ARB Air Locker

[Prasanna Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Prasanna]

What happens with centre diff lock if we are to engage air (rear +/- front) lockers?
Will it be useful at any stage?

[Guest Close Guest]

Centre diff lock provides equal drive to the front and back. Front or rear lockers provide equal drive to both sides. So if you only had rear lockers and the opposite corner wheels lifts, you will need to engage both the rear and centre diff locks to maintain drive. Traction control will do a similar thing, but perhaps not as well.

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

What happens with centre diff lock if we are to engage air (rear +/- front) lockers?
Will it be useful at any stage?

If you engage a diff lock those wheels (front or rear) will spin together.

If you engage both diff locks...

When centre diff lock is not engaged you will get drive to either both front wheels or both rear wheels.

With centre diff lock engaged you will get drive to both front wheels and both rear wheels.

*edit* the following is wrong, I wrote this after sitting in a tractor for 16 hours and was a bit tired... *edit*

Engaging a single diff lock...

If you lock the front diff and engage CDL you are more than likely to get drive to a single rear wheel.

If you lock rear diff an engage CDL you will get drive to a single front wheel.

This is because it provides drive to the path of least resistance.

I think this is correct.

[Guest Close Guest]

If you lock the front diff and engage CDL you are more than likely to get drive to a single rear wheel.

If you lock rear diff an engage CDL you will get drive to a single front wheel.

This is because it provides drive to the path of least resistance.

You sure about that???

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

What happens with centre diff lock if we are to engage air (rear +/- front) lockers?
Will it be useful at any stage?

The centre diff lock is always the first one you would engage, no point in engaging front or rear lockers with the centre open!

Cheers Andrew

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

You sure about that???

No. Because its wrong. Too many long days. Haha.

Ignore what I wrote, I'm tired.

[Prasanna Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Prasanna]

What will happen if Diff lockers get activated in high gears?
Is there a safety mechanism incorporated with diff lockers?

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

What will happen if Diff lockers get activated in high gears?

The diffs will become locked... Nothing really. You still have to take the same precautions to avoid axle windup.

ARB lockers don't have any mechanism to lock them out of high range. Toyota OEM lockers, on the other hand, such as those on the 80 series, 70 series and the 150 Kakadu can only be engaged low range.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

I have discovered a direct relationship between engaging both front and rear lockers and getting oput of sticky situations. I plan on testing this hypothesis further, unless Wolley says there is no relationship between these two events.

Williade, who went feral on you, thats a lot of bad reputation!!!!!!!! oh wait, smart-ass, I fell for that.....(seriously, started typing then noticed a green, then hovered the mouse to discover the truth.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

seriously dude doesn't your 150 have traction control ? realistically if you need more than the tc that the 150 has then you are going to be doing some pretty serious stuff . the tc on the 150's appears a lot better than that on the 120's . if you are only new to modifying 4wds then you should probably go out with some other 4wds and see exactly how to do it and how good the tc is . even if you do require more than tc , i doubt that you would need a front locker on a 150 prado without needing a 6 inch lift , in which case you should probably have bought a patrol . my 120 has tc and ive never really needed any more , unless you want to go really nuts . in which case you should probably buy a winch and save yourself a bucket load of cash . just my opinion . twin lockers will get you further into a bad situation , a winch will get you out of it .

[smakb Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close smakb]

seriously dude doesn't your 150 have traction control ? realistically if you need more than the tc that the 150 has then you are going to be doing some pretty serious stuff . the tc on the 150's appears a lot better than that on the 120's . if you are only new to modifying 4wds then you should probably go out with some other 4wds and see exactly how to do it and how good the tc is . even if you do require more than tc , i doubt that you would need a front locker on a 150 prado without needing a 6 inch lift , in which case you should probably have bought a patrol . my 120 has tc and ive never really needed any more , unless you want to go really nuts . in which case you should probably buy a winch and save yourself a bucket load of cash . just my opinion . twin lockers will get you further into a bad situation , a winch will get you out of it .

Totally agree with high country work but I would like your thoughts about sand and snow. I have had no issues with getting stuck with either, but I have not done that much sand (one 4 day trip through Big Desert NP).

I have heard that people turn off the TC when on sand and snow, but I never have as I find just locking the center diff and correct tyre pressure works well. Your feedback would be appreciated as I thought a diff locker might be worth it before I do the Simpson.


Steve

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

hey steve , i can't offer too much help with snow as ive never driven an actual 4wd on snow . plenty of 2wds . if you can turn off your tc (we won't go any further with that argument ) and lock the centre diff it stops your brakes and auto from cooking themselves in soft sand . the only things that will save you in really soft sand is your right boot and pressures, or if you are from QLD or SA a set of maxtrax . (that should get a comment ) now where's that bloody tongue in cheek icon thingy

[smakb Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close smakb]

I have the maxtrax but I have never had to use them on my car. So it looks like all I need for the next big trip is the long range fuel tank and an awning. Buying the maps next week to start getting ready. 😄



Steve

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

I have heard that people turn off the TC when on sand and snow, but I never have as I find just locking the center diff and correct tyre pressure works well. Your feedback would be appreciated as I thought a diff locker might be worth it before I do the Simpson.

Twin lockers will often perform better than TRC or open diffs in soft terrain but whether its worth the $3,500-$4,000 for twin lockers or $1,500-2,000 for a rear locker is whole different story. IMO: If you're doing a lot of rock crawling like spitfireslw does in his 150, then I think a rear locker would be worth it. For anything else (sand/snow) I don't think the gains justify the cost.

[barajak Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close barajak]

The traction control works so well on the snow that boys with competition trucks with me on one trip dropped their jaws, they could not believe what the 150 was doing. Sand mud or snow, when you stop moving, the TC stops working. Seems to require input from moving wheels. another little trial I gave it was Blu Rag Range in NE Vic. Now keep this under your hat as I don't normally admit making a blue but I forgot to lock the centr diff and drove it in low range, low speed solely on traction control. Never lost momentum and rarely had three wheels on the rock on the final climb. As said, drop the tyre pressure and you will be hard to stop. I would go to 20psi and down as far as 14psi if required.