Locker In The Front Vs Locker In The Rear?

What are the pros and cons of having a locker in the front compared having one in the rear? Or vice versa?

 

No real advantage to a front locker. Everything I've read/watched on YouTube suggests money on a rear locker is much better spent.

 

If I had to pick only one, I'd pick rear. Overall, the increases in traction and the minimal handling drawbacks outweigh having one only in the front.

If it's a selectable locker, the advantages of a front locker in conjunction with the rear are huge. The difference in how a jeep will scale obstacles is night and day.

But only front without the rear, the drawbacks when it comes to steering just aren't worth it, IMO.

 

For where I go, what I do, the desert terrain in my area, I would always have a limited slip of some make and model up front.

 

I agree, front only is a pain, but selectables, front and rear is best of both worlds. I have an eaton in the rear of my 47 and a lunch box in front. I am going to remove the lunch box and go open, until I can pick up another eaton for my dana 30. the clicking drives me nut, more so than normally. and if you down hill in loose stuff, you sometimes go in the wrong direction , but if you could flip a switch and unlock, you have a little better control. my 2 pennies.

 

I have an (Aussie) lunchbox locker in my Dana 30, never had a problem steering with power steering. I have a power lock in the rear now but my front locker came first and gave me the ability to go all over Tellico and Windrock way easier than no locker. When your climbing up onto rocks the front locker is a huge help over a rear locker.

 

I currently have a Dana 44 30 spline flanged with an Eaton E-Locker in the rear and down the road hope to build a Dana 30 with the same up front. But I totally agree you have to have the option to run your front as an open in most cases.

 

1) Open differentials teach you how to drive, to realize what you and the Jeep are capable of.
2) Lockers/limited slips teach you to remember #1 above at all times.

 

most times I only run or need the rear locker locked to get up and over. have run opens fronts for a long time, I have 4 wheeled all my life, well at least the property licensed years anyways. I do enjoy using the front locker when I need it though and if I wheel without it locked, I have the choice to lock it if needed. its an option, but I have had a lot of times without one and still managed.

 

I have an OX in the front and the factory limited slip in the back, if the rear had been open when I built the front axle, I would have put the OX back there. A selectable locker up front is really handy, it's nice to be able to disengage it. When I first got the Jeep, it had the open 27 front axle and it was nice to learn to drive it like that before adding in the front 44 and OX.

 

Once you have run selectable lockers on a Jeep, open axles are about the same as driving with only 3 wheels. It really depends on what terrain you actually spend your time driving though. Very hard to make blanket statements that one locker is better or worse then the next. Lockers also can be very hard on other pieces in the drivetrain.

 

If your climbing hills, and rocks the rear locker will be more useful then a front. When climbing all the weight and traction is in the rear, not so much in the front where it is light and unloaded.

 

I have a Detroit Locker (rear) and a ARB Locker in the front. I find that most of the time I run the front open. I only lock it if it's really rough terrain and need to do some crawling to get over it. Most of the time rear is enough.

 

agreed scott, most times just use it when you need it. I never just wheel with the front locked. its almost like you have to make me lock it in. there is no one right answer, its all determined by, your driving skill level, how your jeep is configured, axle ratio, tires , well you get the gist. I personally think selectable diffs are a heaven sent.