Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Can you use a handbrake to assist with doing front digs. Ive not dirven anything capable of doing them, so i dont think i know how to use them properly or anything. I do have a new rear diff going in with a handbrake on the discs, plus i have the standard handbrake on the transfer case. Question is, can i use the handbrake on the discs to hold the rear still and drive with the front?? will this damage the transfer and is it worth it if i can rig it up for a $200 or so??

2ndly, i know less about brakes than i do about front digs. Im guessing that this "extra" handbrake works on a cable setup from looking at the diagramm i got in the manual. The existing brake lines were gas axed off, what should i use as the brake cable?

The idea ideally with a front dig is to lock either the inside rear wheel, or both wheels, and dirrect drive to the front only. This will make the car drag its front end round in a tight radius. Some people use cutting brakes, which allow individual control of a wheels brakes using a lever hooked up to a small master cylinder. If not you could use the factory handbrake. Always wondered if it was possible to rig a seperate cable to each handbrake ( think hilux style rear, where there is a h-brake lever off each drum) so that the drums still opperated off the wheel cylinder, yet a cutting brake was available by using the h-brake. Prob already done, but i dont own a buggy and no-one will let me drive theres
Layto....

well i supose looking at the setup i could probably have each disk operate individually. i dont have a buggy either......... This is going into a patrol. It wasnt intentional, it just worked out this way and i figured it was worth a try

u have to be able to disconnect the rear drive shaft from driving. Other wise when u lock up the brakes it will either break stuff or continue to drive

redzook wrote:u have to be able to disconnect the rear drive shaft from driving. Other wise when u lock up the brakes it will either break stuff or continue to drive

what will it brake? transfer? even if it doesnt completely stop the rear would it make a difference at all?

if you have an airlocker in the back you can disconnect it, then lock one of the back wheels and direct all the drive to the other 3 wheels. but from what i've heard people say, this works nowhere near as well as a total rear disconnect

mickyd555 wrote:

redzook wrote:u have to be able to disconnect the rear drive shaft from driving. Other wise when u lock up the brakes it will either break stuff or continue to drive

what will it brake? transfer? even if it doesnt completely stop the rear would it make a difference at all?

You will just slow down. The idea is to make the rear stop and the front drive. so that the front will pivot around the rear axle. If you just slow the rear wheels down when they are connected to the front wheels, both slow down the same amount, same as just applying the foot brake.
Layto....

ok, lookslike it wil be a waste of time........was worth the question though

lay80n wrote: Always wondered if it was possible to rig a seperate cable to each handbrake so that the drums still opperated off the wheel cylinder, yet a cutting brake was available by using the h-brake. Prob already done, but i dont own a buggy and no-one will let me drive theres
Layto....

What u need is a set of mog diffs, they come standard like this

To do front digs using a handbrake you need:

(1) T-case mounted handbrake
(2) Open centre diff
(3) A T-case/centre diff that can hold up to the abuse

The Land Rover LT230 has all of these things, that is why it does front digs fine with a handbrake.

Handbrakes don't work, they don't apply enough pressure to lock a wheel from driving. You need more leverage, ie hydralics, and if it has discs you need more leverage still.
J Top

ISUZUROVER wrote:To do front digs using a handbrake you need:

(1) T-case mounted handbrake
(2) Open centre diff
(3) A T-case/centre diff that can hold up to the abuse

The Land Rover LT230 has all of these things, that is why it does front digs fine with a handbrake.

lt230 front dig fine?

i have neva seen a decent front dig out of a front engined lt230 equiped car

redzook wrote:

ISUZUROVER wrote:To do front digs using a handbrake you need:

(1) T-case mounted handbrake
(2) Open centre diff
(3) A T-case/centre diff that can hold up to the abuse

The Land Rover LT230 has all of these things, that is why it does front digs fine with a handbrake.

lt230 front dig fine?

i have neva seen a decent front dig out of a front engined lt230 equiped car

RUFFs budgie did that very well.. surely you've seen him do front digs in it.

Daisy wrote:RUFFs budgie did that very well.. surely you've seen him do front digs in it.

No it didnt. If it did it did them OK but never great. Not like a Moon Buggy does with a Part Time conversion.

RUFF wrote:

Daisy wrote:RUFFs budgie did that very well.. surely you've seen him do front digs in it.

No it didnt. If it did it did them OK but never great. Not like a Moon Buggy does with a Part Time conversion.

Yep agree, going from doing front digs in the old front engined jekyll to the moon buggy was just so different it wasn't funny. Yes they would dig every now and then and when they did it wasn't super tight.

But from what other experts have said, you should be able to dig heaps better in a front engined rig.

front diggin has worked fine for me (afew times) with the tow rig but only when the nose is up high

edit: wont work anymore thou cause i busted the front centre on the weekend Driving round with CDL on and its prob gonna stay that way for awhile

mickyd555 wrote:Can you use a handbrake to assist with doing front digs. Ive not dirven anything capable of doing them, so i dont think i know how to use them properly or anything. I do have a new rear diff going in with a handbrake on the discs, plus i have the standard handbrake on the transfer case. Question is, can i use the handbrake on the discs to hold the rear still and drive with the front?? will this damage the transfer and is it worth it if i can rig it up for a $200 or so??

2ndly, i know less about brakes than i do about front digs. Im guessing that this "extra" handbrake works on a cable setup from looking at the diagramm i got in the manual. The existing brake lines were gas axed off, what should i use as the brake cable?

Want work on the Patrol due to the part tiime transfercase design. As the only modes you have is rear wheel drive (2H), 4wd high (4h) and 2wd low (4L). They dont have a center difflock likt the landrovers and later Lancruisers.
And as other have said they dont work real well and going by the front weight of a patrol I think even if it did have a centre difflock and the good handbrake it would struggle.
But there was someone awhile ago posted in the nissan section about a rear disconnect for nisssan transfer cases. Dont know what the out come was.

My Jeep could dig just fine... mind you, that was with an Atlas (so I could disconnect the rear and be in front drive only) and a t'case mounted hand brake...

S.

My tcase mounted handbrake works fine for 100%locking the rear wheels to do front digs and as another option i have a air handbreak that wont 100% lock them but as said earlier in the thread a front engined buggy wont front dig near as effectively as a rear engined buggy with a rear disconnect.
But for what i need it works good and is better than not having that option.
POS or RUFF do the rear engined buggys front dig easier partly because the weight is further back and not over the front axel? Or mainly because you can completely disconnect the rear? Or both?

not not wrote:My tcase mounted handbrake works fine for 100%locking the rear wheels to do front digs and as another option i have a air handbreak that wont 100% lock them but as said earlier in the thread a front engined buggy wont front dig near as effectively as a rear engined buggy with a rear disconnect.
But for what i need it works good and is better than not having that option.
POS or RUFF do the rear engined buggys front dig easier partly because the weight is further back and not over the front axel? Or mainly because you can completely disconnect the rear? Or both?

how do you use the transfer handbrake to do it? just pull it on and drive....i woulda thought that would definately brake something.

Unlock centre diff pull on handbrake then hit the gas and steer . Handbrake only locks rear shaft and with the centre diff the torque is pushed through the front shaft. Lt230 landrover case is the best for this as i havent ever heard anyone ever doing it in anything else. My wifes pajero has a centre diff but im scared to try a front digg as it to damn expensive to fix (come to think nor are lt230s when they let go in a big way )