into it, not the front where the locker is. I tried to move out of it but had no chance so I dropped the tyre pressure to 16psi and was able to get the rig moving again. There was a better path to take on the right hand side of the track so i lined it up and the front end clawed itself to where I wanted it but because I was crossed over the back end would not straighten up which ended up in a similar scenary to what had happened in the first place. Thankfully there was enough room for my mate to get his patrol past and give me a small jerk with the snatch strap which got me back to where i wanted to be and I didnt have a problem after that.
If I had of first got out and checked the track, dropped my tyre pressure and chose a better line I wouldnt have had a problem so it was driver error, not a locker problem. But if I had of had more time I would have liked to test the locker in the wet clay some more.
But from what I got to do I would say that it was o.k in the clay but if all the wheeling I did was in wet steep clay I wouldnt mind an air locker. But I very rarely end up on wet steep clay tracks so the auto locker is still the perfect choice for me and I still have no complaints
a couple of pics (when i was airing down)
If you look infront of the car a few meters in the pic below you can see the slide marks, also take a look at how clagged up the tyres are!
befor this we had been driving other slippery tracks without an issue!
I was having a good old drive around the wet high country and then I remembered a steep clay track I had previously traveled on. So I thought I better go and try the locker out on it.
Once I was on it and started to climb I did end up having a little slide to the side of the track and had to ease my way back into a runoff.
But the locker doesnt seem to be the cause.
Firsly I underestimated how slippery the surface was and I was stupidly running 40 psi because I was too lazy to air down untill I was stuck
Secondly my tyres had clogged up and became slicks.
Thirdly Due to underestimating the surface I chose the slipperyest looking path in search of a challenge which was a little off camber (only a little though) which leant to the side of the track I ended up on.
So what happened was.... I started to climb and realised soon after that the surface was real bloody slippery so as I lost traction I built up the revs in hope to find something to grab grip on but there was nothing for the tyres to hook up on. Because of this momentum nearly came to a hault so in a last second dash for traction I started to sway the steering wheel and give it a gutfull. By this stage it was too late and because I was already slightly off camber the cruiser ended up sliding to the side of the track. I then chose to ease my way back to a run off so I could let my tyre pressure down. When going back the clogged up tyres were as good as skates and I ended up resting the left hand side of the cruiser in some boggy shyte! The back end slid into it, not the front where the locker is. I tried to move out of it but had no chance so I dropped the tyre pressure to 16psi and was able to get the rig moving again. There was a better path to take on the right hand side of the track so i lined it up and the front end clawed itself to where I wanted it but because I was crossed over the back end would not straighten up which ended up in a similar scenary to what had happened in the first place. Thankfully there was enough room for my mate to get his patrol past and give me a small jerk with the snatch strap which got me back to where i wanted to be and I didnt have a problem after that.
If I had of first got out and checked the track, dropped my tyre pressure and chose a better line I wouldnt have had a problem so it was driver error, not a locker problem. But if I had of had more time I would have liked to test the locker in the wet clay some more.
But from what I got to do I would say that it was o.k in the clay but if all the wheeling I did was in wet steep clay I wouldnt mind an air locker. But I very rarely end up on wet steep clay tracks so the auto locker is still the perfect choice for me and I still have no complaints
a couple of pics (when i was airing down)
If you look infront of the car a few meters in the pic below you can see the slide marks, also take a look at how clagged up the tyres are!
befor this we had been driving other slippery tracks without an issue!
Jabber gone. Now have 98 nissan terrano and a 94 4.2ldiesel rv troopy on 33s slowly getting the fancy bits. How the hell do I change my user name?
The moral to the story is ..
The patrol went where to the locked up cruiser couldn't ...
Thanks for another well writtern review. I will be (one day when my bacnk account grows up from the single digits it always seems to be in) going selectable lockers for the reasons you mention in the post above.
Oh and mud is a feature of the terrain I seem to drive...
The patrol went where to the locked up cruiser couldn't ...
Thanks for another well writtern review. I will be (one day when my bacnk account grows up from the single digits it always seems to be in) going selectable lockers for the reasons you mention in the post above.
Oh and mud is a feature of the terrain I seem to drive...
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