Locked rear axles

[The King Machine]

Over the Christmas break I'm going to be bringing my Deuce into the shop for her yearly tear down.
I have a whole lot of work to do, including installing my air shift T-case, air-o-matic steering, air dryer, and a number of other things.
She will be one **** of a nasty beast by spring. Like she isn't already lol
I spend a lot of time off road in remote areas of Canada's back woods. With my Christmas bonus, my plan is to buy 2 ARP air actuated differential locks to install in the rear diffs.

I'm looking for feed back from any of my fellow MV collectors on their experience with locking these trucks up. How many of you guys are running lockers?
In particular input on installation, helpful tips/tricks, instruction, off road performance, and general discussion regarding this modification.
I'm thinking I will have to pull the box, perhaps not?

Also, does anyone have the installation instructions for the air-o-matic they can post?

Thanks, it's time to get greasier.

 

[gimpyrobb]

If you wi be getting 2 air lockers, I think it would be a mistake not putting one in the front axle.

 

[welldigger]

Yup one locker in front and the other on the middle axle. Or, lockout hubs in the front with a detroit locker and a air locker(s) in the rear.

 

[Floridianson]

Forget the Air o matic go with three lockers.

 

[eaw46]

Lockers are great but one thing to be very aware of is that if you are on a side slope with lockers you can slide sideways downhill very quickly if all the wheels slip it happens very fast and can lead to lots of trouble very very fast. Eddy

 

[Floridianson]

Lockers are great but one thing to be very aware of is that if you are on a side slope with lockers you can slide sideways downhill very quickly.

True but he said he was thinking ARB so for some reason he got himself sideways on a hill just don't lock the axle. A machine with all three lockers would be a bad machine.

 

[The King Machine]

Lockers are great but one thing to be very aware of is that if you are on a side slope with lockers you can slide sideways downhill very quickly.

True but he said he was thinking ARB so for some reason he got himself sideways on a hill just don't lock the axle. A machine with all three lockers would be a bad machine.

This is correct I want to stay away from auto lockers for this reason. A vehicle of this weight can accelerate a bad situation on a slope. I require absolute control. As for the front Axle it will receive the same treatment as the rear ones next Christmas. My budget won't allow another $1200 locker this season. I may be open to gimpy and welldigger suggestion of locking the front and forward rear axle for now. I see the point as there is a lot of weight on the front end, it maybe the best use of the locker. Thanks for the response guys, all are welcome.

This is a work in progress, when I start lifting wrenches I will update my build thread
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?89517-An-American-Deuce-in-Canada

stay frosty

 

[The King Machine]

Forget the Air o matic go with three lockers.

I already have the air o matic on the shelf, so It needs to be done. Tcase and air dryer too
In the summer of 2012 I was on a week long expedition on a trail that the deuce had no business being on. Tight, loose, and nasty. While traversing a steep switch back the front axle locked up, it was a fight for my life trying to get this old girl down to the valley bottom. The thought of 1200 foot drop and tumble to death made my navigators face turn pale, he was gripping the door latch ready to jump while he watched me wrestle this beast to safety. If I wasn't seat belted in I would have been spinning on the wheel. Good times lol

 

[Woodsplinter]

I have the original air-o-matic instructions. They are on large sheets- too large to copy. PM me a mailing address and I will just mail them to you along with my install notes.

Mark

 

[Adrian A]

One observation I made this weekend in the snow. I had a stock ford ranger that I had chains on in the snow. There were trucks with lockers and no chains that were bad a$$ rigs. I was running circles around them with open diffs. It was a dramatic difference. I felt like a cheater! They had no traction at all on hills. I would think that one open rear and one locked up may be the best of both worlds. You'd have traction under all conditions.

 

[Adrian A]

Unless they were controlled separately. Hmmmm.... possibilities. I like it.

 

[Gunner0311]

No "Traction" is no grip no matter what axles you have. That is why Adrian did so well with tire chains! Locking axles that do not have any grip will not be of any help to you, bottom line.

The single most cost effective mod you can make to any 6x6 as far as performance goes, is installing a locker in the front axle. Getting both front tires power makes a dramatic affect. I have gotten

many trucks stuck(one for over three weeks back in the forest) and run a truck in mud-racing, so I have way too much experience in this area...

P.S. The more "capable/powerfull" you make your truck, the more dramatic it becomes when you loose traction or control! This past year I made a downhill pass on a 15-20 degree muddy trail, and at the bottom
someone asked me "what did that feel like?? My response(which was met by laughter) was "Like crashing an airplane!". Sounds like a great project....

 

[m-35tom]

a few thoughts. first the m-621 made for Norway, has all 3 axles with air lockers, there must have been a reason. they also have larger shafts, again there is a reason. if you have a locker in front you will not be able to steer. you could buy all 3 rockwells surplus for less than ARBs and they would be much stronger.

 

[Adrian A]

I'd expect air lockers on all three axles to be the best of options.

 

[TehTDK]

a few thoughts. first the m-621 made for Norway, has all 3 axles with air lockers, there must have been a reason. they also have larger shafts, again there is a reason. if you have a locker in front you will not be able to steer. you could buy all 3 rockwells surplus for less than ARBs and they would be much stronger.

In an vehicle without power-assisted steering you would be correct . With power steering it becomes easier to turn a vehicle while its front axle is locked, as long as you don't do it or try on asphalt since it will wreck the axles and diffs in a short time.

 

[TMNT]

I'd expect air lockers on all three axles to be the best of options.

Agree 100%. Air lockers give the option of running locked or open as needed.

For those guys running lockers vs the guy running chains, imagine running chains and lockers.

With an extensive history of running 4x4 vehicles off road, I can tell you that locking differentials are the single best thing you can do to improve off-road capability. I've seen a Jeep JK with ARB's front and rear with street tires go where open diff trucks with 38-40 tires didn't have a prayer.

Hard pack snow and ice requires chains or studs with or without lockers.

 

[Hainebd]

Lockers are key. Front locker works best. Two axles locked one front even better. All three locked ultimate. Downside, when you are stopped moving you are stuck stuck. The upside is if used correctly(requires knowing you vehicle capablities) can keep you moving. My 2 cents. Not needed but I would lock my axles when I rebuid them. Air locker front and mid. A torque locker rear rear and lock out hubs front and rear axle. Best of all max traction and fuel economy plus control so I can turn corners.

 

[M-1028]

I've got a grizzly locker in the front of mine, the only time it's locked is when power is applied, the same is true with the Detroit and ouverson lockers. When the truck is in rear wheel drive it drives just like a stock truck. Engage the front and it's locked.

 

[JasonS]

a . you could buy all 3 rockwells surplus for less than ARBs and they would be much stronger.

Can you point me in a direction?

 

[shannondeese]

I am running a rear ARB in my bobbed Deuce. I love it. I did a whole write up on it when I installed it. It was pretty easy. Just do a search under my name to find the write up. Good Luck. You'll love the added traction. I use mine a couple times a month when I am pulling trees.